About the course
The Professional Certificate in Photography builds upon our fantastic reputation and the success of our existing undergraduate and postgraduate photography courses, which have a very high national and international profile.
The knowledge, understanding and skills you will acquire on this course relate directly to professional and work-based practice. You will also develop your photographic skills and expand your critical understanding and knowledge of the contextual aspects of photography.
Students will enter the course with basic digital photographic skills and then study modules designed to help them develop these basic skills to a higher professional level. At the same time they will be challenged to expand their photographic vocabulary.
Benefits
The main focus of this course is not just the expansion of technical skills, it also pays attention to the need to nurture creative and artistic sensitivities, leading students to become stronger image makers.
It is aimed at the practising professional or advanced amateur photographer, and at building and expanding their existing photographic practice and knowledge.
Students will refine established, new, critical and practical skills to develop a well-rounded reflective practitioner approach.
A professional certificate will enable you to:
Experience new and old technologies.
Develop specialist skills.
Critically evaluate historic and aesthetic traditions in light of your own work.
Expand your understanding of professional photographic practice and digital workflow systems.
Produce images that provide imaginative solutions to identifiable needs.
How do you study?
The Professional Certificate in Photography is structured around three, ten credit modules per year, each lasting for a ten week term.
Evening classes allow study to take place in a more flexible manner and can be worked around students’ current work schedules
The curriculum has been designed to teach practicing photographers higher level digital and photographic skills while at the same time encouraging them to fully explore and experiment with the medium, in order to expand their picture making skills.
Each year begins with a module that introduces advanced technical skills. Subsequent modules build on this and broaden learning into other aspects of professional practice.
Year one
Year one will investigate the contemporary stock photography market, encouraging students to evaluate the market potential of their own work and introducing industry-standard digital workflow tools such as Aperture.
Students will explore photography in a more considered way in the studio with associated light and cameras, using both high and low technology.
Within the traditional darkroom, students will learn how to process and print black and white images and work towards making fine prints. There will also be critical analysis of various photographic traditions.
Year two
During the second year students will apply the traditional and digital skills developed in the first year to the production of fine digital prints. They will also explore aspects of the marketing and selling of their work.
Students will also consider different types of genre in photography and start considering the future direction of their practice.
By the final module, there is an emphasis on portfolio enhancement and career development or progression to further study, possibly at postgraduate level. By this stage of the course, the focus is on the development of individual creativity and the identification of future options.
Special features
full access to the School’s photographic equipment stores and laboratories
technical support staff available until 8 pm, Monday to Thursday
latest generation macintosh computer suite (60 workstations)
black-and-white darkrooms
photographic studios (3)
specialist in-house printing bureau
additional library and learning resources
specialist art and design shop
café and social spaces
Selection process
The selection process includes either the submission of a creative portfolio of photographic work or an interview with staff.
The Professional Certificate programme has been developed to provide widening participation entry routes to the School’s postgraduate degrees, particularly for adult learners studying for continuing professional development purposes or taking degrees in a different specialism.
Entry requirements
Entrants will preferably be working with photography, either as professionals, or as skilled amateurs with professional aspirations.
All candidates must demonstrate that they can work to level 3 degree standard, via either a Foundation degree or a Diploma in Higher Education.
The Professional Certificate programme has been developed to provide widening participation entry routes to the School’s postgraduate degrees, particularly for adult learners studying for continuing professional development purposes or taking degrees in a different specialism.
International students who do not speak English as their first language will need an IELTS score of 6, or TOEFL score of 207 (computer based) or 540 (paper based) to be eligible.