For information on particular courses, you should contact the Recruitment and Admissions Office on 024 7615 2222 or askCoventry

Applicants from overseas (including the European Union) are encouraged to contact our International Office before submitting their UCAS applications.

Details of late vacancies are published in the national press, and the UCAS and University websites, each summer.

Most courses welcome applications from students who wish to take a year out between school and university, whether for employment or other reasons. You should check with the appropriate University Faculty/School before applying to find out whether this is possible for your course

Future Prospects
There are many careers open to students with a photography qualification, including professional photography, journalism, arts administration, advertising, fashion, television, communications, art direction, interactive design and teaching.
What Will I Be Studying?
This is a specialist course which involves work in black and white and colour photography. Your work will also use both digital and darkroom photography and there will be some computer based work. This course combines coursework with an external examination project. AS (first year) The AS examination is made up of one coursework project and a controlled test supported by preliminary studies. A2 (second year) The A2 examination builds on work done in the first year and is made up of one coursework project, a relating written and illustrated critical and contextual study and a controlled test supported by preliminary studies.
Levels
AS & A2
Entry Requirements
General college entry requirements. (See page 9 for details.) You do not have to have any previous experience of photography or drawing skills for this course.

Diploma in Professional Photography
Level: 6 – This programme is designed to help you develop specialist photographic skills and knowledge in an applied learning environment. Industry based skills are taught in the context of student elected photographic genres (eg studio/location portraiture, studio still life, photojournalism/documentary, fashion etc). All courses are compulsory and include digital postproduction/prepress, digital imaging, creative lighting, technical practice, interactive design, professional and business practice and a major project. Industry contact through membership in a professional association is also included. The programme puts equal emphasis on the development of technical skill, creativity and the understanding of design processes.
In addition you may choose to first complete the part time Photographic Folio Preparation Course. This course will help you assemble an application portfolio for tertiary photographic study, which best shows your artistic strengths. This course covers camera use, darkroom skills, developing a theme and folio presentation; and is limited to ten students.

Why should I take a CPIT Photography course?

Photography is the skill of using light to give expression to the world around us. Light is vibrant, beautiful, emotional and varied in its qualities. It is also one of the most effective carriers of information there is, and has the power to influence our perceptions.

A CPIT photography diploma will give you the opportunity to develop in-depth working knowledge of this exciting and powerful medium, as well as to develop the skills that you’ll need to succeed in occupations involving photography.

Photographic imaging forms an integral part of media such as 3D modelling and animation, film, video, television and computer graphic design.

CPIT ’s photography tutors have industry experience and work collaboratively with professional members of the School’s Photographic Advisory Board. They are therefore well placed to ensure that the standards required by the professional photography community and allied industries are met.
How much work will it be?

You’ll study full time over a 32-week year, divided into two semesters. This represents about 40 hours work each week, including lectures, tutorials, critiques and time spent undertaking independent learning.

Entry for domestic and international students is competitive, and you will need to prepare a portfolio of work as part of the application process.
Where will I study?

As a photography student, you’ll have access to industry standard software and hardware for complete in-house image production to professional standards. The studios are equipped with Bowens and Hensel lighting, and a range of medium format and 4 x 5 format cameras.

Extensive Mac-based computer labs allow for full post-production capabilities. A number of Nikon digital SLR cameras and lenses are also available for you where required.

Additionally, battery powered portable flashlights allow you to extend your creativity in field based photography. However, you must supply your own manually adjustable 35 mm film camera and lenses

Students interested in this concentration should take the core course, Photography, in the first year. It provides each student with an introduction to basic camera and darkroom skills, a background in the history of photography, and a thorough exploration of image making. We recommend that Lower College students in this concentration also take two semesters of basic art history and at least one design module or course.
Curriculum
Three intermediate courses in Photography are required for the concentration. Students are introduced to a variety of photographic approaches and technical skills through courses such as the Writing and Photography Studio and Experiments in Photography and other intermediate visual arts courses that use photo media such as Intermedia Studio, Designing with Computers, Intaglio Printmaking and Silk Screen Printmaking. Either History of Photography, Theories of Photography, or Critical Issues in Contemporary Photography is required, and it is recommended that students in the concentration take two of these courses. Advanced courses include Color Photography Studio, Documentary Photography, Photographic Portrait/Self- Portrait, and the Artists’ Books Studio. Students are required to take at least three of these. The total minimum credits required to complete the Photography concentration is 24.