Art Degrees Online

Aims of the course

The course is a taught, practice-based programme enabling students to acquire advanced traditional and digital photographic skills and apply them to complex, self-generated projects. This is a Professional Preparation course as defined by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Linking the course with MA Audio Visual Production and MA Digital Moving Image enables the development of Film Works, a coherent cluster of practice-based courses that explore a range of related skills including digital, traditional and contextual concerns. Students will be encouraged to explore the ways in which traditional practices and emerging digital technologies have developed new genres.
Entry requirements
Applicants should be committed practitioners who wish to expand their practice both in terms of skills acquisition and theoretical concerns. The Department supports a wide diversity of practices. Applicants are normally expected to possess an Honours degree in Photography or Fine Arts, applied arts or design, or have equivalent experience. Graduates from related disciplines who can demonstrate a suitable level of visual literacy may, in some circumstances, be considered. All candidates must submit a portfolio. Successful applicants may be eligible to apply for an AHRC award (deadline is 1st April). See www.ahrb.ac.uk
Course structure

Modules are:
Research for Contextual Studies
Photography and Traditional Practice
Photography and Digital Practice
Photography; Narrative Sequence and Language
Photography and the Staged Narrative
Major Project Development and Professional Practice
Major Project
The ‘Major Project’ module is a substantial piece of focused project work produced over the summer study period.
Assessment

The main method of assessment is the ‘crit’ of practical project presentations, where work is evaluated by staff and peer group. Essays and reports are also required.
Career opportunities
Graduates typically gain employment as professional freelance artists, photographers and in related positions in the creative industries.

Aim of the programme

MRes Photography provides an exciting opportunity for students to pursue an individual research project, which may be practice-based, historical, critical, curatorial or theoretical.

Programme highlights

High profile photography department; academic staff exhibit/publish individually and contribute within the Research Centre for Land/Water and the Visual Arts.
Facilities include a purpose built daylight studio; digital and analogue dark rooms.

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree or above in Photography or a related subject; or an equivalent degree from overseas. Evidence that you are ready to pursue your proposed project. IELTS of 6.5 minimum or equivalent.

General programme structure

We particularly welcome research proposals in the following areas: land and environment; camera-less photography; contemporary art practices; documentary and reportage; architectural photography; women’s photography. The programme engages current ideas and debates, skills and methodologies for research into or through photography.

The programme comprises three assessed modules:
Photography, the practice of research, shared with the taught Masters programmes in photography (30 credits)
Research in the Arts and Humanities (30 credits)
A masters thesis or approved research project (120 credits)

The project/thesis may be assessed entirely through written work, or through a substantial practical project accompanied by an extended contextual essay.

Full-time students take Photography, the practice of research in term one, Research in the Arts and Humanities in terms one and two, and their project/thesis across the whole academic year.

Part-time students take the two taught modules in year one and carry out their project/thesis in year two.

The project/thesis is taught via one-to-one supervision during term time and through contact by arrangement up to final submission in September.

Students are also encouraged to attend research seminars in a wide variety of arts disciplines, and the faculty-wide training events.
Detailed programme structure

We will help you to ground your chosen project in the latest theoretical and conceptual approaches in photography studies and beyond. This programme explicitly embeds research skills to prepare graduates for MPhil/PhD programmes.
Teaching and learning will take place through one-to-one meetings/tutorials; group seminars, discussions and workshops; staff/student research seminars; lectures/presentations by staff and visiting practitioners/academics; written feedback;

The increasing scale, quality, sophistication and maturity of industry use of computer graphics has led to a growing demand for graduates with specialised animation skills. This course is designed to give you exactly the skills which employers are looking for.

We cover everything from fundamental traditional skills to current state-of-the-art techniques, emphasising drawing and composition, animation skills and the use of digital studio tools.

You will specialise in 2D and 3D animation, scriptwriting and professional animation studio pre-production, sound, production and practice, with options in character animation, effects and technical animation.

* This course has a Foundation Year for applicants who don’t meet the requirements for Year 1 entry. There are limited places available.

More about the Foundation Year Games and Animation
How you learn

For each module you are studying you will be expected to attend a lecture and a tutorial session each week. Early tutorials will focus on developing skills. In the later tutorials you will be working on assessments and using this time to get feedback and advice from tutors.

You will be expected to manage your time to complete work outside the tutorial sessions. In your final year, the Practical Project allows you the freedom to set your own project based on your skills and interests.
How you are assessed

Assessment for all modules will be in the form of practical projects, which you work on throughout the year.
Professional accreditation

This is one of only six courses in the UK to be endorsed through the industry-backed Sector Skills Council accreditation scheme.
Professional placement

You may apply to take a year-long supervised work placement between your second and final years. Placements provide an opportunity for you to improve your employment prospects by developing new skills and deepening your understanding of the subject.

The placement year is assessed and contributes to your final degree award. Students are selected by employers through interview and are normally paid by the host organisation during the placement.
Career opportunities

You will learn the skills you will need for a career in film and TV, the multimedia and games industries, advertising or visualisation.
Entry requirements

A typical offer will be 220-280 tariff points which must include at least two A levels or equivalent.

Normally you will be expected to attend an interview.

You must also be able to show evidence of artistic ability with either an art-based qualification or a portfolio of work.

If you apply for a course for which your educational background is inappropriate, you may receive an offer in a related but more suitable area.