Course contact details
Admissions
Email:admissions@aub.ac.uk
Phone:01202 363228
Arts University Bournemouth
Wallisdown
Poole
BH12 5HH
Commercial Photography (Documentary/Editorial)
- Bachelor of Arts (with Honours)
- 3 Years
- Full-Time
- 28 September 2027
- Undergraduate
- Main Site - Arts University Bournemouth
Course summary
Course summary
The world of documentary and editorial photography thrives on storytelling, visual investigation, and powerful narratives that inform, provoke, and inspire. From documentary essays to focused editorial content, these practices play a vital role in shaping how we understand global and social issues, cultures, and identities. We’re looking for curious, socially engaged individuals ready to challenge conventions, advocate change, support underrepresented voices, and contribute meaningfully to visual culture. Our graduates go on to produce work for international newspapers, magazines and online editorial platforms. You'll gain both technical expertise and conceptual depth, graduating with the confidence and purpose to thrive within the industry.
What you will study
The course offers exciting opportunities to build a career in documentary and editorial photography by nurturing visual sensitivity, technical proficiency, and critical awareness. With collaboration at the heart of the course, you’ll work alongside creatives from other disciplines at AUB—mirroring the dynamics of real-world publishing, editorial, and production environments.
In the 1st Year, shared with BA (Hons) Commercial Photography, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography, and BA (Hons) Advertising Photography, you’ll build a strong technical foundation in photographic practice, alongside visual research and critical thinking. You’ll deepen your understanding of how the creative industries operate as you explore a range of photographic techniques, tools, and narrative strategies.
During the 2nd Year, also shared across the four named awards, you will begin to focus on photographic specialism in preparation for your final year of study. This allows you to refine your creative development within your specialism, enabling you to graduate with a degree aligned directly with your chosen area of expertise. You’ll also undertake a work placement or respond to a live industry brief, offering invaluable real-world experience. These opportunities are designed to help you make informed decisions about your specialism as you prepare for your final year of study.
In the 3rd Year, you will be placed in a specialised documentary/editorial photography group, allowing for in-depth practical and academic research tailored to your career aspirations. You will develop a critical and creative body of work, including the opportunity to produce extended photographic essays, which can also lay the groundwork for postgraduate study. The year culminates in the production of a professional portfolio and final exhibition, helping you transition confidently into the documentary, editorial, and media industries or postgraduate study. Contact time includes taught sessions, supervised studio and workshop access, with the remainder dedicated to independent study. Assessment is entirely coursework-based (100%).
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
• Produce creatively ambitious documentary/editorial photography, reflecting professional standards and independent thinking
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the contemporary professional documentary/editorial landscape and position your work within the industry
• Critically evaluate photography within narrative, ethical, and contextual frameworks, providing a pathway to Masters study
• Solve visual and conceptual problems effectively, using research, communication, and presentation skills to deliver refined, contextually relevant outcomes
Resources
You’ll learn in state-of-the-art facilities, including digital suites, a collaborative specialist photography hub, black-and-white and colour darkrooms, a professional print bureau, and 7 fully equipped photographic studios. Our extensive ‘media store’ gives you access to a wide selection of industry-standard equipment—from high-end digital and analogue cameras and lenses to portable lighting for both stills and video production.
Modules
Assessment method
Coursework and practical work
Ways to study this course
Campuses
- Main Site - Arts University Bournemouth
Study options
- Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) • Full-Time • Placement (optional) • 3 Years
Start dates
- 28 September 2027
Apply by
13 January 2027
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Application codes
- Course code:
- W646
- Institution code:
- A66
- Campus name:
- Main Site - Arts University Bournemouth
- Points of Entry:
- Year 1, 2, 3
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Arts University Bournemouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
How to apply
Apply by
13 January 2027
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- W646
- Institution code:
- A66
- Campus name:
- Main Site - Arts University Bournemouth
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Entry requirements
Typical qualification requirements
AUB considers the whole of the application when making admissions decision. While we'll make an offer based on the qualifications declared on your application, we also factor in your personal statement, your reference and – where appropriate – your portfolio or audition. Therefore, applicants who may not achieve the academic results listed here are still encouraged to apply.
We are happy to accept a wide range of qualifications, including combinations of qualifications. Please see our website for a full list of our entry requirements, including tariff points where applicable. Email Admissions (admissions@aub.ac.uk) with any queries about entry requirements. https://aub.ac.uk/apply/undergraduate
Additional entry requirements
- Portfolio
- Once your application has been reviewed admissions will email you to request a link to a digital portfolio for review by the course team. See https://aub.ac.uk/portfolios for more information
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, speaking and listening). IELTS Online is accepted. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | With 80 overall and a minimum score of 18 in writing, listening, and reading and 19 in speaking. Please note the home version of this test is not accepted. NEW scoring scale from January 2026 overall 4.5 with a minimum of 4 in each section. Home edition of TOEFL is not accepted. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | C | Minimum grade C |
| PTE Academic | 64 | With 64 overall and a minimum of 59 in each component |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | C | Minimum grade of C. |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | An overall score of 90 with at least 80 in each skill |
| Institution's Own Test | OIDI ELLT overall score of 6 | Oxford International Digital Institute's English Language Level Test with a score of 5 or above in each section. If you wish to take this test at a discounted rate, please contact international@aub.ac.uk for a bespoke link. |
See our website for more information on other accepted English qualifications including national curricula and required scores.https://aub.ac.uk/elp
Contextual admissions
Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.
Caution should be given to our grades on entry data, with over half of our undergraduate applicants each year undertaking qualifications that are not included in this data. This includes the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, which represents a sizeable number of our applicants. We encourage applications from a wide range of educational backgrounds and for more information please view our website: www.aub.ac.uk.
International entry requirements
We welcome applications from all different educational profiles and experiences as talented creatives can develop in many environments. AUB considers the whole of the application when making admissions decision. While we'll make an offer based on the qualifications declared on your application, we also factor in your personal statement, your reference and – where appropriate – your portfolio or audition. Therefore, applicants who may not achieve the academic results listed below are still encouraged to apply. If your country isn’t listed on our website, please reach out to our Admissions Team (admissions@aub.ac.uk) with details about your education and we would be happy to provide detailed admissions advice specific to your case. https://aub.ac.uk/apply/undergraduate#tab-1503931-qualifications-by-country
Historical entry grades data
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
Not enough data available
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
Historical entry grades report
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands & Republic of Ireland | £10050* | |
| EU & International | £19950* |
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
Please see our website for more information https://aub.ac.uk/fees/undergraduate.
All undergraduate courses at AUB offer an optional placement year, to be taken between your second and third years of study. If you're unsure about this optional placement, you don't need to decide now. Once you're here and studying with us, the course team will discuss the placement options with you, so when the time comes, you can make a decision that's right for you.
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