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Photography at De Montfort University - UCAS

Course summary

On this course you’ll discover the full breath of the field of photography. Explore areas such as the history of photographic images, moving image, contextual studies and digital media, with professional practice at the heart of your learning. You’ll learn in industry-standard facilities, developing technical skills in various technologies with support from expert tutors. Work on live external client briefs and learn how to curate and exhibit your work to a professional standard. You’ll create meaningful content that responds to contemporary global concerns and you are encouraged to be incredibly creative and experimental in your approach. Working at the forefront of emerging trends, you’ll develop your skills as a creative problem-solver. And, along with visits to exhibitions and the chance to attend study trips in the UK and overseas, you’ll further enhance your knowledge and passion for your subject. As a graduate, you’ll have the skills to adapt to this ever-changing field and to create innovative work for careers across the global industries of media, communication and the arts. Key features

  • Develop your creative, technical and academic skills to produce exciting, thought-provoking and dynamic work.
  • Be at the cutting edge of developments in photographic practice and study a curriculum that is relevant to industry needs.
  • Learn from experts and technical specialists in photography, video and audio with extensive professional experience.
  • Boost your portfolio through working on live briefs for external clients and work experience opportunities at businesses such as the National Space Centre, FABRIC (formerly Dance4), Soft Touch Arts and Gymshark.
  • With an emphasis on curation and exhibition, you will have opportunities to showcase your work to develop your portfolio and professional skills.
  • This course will open doors to a wide range of exciting career paths, from practicing as a fine artist and freelancing across the commercial sector, to collaborating with the design, marketing and fashion industries.
  • The award-winning Vijay Patel Building provides both the space and the facilities where ideas can develop and flourish. You will have access to a green screen AV studio, a double height photography studio, edit suites, wet film development lab and Mac labs.
If you are interested in advanced entry into Year 3 of this course, please visit the DMU website for the course details: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/pre-edu-2030/photography-and-video-ba-degree/photography-and-video-ba-degree.aspx

Modules

First year Block 1: Photography Ideas and Practice Block 2: Moving Image Ideas and Practice Block 3: Contextual and Visual Research Block 4: Presenting and Contextualising Your Work Second year Block 1: Studio Practice: Themes and Techniques Block 2: Curation and Exhibition Blocks 3 and 4: Experimental and Emerging Practice Blocks 3 and 4: Critical Research and Contemporary Visual Culture Third year Blocks 1 and 2: Final Major Project Development Blocks 1 and 2: Critical Research Blocks 3 and 4: Final Major Project Blocks 3 and 4: Professional Practices

Assessment method

We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and course mates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment, and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life. Structure Our curriculum is designed to support you to become confident, critical, creative, adaptable, articulate and aspiring. In your first year you will explore the role of the still and moving image within culture and the techniques of creating high-quality imagery. You will gain a foundation in both historical and contemporary production processes of still and moving images, alongside starting to develop your creative skills to become a producer of meaningful content. You will also begin to build an understanding of display and exhibition practices of producing work for an audience and learn how critical research informs your work. The second year builds on the first year to give you greater ownership of your work, extending your knowledge of production and techniques. You can choose to focus on cutting-edge technical and creative explorations within a fine art setting or develop your understanding of social documentary techniques by visually responding to contemporary cultural issues. You will begin to build your professional knowledge of curating images by producing a real museum-quality exhibition. In the third year, you will become a full-fledged producer and content creator whose creative identity is backed by solid theory and practice. You will be given industry-specific training in freelancing and commercial work via real-world and simulated briefs. Substantial research and reflection through research-focused modules, coupled with experimental approaches in production, will prepare you to complete a major self-directed project. Throughout the course, you are supported by an experienced and friendly staff team. Our staff are all practising photographers, artists, researchers and video practitioners, with a wealth of experience in the industry. Guest lecturers from a variety of lens-based backgrounds give you an insight into commercial and artistic professional practice. You will be assessed through portfolios, group work, critiques and essays, with opportunities to receive feedback on your work in each module. Contact hours You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, studios, group work and self-directed study. You will normally attend around 14 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
W640
Institution code:
D26
Campus name:
Leicester Campus
Campus code:
Y

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

Applicants will be assessed for the following; * Selected portfolio to include a range of work i.e. final major project, photography and/or video skills, evidence of research


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
83%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

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

EU £15750 Year 1
England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
International £15750 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

Please note that fees are subject to an annual review. Any increase in fees for Home students would be based upon a review of our provision and in line with the fee cap set by the government. For Overseas students such reviews will be based on a market assessment and communicated to students at least 6-months before any programme commencing. Please visit the tuition fees pages of our website for further information: dmu.ac.uk/funding
Photography at De Montfort University - UCAS