Photography is one of the most immediate and powerful ways we have of making sense of the world around us, and this course is designed to give you the time, the technical foundation, and the creative space to find out what kind of photographer you want to be. We'll support you in developing a practice that is distinctly your own, rooted in the conviction that technical fluency, creative practice, and critical thinking belong together.

Rob Ball
Course Director

Your Teaching Timetable

Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.

To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.

View your first semester teaching timetable.

On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.

If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.

Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.

Your Semester 1 Modules

Creative Arts and Industries

The Big Picture*

*All Foundation Year students take The Big Picture during Semester 1. The module includes shared lectures and smaller seminar and pastoral groups.

Seminar groups are arranged broadly by subject area so that discussions, examples, and activities can connect to your intended degree course.

The Unitimetables page shows an overview of all scheduled teaching for the module. You will not be expected to attend every seminar shown there.

Your confirmed lecture, seminar, and pastoral group will be available in MyTimetable once course registration and group allocations have been completed.

Key dates

Academic Calendar: Semesters

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.

Welcome

​​Join us for Welcome Week where you will begin to embed yourself in the creative spaces you will be working in and meet your classmates and tutors.

You will be assigned a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) who will guide you through your year.

You will then begin the process of exploring the range of creative approaches to making new work and developing your unique voice.​

Getting started

Your Course

​​You will begin by studying modules The Big Picture and Creative Arts and Industries which will include lectures, seminars and workshops containing practical activities with your classmates. The delivery on this course is designed to empower you to develop your creativity within your own discipline but also in collaboration with other areas of the industry.

​In the first few weeks, teaching will focus on orientation, getting to grips with the facilities, meeting the team and establishing your creative voice. Whilst everything will feel new at first, you will soon get familiarised and settle in!

Blackboard

​Blackboard is the university's virtual learning environment, where you'll find module handbooks, assignment briefs, reading lists and any resources shared by the team. You'll also use it to submit work and access feedback. Make sure you log in before Welcome Week and familiarise yourself with where your modules are held - if you have any trouble accessing it, contact the IT helpdesk.

To help you prepare

​It would be worth looking at The Learning Skills Hub before you arrive - here there is support covering academic writing, referencing and research skills - all of which will be useful as you move through the course​.

Your Must Do Tasks

Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student. 

Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

Have a question?

Speak to our friendly team for support.