Creative Arts Practice (Professional Placement Year)

Explore, innovate and push boundaries with this stimulating contemporary arts degree.

• Develop a range of skills, including innovative and expansive approaches to making, alongside professionalism within the creative industries.

• Experiment in our inspiring studio spaces and well-equipped workshops, with access to exceptional facilities.

• Learn from practising artists and makers with outstanding national and international reputations.

This studio-based creative arts degree places making at its heart.

You'll gain a practical grounding in a range of creative fields of study. Students are encouraged to explore and develop a range of making skills across these main disciplines: ceramics, print, textiles, wood, metal, plastics. You’ll also explore the critical, conceptual, ethical and environmental issues in contemporary craft through the role of making within social, cultural and historical contexts.

Throughout your studies you’ll learn a broad range of skills to help you flourish in the workplace, including social networking, photographing your work, creating digital portfolios, applying for competitions, marketing, creating a web presence, setting up a business, working on commissions, pricing your work, approaching galleries, exhibiting, and fundraising. As we’re an Adobe Creative Campus, you’ll also have free access to a suite of industry-standard creative apps.

You’ll graduate with the confidence and transferable skills to establish your own practice as a creative artist or maker, or go on to pursue a career within the creative industries.

More about the Professional Placement Year
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.