We look at each application individually, considering your grades, interview (along with your portfolio/audition) and any relevant experience. We typically expect students to have achieved 48 UCAS points or PPP in a Level 3 Diploma / Extended Diploma. Mature students who don’t meet these standard entry requirements may be able to show us their potential through relevant experience. Applicants whose first language is not English and who do not have GCSE English will be asked to take an IELTS assessment or equivalent and will need to achieve an overall score of 6.0, with 6.0 in the writing element and at least 5.5 in all other sub elements.
Entry requirements
Why choose this course?
A Degree Built Around the Full Power of Lens-Based Image-Making: placing lens-based creativity at the heart of the curriculum, making it uniquely suited for those who want to master both traditional and emerging approaches to image-making. From analogue processes to digital, moving image, and experimental techniques, the programme offers an immersive exploration of the lens as a creative and communicative tool. Develop a distinctive photographic voice across still and moving image, blending analogue and digital practice with live briefs and collaboration. With expert tuition, studio access and professional equipment, you’ll refine technique, critical thinking and enterprise.
This is a practice-based course: you will undertake a range of projects that will help develop your technical, creative and visual skills and enable you to produce high quality and innovative responses using a variety of lens-based mediums.
Assignments are designed to mirror working and professional practice and include a range of studio-based activities: demonstrations, research, workshops, etc. supporting the development of your conceptual, technical, creative and critical thinking skills.
At level 4 you will be introduced to a wide range of lens-based practice, from studio work and darkroom to alternative processes to ensure that you have the skills necessary to undertake project work. More advanced workshops ensure that you are progressing and developing your techniques alongside your critical and analytical skills.The projects will allow you to develop your ability to create imagery, and to begin to develop your photographic style.
At level 5 you will develop that style further, interrogating the ways in which you create work and begin to engage and respond to the world via lens-based imagery. You will have the opportunity to work on a live brief in a professional context and to engage in collaborative work.
At level 6 you will refine and develop your photographic ‘voice’ and continue to develop specialist practice to build toward a portfolio of work that will launch your photographic career. You will work collaboratively on a ‘live’ brief for an external practitioner or organisation to ensure that you are confident in responding to briefs and to develop your professional working practices. Your final portfolio will be exhibited, and you will engage with the curatorial process to ensure the effective communication and presentation of your work.
Further information
For those who wish to explore a broad base of lens based genres, exploring photography, video and film. This course allows you to develop a broad, yet specialised skill set applicable to a wide range of creative contexts. This industry-focused degree balances technical craft both old and new with concept and context. Ideal if you value critique, collaboration and cross-disciplinary opportunities, and want structured support to develop a distinct portfolio for employment or further study.
The BA (Hons) Photography with Lens-Based Practices course is designed to equip you with the professional skills, creative confidence, and industry awareness needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving photographic landscape. Throughout the course, you will engage in real-world projects, live briefs, and external collaborations, ensuring you graduate with industry experience and a strong portfolio.
The course encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration, with opportunities to work alongside peers from Music, Theatre, and other Creative Arts disciplines. This approach fosters networking opportunities and broadens your understanding of photography’s role in diverse creative industries.
- An exploration of cultural, social and historical contexts that inform lens based practice
- Portfolio creation, exhibitions and opportunities to develop a personal professional identity
- Professional practice, self-promotion and business
- Studio, location and experimental image-making
- Visual Communication and how images are used to underpin messages and present narratives
- Digital approaches to image making in photography, film, video and any emerging method of creating images
- Analogue processes in image making in photography, film, video
Graduates progress into freelance and employed roles such as photographer, assistant, editor, content producer and picture researcher, or move to postgraduate study. Many build successful practices through commissions, collaborations and exhibitions supported by strong professional identities and networks.
Our teaching and assessment methods are designed to keep learning dynamic, engaging and hands-on. You will experience a mix of:
- Practical workshops to refine your skills
- Group discussions to exchange ideas and insights
- Critiques to help improve your work
- Lectures and seminars to explore concepts and techniques
- One-on-one tutorials for tailored feedback
- Group study and peer reviews to collaborate and learn from others
- Independent study to deepen your knowledge and creativity
Assessment methods are tailored to each unit and may include:
- Creating photographic and lens-based portfolios
- Completing project work
- Delivering presentations
- Keeping journals of you creative journey
- Developing a research proposal
- Writing assignments to showcase your understanding
To ensure flexibility and accessibility,students have options for different submission formats ( e.g. blogs, videos, reports, recordings, journals) ,this approach allows for a diverse and inclusive assessment process.
With this variety, you will have plenty of opportunities to grow and demonstrate your skills in ways that suit your strengths.
Flexible Exit Awards
This programme is designed as a three-year course leading to the award of a BA (Hons) degree. It is delivered through a flexible 1+1+1 structure, with each year representing a distinct stage of learning and achievement. This approach allows students to progress through the programme in clearly defined phases while retaining the flexibility to exit at the end of any academic year if their circumstances change.
Students who complete the full programme will be awarded a BA (Hons). However, students who choose to leave the course before completion may be eligible for an interim award that formally recognises the credits they have successfully achieved.
Level 4 (Year 1) Students who successfully complete 120 credits at Level 4 and then leave the programme may be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE).
Level 5 (Year 2) Students who successfully complete 240 credits, and then leave the programme may be awarded a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE).
Level 6 (Year 3) Students who successfully complete 360 credits, will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA Hons).
This flexible 1+1+1 model ensures that students who do not complete the full degree can still receive formal recognition for their achievements, while those who continue through all three years graduate with a BA (Hons) qualification.