Photography (including foundation year)

Why study this course

Our Photography (including foundation year) BA (Hons) is a four-year degree that includes an intensive foundation year (Year 0), which will give you the chance to explore a range of creative approaches and build a substantial portfolio of work before you progress to your subsequent years of studying photography.

This is a great route into a photography degree, particularly if you don’t hold the necessary requirements to begin a three-year undergraduate photography degree.

Our Photography (including foundation year) BA degree is one of a number of art and photography courses at our School of Art, Architecture and Design with an excellent reputation. The Guardian’s university league tables 2020 rank our art and photography courses seventh in the UK and third in London.

More about this course

During your foundation year you’ll have the opportunity to explore a number of different artistic directions and gain a broad spectrum of creative skills before going on to specialise more specifically in photography at the end of your first year of study.

You'll begin your foundation year by undertaking a range of short and intensive studio workshops that will allow you to develop key photography skills and techniques, which will stand you in good stead for the rest of your degree. You’ll also develop a strong work ethic, which is essential when studying an art-related degree.

You will follow these intensive workshops with longer projects that will allow you to delve deeper into your own creative style and approach, strengthening your independence as an artist and photographer.

You will also look at creative practice from a contemporary, conceptual, cultural and historical context through lectures and seminars.

Feedback is essential to your development as a creative practitioner, so throughout the course there will be plenty of opportunities for your peers and tutors to critique your work. This will not only allow you to improve your artistic practice, but will also help you prepare for the exhibition at the end of the year, when your work will be on show to the general public.

After completing your foundation year, you will study the same modules and content as students enrolled on our Photography BA (Hons).

However, if you decide during your foundation year that you’d prefer to specialise in another art-related subject, there will be flexibility to do this.

Course Modules

Example Year 0 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies: Foundation
Formats
Project
Techniques

Example Year 1 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 1 (Art)
Project Work 1
Techniques: Photography
Visual Intelligence

Example Year 2 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 2 (Art)
Methods and Enquiry 1
Professional Practice 1: Photography
Project Work 2

Example Year 3 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (Art)
Major Project
Methods and Enquiry 2
Professional Practice 2: Photography