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Introduction

By teaching real-world illustration skills and design sensibilities, and instilling knowledge and experience of the creative industries, the course will enable you to pursue a successful, sustainable career path. We encourage you to employ divergent and convergent thinking and practice, independently and collaboratively, through the provision of a practice-based environment. The course is industry-focused and provides transferable skills and excellent employment prospects.

Entrepreneurship and enterprise are integrated into lectures and coursework to prepare you for industry. The course will introduce you to a range of projects covering social, environmental and political issues, addressing a broad base of topics likely to be encountered professionally.

Links with business and industry are an essential ingredient of the programmes and are maintained and developed through ‘live’ projects, work placements, visiting professionals and educational visits.

The course aims to produce highly employable graduates who are well-prepared for work in the creative industries. Many of our graduates forge successful freelance careers, others find employment with design studios, publishing houses, advertising agencies, magazines and newspapers. Clients include Usborne Children’s Books and Moonpig. Lego, NHS Trust, Marks & Spencer, Tigerprint, The British Museum and Lush cosmetics.

Location

Swansea

Course Length

Full-time 3 years/ Part-time 6 years
Start Date: September
UCAS Code: W220

Why choose this course?


• Driven by industry standards and supported by state-of–the-art technologies, we produce award-winning and highly employable graduates.

• Many graduates forge successful freelance careers working with a range of clients internationally.

• Links with business and industry are an essential ingredient of the programme.

• Annually, we collaborate with the London Exhibitions of New Designers and New Blood. This opportunity is not part of our degree requirement, but it does offer an extra incentive and bonus for selected students.

Overview

Links with business and industry are an essential ingredient of the programme and are maintained and developed through ‘live’ projects, work placements, visiting professionals and educational visits.

We aim to support and inspire groups that are large enough to generate lots of collective energy, but small enough not to preclude individual tuition and personal attention.

The teaching and learning style are project-led and this is supported by skills-based workshops to help students enhance both their technical ability and creative enquiry.

Our students have choices in how they want to progress their practice, whether via ‘traditional’ means, digital means or increasingly, both.

The course requires a robust and rigorous commitment, as it encourages students to think independently and question the world around them and their role as a visual communicator.

Graduates are able to progress to Masters programmes.

Modules

Year One – Level 4 (Cert HE, Dip HE & BA)

The first year is partially concerned with getting the basic skills in place and to bring all students up to speed with knowledge of relevant software.

• Contemporary Challenges: Making a Difference (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Editorial Illustration (20 credits; compulsory)
• Image-making & Communicating (20 credits; compulsory)
• Learning in the Digital Era (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Visual Studies 1 (10 credits; compulsory)
• Visual Studies 2 (10 credits; compulsory)
• Ways of Perceiving (10 credits; compulsory)
• Ways of Thinking (10 credits; compulsory).

Year Two – Level 5 (Dip HE & BA)

The second year is broadly about the transition into becoming a professional illustrator.

• Changemakers: Building your Personal Brand for Sustainable Employment (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Changemakers: Creativity and Value Creation (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Illustration for Advertising (20 credits; compulsory)
• Narrative Illustration (20 credits; compulsory)
• Research in Context (10 credits; compulsory)
• Research in Practice (10 credits; compulsory)
• Visual Enquiry 1 (10 credits; compulsory)
• Visual Enquiry 2 (10 credits; compulsory).

Year Three – Level 6 (BA)

Level 6 is partially student-led and the project brief content and formative deadlines are negotiated. This creates a self-directed responsibility where students create their final portfolio.

• Advanced Creative Enquiry (20 credits; compulsory)
• Graduate Portfolio (60 credits; compulsory)
• Independent Project (40 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module).

Entry Criteria

We are interested in creative people that demonstrate a strong commitment to art and/or design and therefore we welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. To assess student suitability for their chosen course we arrange interviews for all applicants at which your skills, achievements and life experience will be considered as well as your portfolio of work.
Our standard offer for a degree course is 120 UCAS tariff points. We expect applicants to have a grade C or above in English Language (or Welsh) at GCSE level, together with passes in another four subjects. Plus we accept a range of Level 3 qualifications including:

• Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, plus one GCE A-Level in a relevant academic subject
• Three GCE A-Levels or equivalent
• UAL L3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design.
• UAL L3 Applied General Diploma and Extended Diploma in Art and Design.
• UAL L3 Diploma and Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Art, Design and Communication.
• UAL L3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology.
• BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject
• International Baccalaureate score of 32
• Other relevant qualifications can be considered on an individual basis

Qualifications are important, however, our offers are not solely based on academic results. If you don’t have the required UCAS points, we can also consider offers from applicants based on individual merit, exceptional work, and/or practical experience.

ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.

IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.

Assessment

ASSESSMENT METHODS

1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview

Assessment

At the beginning of each module, we issue the ‘Assessment Specification’, which clearly describes in each assessment criteria what is required.

Weekly feedback sessions keep students focussed on the requirements, without hindering the freedom to work with expanding ideas.

Technical tuition is typically delivered via a demonstration lecture and then staff help each student individually as they progress though a challenge.

All modules have formative and summative feedback, both written and verbal. When the summative written feedback is released, students can book-in for ‘one to one’ tutorial to discuss their feedback further.

There are no written exams for this course.

Career Opportunities

Many graduates forge successful freelance careers working with a range of clients internationally; some are represented by top London Illustration agencies.

Other graduates find employment with design studios, publishing houses, advertising agencies, magazines and newspapers. A selection of clients includes:

• Usborne Children's Books
• Moonpig
• Lego
• NHS Trust
• Allihoper Greeting Cards
• Marks & Spencer
• The Great British Card Company
• Tigerprint, Bright Agency
• Graffeg Publishers
• Tokyo DisneySea Park
• Welsh Country Magazine
• Bay Studios
• The British Museum
• Magic Leap Inc. Visible Art
• Lush Cosmetics
• The Print Haus
• Astra Games
• Locksmith Animation.

The programme also provides a good foundation for those who want to pursue a career in teaching, particularly teaching art and design in schools and, after professional experience, teaching illustration and design in further and higher education.

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