ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Only after successfully completing the Introductory Studies Programme are students considered for placement in the diploma programme.
The student must attend an interview, submit a portfolio of relevant first-year work appropriate to their proposed direction of study and may also be required to complete a challenge test in order to finalise the selection process.
ADMISSION TO THE SECOND YEAR SPECIALISATION FIELDS:
The final placement procedure for entrance to any of these directions takes place at the end of the academic year, and is based on the following criteria:
The student must pass all modules in the Introductory Studies qualification.
The student will be requested to indicate a first as well as a second choice of preferred study direction at the second year level.
The student must attend an interview with a panel of second year module lecturers, together with the relevant Head of Department.
The student must submit a portfolio of relevant first year work appropriate to their proposed direction of study, for considering at the said interview(s).
The student may be required to complete a challenge test (theoretical and/or practical) in order to finalise the selection process.
During the interview process, students are counselled as to the discipline most suited to their abilities, and are subsequently offered a place in an appropriate qualification.
Departments reserve the right to accept only those students who display the appropriate aptitude for the intended field of study.
All placements made as a result of the above-mentioned interview process must be deemed to be provisional. Lists are published on the Faculty Notice Board after the interview process is completed. Entrance remains conditional until the date that the Examination Department publishes the official first year results
QUALIFICATION OBJECTIVES
To provide students with a comprehensive, yet general, training that will equip them for productive employment in the fields of commercial, fashion or advertising photography; photo finishing industries; publishing and journalism; film and video production; digital imaging technology or as freelance artists, to name but a few careers.
To develop an awareness of expressive potential of the photographic/digital imaging medium as a means of solving visual communication problems by:
Providing a comprehensive knowledge of photographic/imaging process, materials and apparatus.
Emphasising the importance and relevance of economic, aesthetic, social, ethical and business principles as they operate in a professional environment.
Encouraging experimentation and stimulating creative thinking within parameters that can be open-ended or restrictive.
Developing a student’s confidence in his/her ability to integrate skills, knowledge and experience for real-world application in the creative industries.
DURATION
Two years full-time after successful completion of the Introductory Studies year.
CURRICULUM
Presented
Module
Code
Credit
Value
First Year – See Introductory Studies
120
Second year
Applied Photography II
Year
KAP2210
78
Theory of Photography II
Year
KTL2220
18
Visual Communication II
Year
KVA2220
12
Professional Practice II
Year
KFP2210
12
Credits Second Year
120
Third year
♦
Applied Photography III
Year
KAP3310
78
♦
Theory of Photography III
Year
KTL3320
18
♦
Visual Communication III
Year
KVA3320
12
♦
Professional Practice III
Year
KFP3110
12
Credits Second Year
120
Total NQF credits
360
♦ Major modules (please refer to the General Prospectus).
GENERAL INFORMATION AND REGULATIONS
For more information in connection with NMMU’s regulations, consult the General Prospectus and Regulations. The following is additional information and a summary of the more important points of the above qualification:
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TEST AND PROJECT SUBMISSION
An 80% attendance is compulsory and non-negotiable. Students must write a minimum of 80% of all theory tests and submit at least 80% of all practical assignments/projects. (Medical certificates will only be taken into account for the other 20%).
Minimum attendance
Due to the practical nature of the classes offered, students must attend a minimum of 80% of lectures to gain admission to the examination, unless special leave is granted.
REQUIREMENTS: PROMOTION TO NEXT STUDY LEVEL AND RE-ADMISSION OF SENIOR STUDENTS
Students who have passed only 50% or less of their modules may not take modules at the next level, until a pass mark has been obtained for all outstanding modules.
Students who have passed more than 50% of their modules may only take modules at the next level subject to the following provisos:
They must register for all failed modules first;
Registration for the next level of a module is subject to the availability of relevant staff and/or space on the timetable.
Certain modules are linked in terms of content and coursework and cannot be registered for independently. For this reason, the registration of all offerings at the next level of study must be done with discretion and in consultation with the Head of Department and relevant module specialists and/or student counsellors.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF PREREQUISITE MODULES
The Head of Department (with the support of the Faculty Management Committee) has the right to refuse a student the right to register for any module at the next level for any academic reason not covered by the above clauses.
ACADEMIC PROGRESS
A student must show satisfactory progress in his/her assignments and tests. The Faculty Management Committee reserves the right to bar a student who is making unsatisfactory progress from examinations or to bar him/her from classes or to terminate a student’s studies.
Except where otherwise specified, a sub-minimum of 40% in the course mark, for each module, is required for admission to the final examination.
Students whose academic progress is unsatisfactory, or with an unsatisfactory attendance record will receive up to a maximum of three written warnings after which they may be asked to leave the qualification.