Course summary
Explore and experiment with photographic practices by studying for our BA (Hons) Photography degree at Cambridge School of Art. Learn to create images that tell compelling stories, whether your dream is to be a fashion or fine art photographer or a photojournalist. As a photography student at ARU you’ll develop skills in professional photography, multimedia, critical communication and exhibition. Take full advantage of our specialist darkrooms, photographic studios, and digital post-production and printing suite. You can also borrow specialist camera equipment through our dedicated loan service. You’ll be taught through individual tutorial and studio sessions, as well as in group lectures and workshops. You'll also benefit from regular career development events throughout your Photography degree. Our BA (Hons) Photography scored 90% for Learning Resources in the National Student Survey 2023. Studying photography at university will help you prepare for work in the creative industries, or for self-employment as a photographer or artist. Here at ARU, there's the chance to gain valuable experience and build a professional network through work placements. All your creative work will be supported by academic staff working at the forefront of photographic research and innovation who have years of professional experience. This informs the design and delivery of our BA (Hons) Photography course, allowing us to respond to innovation in the sector, facilitate exciting industry-led projects, and speaker presentations. Our students are part of the organising committee for our Annual Public Photography Lectures which bring high-profile British and international photographers to ARU. Previous talks have featured Donna Ferrato, Laura Pannack, Anthony Luvera, Tom Hunter, Jane Hilton, Tim Flach and Hannah Starkey. Through continuous experimentation, you’ll be encouraged to refine your photographic style and voice. Critical and contextual studies will connect your own research and writing to your practice and will guide you to specialist resources in our campus library. Explore hundreds of photographers’ monographs and access technical and contextual texts, as well as other online resources, to underpin and expand your practice. As part of your Photography course, you can expand your skillset with additional technical workshops including printmaking, 3D work and writing workshops. You can choose to take part in photography field trips too, and experience photographing different locations such as Venice and Prague. You can also exhibit your work at exhibitions like Free Range in London, where industry reps will get to see your work. At the 2023 exhibition, two of our students, Mark Morgan and Erin Thorogood, were nominated 'Best in Show' by Amateur Photographer magazine. They follow in the footsteps of 2022 graduate Aliz Kovacs-Zoldi, who was selected as Student Photographer of the Year by the magazine. While studying our BA (Hons) Photography degree, you’ll learn to adopt a professional approach to your work, covering aspects of career management such as rights issues, project management and self-promotion through social media. You can choose to take up work placements that will help you establish your own professional network, including opportunities such as working for magazines, galleries and photographers. Industry-standard facilities With your Photography degree at ARU, you’ll have access to all our creative facilities including:
- black & white and colour darkrooms, and black & white film processing room
- a bespoke digital suite with iMacs, flat bed and virtual drum scanners, and Epson professional large format inkjet printers
- three photographic studios with Profoto lighting and accessories
- an extensive range of analogue and professional digital cameras and lenses. including Canon, Sinar, Nikon, Pentax and Hasselblad
- Ruskin Gallery, a professional digital art gallery.
Modules
Year 1 core modules: Photography: Practice and Context; Production and Multi-Media. Year 2 core modules: Media, Process, Situation; Photographic Portfolio Practice; Critical Issues and Debates; Ruskin Module. Year 3: Work placement. Year 4 core modules: Major Project Photography. Year 4 optional modules: Research Project; Working in the Creative Industries. Modules are subject to change and availability.
Assessment method
You’ll demonstrate your learning through both written and practical (portfolio) work, helping to prepare you for creating your own professional photography portfolio.
How to apply
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- W642
- Institution code:
- A60
- Campus name:
- Cambridge Campus
- Campus code:
- C
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - 96 points
GCSE/National 4/National 5
You will be asked to provide a digital portfolio for review and will be given the option to book a meeting to discuss this with us. If English is not your first language you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.0 (Academic level) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University. You may also be accepted to this course with an IELTS 5.5 (Academic level- with no individual score being lower than 5.5) or equivalent English Language qualification as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University, but will then be required to undertake additional compulsory free English language modules in your first year.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
Student Outcomes
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
England | £9250 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Provider information
Anglia Ruskin University
East Road
Cambridge
CB1 1PT