Studio Practice (Illustration) (top-up) BA (Hons) | University for the Creative Arts

Studio Practice (Illustration) (top-up) at UCA

Our Studio Practice top-up course in Illustration at UCA Farnham will give you the chance to gain all the skills you need to progress to postgraduate study and boost existing qualifications.

Ideal for international students and also suitable to UK students looking to build upon existing qualifications, this course is aligned with the final year of BA (Hons) Illustration, so you can progress to a Master's in a streamlined way.

You'll get right into the action from the start, undertaking research and practical projects , working on collaborative activities and building your skills, knowledge and confidence.

Course entry options

Select from the options below to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

What you'll study

What you'll
study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

Year one (equivalent to year 3 of BA course)

As you join the course you'll be alongside final year undergraduate students, meaning you'll get straight to the action with practical and research-based projects.

Your focus will be on the resolution of your personal approach to content and style, developing your creative skills and production to a high standard and preparing a professional portfolio.

You’ll also participate in external competitions and shows, produce promotional work and develop an online presence, reflecting your ambitions for professional practice.

You'll complete these units:

Major Project
If you choose to propose one project for the 24 weeks, it's the largest project you'll study and will form the basis of your campus degree show and most probably any external shows you might participate in. You're also able to create smaller projects in this timeframe of 24 weeks. Whether one project, or two or three, the unit focuses on your ability to provide high-quality work suitable for presentation to an external audience and possible future clients.

Professional Practice 3: Launch
This is about acquiring key practical skills required for the launch of your professional career. These skills, and the measures you need to take, are very much geared to you building a sustainable career which may also include postgraduate study.

Responding to External Briefs
This unit is concerned with further developing your understanding of the complex relationship between illustrator, commissioning designer/art director and audience and you'll complete at least one competition brief from a recognised national or international competition or awards scheme, such as the Penguin Design Awards or Folio Society.

Illustration Dissertation
This is a substantial period of sustained, individually negotiated research on a subject, likely to be related to the contextual and/or theoretical concerns of your discipline or chosen area of practice, towards the provision of structured written argument.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

BA (top-up) course: £9,250

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

BA (top-up) course: £9,250 (see fee discount information)

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

BA (top-up) course: £16,950

Please note: The fees listed on this webpage are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of your Course Information for details of the costs you may incur.

Eloise Dilnutt, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham

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Ines Oliveira Araujo, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham

Irys Bird, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham

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Yilan Wang, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham

Constance Warboys, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham

Jessica Hayes, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham

Facilities

This course has dedicated illustration studios with natural lighting for workshops, independent and group working. On campus, there are digital media suites programmed with design software for high-quality print production, a printmaking studio with relief and block printing, plate or stone lithography, intaglio, letterpress, photopolymer plate printing and screen-printing; and a modern library with a wealth of books, journals, special collections and online resources.

View 30 virtual tour

Illustration studios, UCA Farnham

Print studios, UCA Farnham

Digital Media suite, UCA Farnham

Library, UCA Farnham

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Entry & portfolio requirements

Entry & portfolio
requirements

UK

BA (Hons) course (top-up)

The standard entry requirements* for this course are:

240 credits from a relevant degree (120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5), with a minimum of 55% overall
Foundation Degree in a relevant subject
Higher National Diploma in a relevant subject

And/or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)

In recognition that you may already have a relevant professional qualification, or appropriate working experience in the relevant industries, APEL may be accepted for entry on to the course. This will be based on the partnership articulations and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Other relevant and equivalent UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.

Portfolio requirements

For this courses, we’ll need to see your portfolio for review. We’ll invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person, meet the course team and learn more about your course. Further information will be provided once you have applied. View more portfolio advice

*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.

International and EU

BA (Hons) course (top-up)

The entry requirements for these courses will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country:

Non-UK equivalent qualifications

Any additional entry requirements listed in the UK requirements section, e.g., subject requirements, work experience or professional qualifications, also apply to international applicants applying with equivalent qualifications.

Portfolio requirements

You will be required to submit a portfolio for review. Further information on specific portfolio requirements and how to submit your portfolio will be sent to you after we have reviewed your application. View more portfolio advice

English language requirements

To study at UCA, you'll need to have a certain level of English language skill. And so, to make sure you meet the requirements of your course, we ask for evidence of your English language ability, please check the level of English language required: