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University for the Creative Arts > Study at UCA > Our courses > Extended Diploma Art & Design - UCA Canterbury
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UCA

Extended Diploma in Art & Design

Pre-degree - UCA Canterbury - 2019

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Do you have a passion for art, but feel restricted by how it’s taught at school?

Our Extended Diploma in Art & Design at UCA Canterbury offers you a unique opportunity to study on a practical art and design course within a university environment at the age of 16. 

This course is equivalent to three A-Levels, and is a two-year course which allows you to try out a wide range of art and design subjects or specialise directly before choosing a degree subject.

At our Canterbury campus, you’ll have access to the same facilities and workshops as all our undergraduate and postgraduate students. 

As part of the course you may take part in a live project, giving you an insight into the creative industries and the chance to work with studios or galleries such as the Turner Contemporary in Margate or The Beaney Art Gallery in Canterbury.

Don’t worry if you still need to get your English or mathematics GCSE – we’re committed to getting you ready for an undergraduate degree and your future career, so we hold classes in both subjects. 

On completion of this course, you will be awarded the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design.

Length of study:

Two years full-time

Campus:

UCA Canterbury

Also available at UCA Epsom, UCA Rochester

Start month:

September

View term dates

Entry year(s):

2019

Entry requirements:

5 GCSE A*-C and/or grade 9-4

click here for full details

Next event

20 Feb 2019

Open Day - all campuses

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Student work

Course details

  • Year 1

    You’ll spend the first year developing essential visual language skills, exploring a range of practical media, techniques and processes in an experimental manner.

    You'll study the five key specialisms of:
    • Fine art 
    • Fashion and textiles 
    • 3D design 
    • Lens-based media (photography and film)
    • Visual communication. 

    This will enable you to build a fundamental skill set for a future in art, including drawing, photography, construction and making, typography, animation, interactive design and moving imagery with sound. 

    By exploring each area in detail, you'll be able to make an informed choice for specialist study.

  • Year 2

    As you enter the second year, you’ll work alongside students from the Diploma in Art & Design – Foundation Studies and Access to Higher Education Diploma – Art & Design courses, and continue one of the specialisms as a pathway to focus on for the rest of the course.

    Once you’ve picked a pathway from the five specialisms, you’ll develop specific skills in this area of study and prepare a portfolio to support an application to an undergraduate degree or, in some cases, direct employment.
     
    Towards the end of the course, you’ll undertake a final major project and prepare for your diploma exhibition.
     
    The second year of the Extended Diploma is fully integrated into the Foundation Diploma and the Access to Higher Education Diploma, so students share studios and lectures.
  • Fees
    Find out all about the fees for studying with us, as well the financial support you may be entitled to:

Student regulations

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.

Facilities

At UCA Canterbury there are studio spaces for all pathways of the pre-degree and foundation courses; 3D workshops with machines for working a in range of materials such as wood, plaster, clay and resin with dedicated technical support; digital media suites with both Macs and PCs loaded with design software; and open access print studios.

Course leader

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Andy Malone

Course Leader Further Education

Andrew Malone leads the pre-degree courses at our Canterbury campus and he has worked in further education at UCA for 20 years. Prior to this he taught on BA and MA courses in Sculpture and Drawing at Wimbledon School of Art.

Full Profile

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Course connections

On this course, you'll be exposed to a world of opportunities

  • Further study

    After completing this course, most of our students progress to a degree course at UCA.

    View all of our undergraduate degree courses

  • Diploma 2 Degree scheme

    This course is part of our Diploma 2 Degree scheme which guarantees you a place on one of our undergraduate degrees after you have completed this course.

    The process is simple and stress-free, letting you bypass lengthy application processes and avoid UCAS fees. There’s also no need for you to attend an interview.

    More details about the scheme can be found on the Diploma 2 Degree pages.

  • Careers

    Instead of further study you may choose to progress directly into employment or do an apprenticeship in the industry.

How to apply - 2019 entry

I am a UK or EU citizen ...

I am not a UK or EU citizen ...

When to apply:

Our equal consideration application deadline is 31 March. We guarantee that we'll consider all applications received by this date. If places are still available after this date, we'll consider late applications.

More information:

Go to our how to apply pages

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

The standard entry requirements* for this course are:

Minimum of five GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 9-4 preferably including: art, design, media, or related a creative subject, English and mathematics.

OR Higher Diploma (Level 2) in a related subject area.

OR Access Diploma (in an appropriate subject).

OR BTEC National Award.

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.

*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 entry requirements

To view the equivalent entry requirements for your country please select it in the list below.

Pick Your Country

Non-UK equivalent qualifications

English language requirements


Your portfolio

For this course we will require you to attend an Applicant Day and bring your portfolio for assessment. Include creative work in a variety of media that shows your interest in art and design - this could include paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics or design work. You can include film or video work but make sure it's no more than three minutes in duration. Also you could bring sketchbooks, notebooks, worksheets and ideas sheets as well as finished work. We also like to see examples of written work, such as an essay, case study, evaluation or exhibition review. Further information on how to compile a portfolio and the specific requirements for examples of work to be included will be provided on the Applicant Portal after you apply.

More portfolio advice

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Related courses

Pre-degree Access to Higher Education Diploma in Art & Design -UCA Rochester

Pre-degree Extended Diploma in Art & Design -UCA Rochester

Pre-degree Diploma in Art & Design - Foundation Studies -UCA Rochester

View all of our Pre-degree courses