Âéw¶¹´«Ã½

Undergraduate courses/Visual Arts courses/Art and Design

Key facts

Entry requirements

One A Level or equivalent in an art and design subject at grade C or above.

Full entry requirements

UCAS code

W90001

Institution code

D26

Duration

One year full-time

One year full-time, two years part-time

Fees

Free for under 19s, £5,421 for full-time and £2,710 for part-time students. £15,750 for EU and international students.

Additional costs

See all the key facts

Entry requirements

One A Level or equivalent in an art and design subject at grade C or above.

Full entry requirements

UCAS code

W90001

Institution code

D26

Duration

One year full-time

One year full-time, two years part-time

Fees

Free for under 19s, £5,421 for full-time and £2,710 for part-time students. £15,750 for EU and international students.

Additional costs

See all the key facts

"The Foundation gave me more time to experiment and exposed me to disciplines I didn’t even know ‑ it made me realise what I actually enjoyed doing within art and design so making my degree choice was a lot easier." Lys Griffiths – Fashion Textile Design BA (Hons) student.

This course gives you the opportunity to freely explore and experiment with a wide range of art and design subjects, helping you to decide which specialism is right for you, or prepare you for your chosen degree. Successful completion of the course will enable you to progress onto a wide variety of undergraduate courses in art and design such as fine art, architecture, product design, fashion design, footwear design and design crafts.

In our range of sector-leading workshops, you will learn by doing. Explore everything from universal principles like colour theory, observational drawing and composition to contemporary techniques like digital imaging, laser cutting and 3D printing. Weekly Digital Arts Techniques Classes and regular life drawing classes will further enhance your learning, helping you to create a comprehensive portfolio of work to support your journey through higher education.

Key features

  • Personalise your learning on a pathway in fine art, visual communication, 3D design, fashion and textiles and lens-based and digital media.
  • Enjoy workshop inductions in woodwork, metalwork, plaster, ceramics, laser cutting and 3D printing, fabric manipulation, wet photography (darkroom techniques), printmaking, textiles print, digital art, video and animation.
  • Exhibit your work at our Art and Design Foundation Show, which is open to the public and attracts hundreds of guests.
Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments – rather than lots of exams at the end of the year – and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging. Read more about block teaching.

Free Creative Essentials At Âéw¶¹´«Ã½, we believe financial constraints should never limit your ability to explore and express your artistic vision. That's why we offer a range of free materials giving you a unique opportunity to create without limits.
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What you will study

Diagnostic Investigation into Creative Practice

In this unit, you will undertake a diagnostic investigation into visual language and creative practices. This exploratory investigation allows you to become familiar with and experiment within a wide range of (art, design, craft and media) creative disciplines as part of your journey to, or reinforcement of, specialism in Unit 2 or Unit 3.

Developing Specialist Practice

This unit will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on the knowledge, skills and practices you have developed in Unit 1 of the qualification, and to define your creative ambitions by encouraging a holistic approach to a range of activities, which will support, contextualise and position your creative endeavour within your chosen specialist practice.

Consolidating Practice

This unit aims to provide you with an opportunity to take control of your own learning and demonstrate your achievement by independently initiating, researching, completing and evaluating a project proposal and realisation within your chosen professional context.

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

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Student work

Keira Iles
Lili Hunt
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Lizzy Howley
Madi Garner
Nehal Keshvala
Student work
Student work
Student work
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Student work
Student work
Chloe Palmer
Flora Barnden
Jess Kirby
Otto Wall
Sidney Priestley
Will Swindfield
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Our facilities

Art and Design in the Vijay Patel building

You’ll be based in our award-winning Vijay Patel building, which provides a collaborative space where our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish.

In Vijay Patel, you’ll not only benefit from your own studio space, but you will have access to a myriad of workshops and studios where you can explore new techniques and create to your hearts content. In our workshops, you’ll explore woodwork, metalwork, plaster, ceramics, laser cutting and 3D printing, fabric manipulation, wet photography (darkroom techniques), printmaking, textiles print, digital art, video and animation.

An art material shop is also located within the building, which stocks a wide variety of art and design materials to help you with your studies, all at affordable prices.

Our expertise

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Saranne Woodcroft

Lecturer

Saranne has more than 20 years of professional experience as a fashion editor and consultant. She has directed campaigns with brands such as Stella McCartney and Paul Smith and had her work featured in publications including Vogue Italia and Display Copy. Her role as a consultant has seen her working with Helen Lawrence and Richard Nicoll and retailers farfetch.com and thrift.plus.

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Lucie Mayne

Lecturer

Lucie has taught on the Art and Design Foundation Diploma since 2008 within the Visual Communication and Design pathway. Lucie studied on the Foundation Diploma herself and found it to be a pivotal experience. Upon graduating, Lucie went on to undertake a BA in Fine Art at Norwich School of Art and Design specialising in printmaking and sculpture, completed her CertEd at Leicester University and finally completed an MA at Birmingham City University in 2017.

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Will Allen

Lecturer

Will teaches within the Spatial, Structural and Visual Communication (SSVC) pathway and the Digital Arts element of the course. Having studies on our Art and Design Foundation Diploma himself, Will went on to complete an MA in Fine Art at Âéw¶¹´«Ã½ along with a PGCE teaching qualification. Alongside teaching, Will continues his practice working with experimental video and photographic techniques as well as freelance illustration work.

Where we could take you

art and design progression

Progression

Within the first six months of attending the course you will have the opportunity to take part in our progression event, where you can learn more about the courses on offer at Âéw¶¹´«Ã½. This event will give you the opportunity to tailor your progression plans and interests according to your art and design specialism. You will gain automatic progression* onto your choice of more than 30 of Âéw¶¹´«Ã½’s art and design degrees. These range from Art and Architecture to Fashion and Textiles.

*subject to passing the foundation diploma and meeting the degree entry requirements.

graduate careers

Graduate careers

Our graduates go onto achieve amazing things. Jemisha Maadhavji, a figurative painter, completed her Art and Design Foundation Diploma, bachelors in Fine Art and masters in Fine Art at Âéw¶¹´«Ã½, graduating in 2022. She has since had her work displayed in the South London Gallery in London, at the BOSS Flagship store on Regent Street and the Humber Street Gallery in Hull and has attracted a myriad of press attention in publications including Vogue Indian and Harper’s Bazaar Art Magazine.

Graduate, Tim Fowler, bolstered the skills he had learnt on Âéw¶¹´«Ã½’s Art and Design Foundation Diploma at Sheffield Hallam University, where he studied Contemporary Fine Art. Fowler has since established himself as an independent artist, and his work has evolved over the years from buildings, portraits and skulls to now focus on plants. Tim has shown his work in New York, LA, Germany, London and Ibiza and sold work all over the world.

Take your next steps

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Find out how to apply

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Course specifications

Course title

Art and Design

Award

Foundation Diploma

UCAS code

W90001

Institution code

D26

Study level

Foundation

Study mode

Full-time

Part-time

Start date

September

Duration

One year full-time, two years part-time

Fees

UK students

For 2024/25 tuition fees for UK students will be free for students under 19s on 31 August on the year of entry, £5,421 for full-time and £2,710 for part-time students

International students

For 2024/25 tuition fees for EU and international students will be £15,750 per year

Additional costs

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements

A good portfolio of work, or evidence of recent experience in art and design and normally One A Level or equivalent, in an art and design subject at a grade C or above, and:

Five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above, OR a BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

International Baccalaureate: 24+ Points.

We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

Applicants who are 18 or under must also hold a GCSE Maths and English, grade A*–C (9-4).

All equivalent qualifications are welcome as are mature students with alternative experience

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Interview and portfolio

Interview required: No

Portfolio required: Yes

Please see our portfolio advice page for full details.

Additional costs

Here at Âéw¶¹´«Ã½ we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs, which for this programme could include the following:

  • Stationery: £60 per year
  • Reading materials: £50 per year

There will also be a range of optional showcasing activities that will be available to you, the costs of which will vary depending on the opportunities you choose.

Learn more about fees and funding information