This programme leads to one of the following Single Honours awards

• BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Design
• BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Design - Image and Communication
• BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Design - Performance and Events

or a Combined Honours award:

• BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Creative Writing 
• BA (Hons) Visual and Performing Arts

Introduction

This undergraduate Visual Arts and Design programme is project-based and highly practical. It is designed to recognise individual student achievements and career aspirations through a choice of five awards as follows:

BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Design - Image and Design – This pathway will be of particular interest to those seeking careers in Graphic Communication and Illustration. Projects focus primarily on two dimensional image-making that include traditional and contemporary approaches to painting, printmaking, drawing, digital imaging and associated professional practice.

BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Design - Performance and Events – This pathway will be of interest to students who wish to develop and apply their creative and management skills in the context of theatre design and other performance or community related events, retail display and arts management. Projects focus primarily on three dimensional and spatial concerns with a special emphasis on design for theatrical productions and other creative events such as street theatre and community arts. Teaching includes instruction in a range of modeling, casting, carving and construction techniques and students can undertake live projects in collaboration with the Performing Arts programme at UCF (University Centre Folkestone) or other arts groups.

BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Design – This pathway will be of interest to students who prefer not to specialise in one of the above options but wish instead to extend their versatility in the visual arts by gaining creative skills across a range of 2 & 3 dimensional media. Students following this pathway will be able to choose projects from both the above pathways.

BA (Hons) Visual Arts and Creative Writing – This pathway will appeal to students who have an interest in narrative and wish to work with both image and text by taking a combination of modules chosen from our Visual Arts and Creative Writing programmes offered at Folkestone.

BA (Hons) Visual and Performing Arts – This pathway will be of particular interest to students who wish to diversify their creative practice by taking a combination of modules chosen from our Visual Arts and Performing Arts BA programmes offered at our Folkestone campus.

Content and Structure

The Visual Arts programme is built around a set of common core modules that will address the key skills necessary for creative engagement in art and design. From the outset, you will have time to consider how best to channel your creativity and, as the course progresses, you will choose from a range of increasingly specialist projects tailored to your emerging interests and career aspirations.

Whether you choose to specialise in one area or enhance your versatility by gaining skills across a range of disciplines, one thing that will stay constant is our desire to see you underpin your learning through effective drawing and visual research. We also expect you to ensure your technical skills are supported by sound theoretical understanding. To this end, studio teaching is complemented by art history and contextual studies which provide a background, through essays and discussions, for reflecting on your individual practice.

Attention is given throughout the programme to the developmental needs of students, both as individuals and as aspiring professionals. We seek to foster the intellectual, general and personal skills needed for independent creative practice and professional employment. 

YEAR 1

Year one modules are aimed at developing your visual awareness and introduce you to various techniques and processes. You will explore ways to develop ideas, record and communicate information and use your inventiveness to resolve problems. You will learn through a mixture of formal taught classes, studio and workshop inductions and individual tutorial guidance, all aimed at enabling you to respond to projects in a more personal way.

YEAR 2

With the help of specialist staff, you will develop more advanced skills and strengthen your individual creative identity. Second year modules allow you the scope to work in ways that best suit your personal interests but you will always be expected to demonstrate your intentions through drawing, visual research and negotiation. Teaching and Technical staff will provide expertise and guidance in readiness for progression to your final year.

YEAR 3

By year three you will have a very clear idea of what genuinely interests you as a practicing artist/designer. This will allow you to embark on major project work that will showcase the skills you have acquired and say more about the issues that drive your creative ambitions. The year culminates in a final assessment in the form of a public exhibition.

Methods of Assessment

You will receive regular verbal and written feedback on your progress and your work will be formally assessed at the end of each module. Essays and seminars are also set during each stage of the programme to assess your theoretical understanding. All students are required to write a dissertation as part of their final submission.

Important Information

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application is online via UCAS.

Entry is competitive and normally subject to a portfolio inspection and interview. You will need a good portfolio plus any one of the following:

• 240 UCAS points including CCC at A2 level (including Art), supported by 3 GCSEs (grade A-C)
• a Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design) at Level 3
• a relevant BTEC National Diploma
• a relevant Access qualification
• an International Baccalaureate with 24 points or an equivalent qualification or experience

The Department of Art welcomes applications from mature students and those from overseas. All equivalent international qualifications are acceptable, as are applications from students possessing alternative qualifications and/or work experience.

PORTFOLIO

This can comprise of work in any visual medium but should include some drawing. Large scale or three dimensional work can be shown through photographs. The portfolio should provide evidence of:

• An independent and creative mind
• Strong motivation
• Visual curiosity and imagination
• An informed awareness of contemporary art

Students who live overseas and are unable to attend an interview can submit a minimum of 10 well chosen digital images of their work and a brief statement, written in English, on why they wish to study Art which can be submitted along with their application form via the University’s International Office.

INTERVIEW

At interview, candidates are expected to present and discuss the contents of their portfolio. The interviewing tutor(s) will be looking for:

• The student’s ability to articulate their views on their own work
• A commitment and enthusiasm for the subject and a potential for sustained creative development
• An ability to form and present opinions on other art works - with an emphasis on any contemporary art that they have looked at

Employment Opportunities

Depending on which pathway you take, this undergraduate course provides a suitable preparation for progression to post-graduate study and/or for seeking employment within the visual arts & creative industries or related fields such as education. As an undergraduate you will have acquired a range of important transferable skills that will equip you to enter other types of employment where graduate attributes are sought.

CONTACTS

For further course information please contact the Programme Director:

Email: katrina.maclean@canterbury.ac.uk

Tel:: 01303 760604 or 01227 786504