Why study this course?
You’ll develop essential digital and analogue photography skills alongside moving image expertise, as well as learning about professional practice, exploring links with other art forms and discovering the history and aesthetics of photography through practice and theory.
More about this course
The Photography BA course will help you to develop an understanding of the diverse range of photographic practices and opportunities open to you. It is centred around each individual constructing a unique and personal creative
identity and understanding how to make the most of this within diverse professional
contexts.
As well as developing your individual creative practice and portfolio, you’ll build up a wide array of professional and transferable skills needed for a career as a professional photographer or associated professions, ranging from being a curator, picture editor or art director to a photographer’s agent, producer or retoucher. The degree covers 35mm, medium format both digital and analogue photography as well as large format analogue practices, and is taught at one of the UK’s very few art schools equipped with both colour and black-and-white darkroom facilities.
The course not only enables you to build excellent industry standard photographic skills
and theoretical knowledge to support and extend your creative vision, but also helps you
apply these to moving image work as well as more adventurous and experimental outcomes on the margins of traditional practice.
You’ll be supported by a team of experienced tutors, all of whom are active practitioners carrying out commissions and or regularly showcasing their work nationally and internationally.
You could have the opportunity to take part in both national and international study visits, where you’ll learn to apply knowledge to live briefs and other work-related scenarios. Alongside regular, publicly accessible university exhibitions of on-going work, you’ll be encouraged to exhibit your own work with London based and national art groups.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 1 modules include:
Critical & Contextual Studies 1 (Art) (core, 30 credits)
Project Work 1 (core, 30 credits)
Techniques: Photography (core, 30 credits)
Visual Intelligence (core, 30 credits)
Year 2 modules include:
Critical & Contextual Studies 2 (Art) (core, 30 credits)
Methods and Enquiry 1 (core, 30 credits)
Professional Practice 1: Photography (core, 30 credits)
Project Work 2 (core, 30 credits)
Year 3 modules include:
Critical & Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (Art) (core, 30 credits)
Major Project (core, 30 credits)
Methods and Enquiry 2 (core, 30 credits)
Professional Practice 2: Photography (core, 30 credits)
Where this course can take you
The Photography BA course opens a number of job roles in the photography and creative industries, enabling you to pursue a career in magazines or newspapers, editorial or freelance photography, archive work, photo libraries, education or local or national arts organisations.
Previous students have gone on to find work at a diverse range of companies and have taken up roles such as photographer, curator, photo journalist, web designer and videographer. Others have used the transferable skills they developed through this course to fulfil roles in local government, teaching and entrepreneurship.
This degree is also excellent preparation for postgraduate study.
