Wolverhampton School of Art

BA (Hons) Illustration with Sandwich placement

Award
BA (Hons)
Start date(s)
16 September 2024
UCAS Code
W222
Course specifications
Course length
Sandwich (4 years)
Campus location
Wolverhampton City Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

The University of Wolverhampton takes a distinctive, layered approach to the teaching of Illustration. This course offers a breadth of opportunities in the creative industry, with a Sandwich Placement involving real-life work experience in illustration. You’ll learn a broad range of fundamental illustration skills and have the chance to pursue your personal vision.

Develop your skills and ensure development with support from the Wolverhampton School of Art staff, as well as visiting practitioners. With the right support, we help students feel confident in their skills and ready to excel in the ever-evolving, fast-paced field of illustration. You’ll develop key professional skills in the process, enhancing your self-reflection, analytical and interpersonal abilities. This is facilitated through a variety of individual, peer and cross-disciplinary activities, as well as engaging in live commissions – all hosted by the University’s specialist studios.

National and international study trips will also serve to enrich your cultural and contextual awareness. Furthermore, this course offers a professional placement option, dramatically enhancing your employability upon graduation alongside the School’s commitment of presenting potential career opportunities.

What happens on the course?

Coursework, particularly a series of creative projects in your final year, constitutes this course’s assessment and factors into the manner of its teaching: as your personal vision and developing artistic language are paramount, so too are experimentation, innovation and challenge to this curriculum. Supporting this approach are the University of Wolverhampton’s facilities – specialist workshops and studio environments – where forward-thinking perspectives towards drawing, printmaking and collage (analogue and digital) among others are incentivised.

Your studies will explore techniques traditional and digital in reference to fundamental aspects of image making, asking you to examine the social and philosophical implications of these methods through contextual research, developing an understanding of the motivations behind different styles and material manipulation. This understanding will be put into practice in a brief regimen of work under professional parameters, practical education supplemented by presentations and lectures courtesy of Wolverhampton School of Art staff and other professional practitioners.

With a theoretical background and experience established, opportunities for specialisation will be offered, further questioning the component parts of illustration and asking you to decide an artistic path through educated reflection. A further professional placement will enforce your workplace experience, while our new, clear sense of direction will evolve throughout your final year, tested through creative projects and research intended to galvanise research in theory and practice.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

Dedicated facilities for students practicing illustration are hosted at Wolverhampton City Campus with a wealth of professional equipment to employ across your studies: Dual-screen Apple mac setups with Wacom drawing tablets, industry standard software, scanners, cameras, a life drawing studio and specialist in-house printing services courtesy of the Print Support Hub. A Media Store and Art Materials Shop ensure you will remain fully equipped. Further curated input from Wolverhampton School of Art staff and visiting practitioners, engagement with ‘live’ commissions and competitions, as well as national and international study trips will grant you a holistic perspective on illustration, informing your practice on the University’s facilities with fundamental artistic skills and an open-minded outlook on experimentative, speculative creation.

Skills taught on this course are industry-informed, aiding you in your eventual progress through careers in illustration. You will practice exhibiting and presenting your work, itself crafted across constructive discussion and the building of your personal network. The sandwich year’s offer of a professional placement will greatly enhance your employment prospects upon graduation. You will be made aware of positions available to holders of your degree by the School of Art, who will also encourage undertaking live briefs and engagement with employers.

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2022-23
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2024-25
International Sandwich £13450 per year 2022-23
International Sandwich £14450 per year 2023-24
International Sandwich £14450 per year 2023-24
International Sandwich £14950 per year 2024-25

Additional Course Costs

Additional Materials: £50 to 250 per semester - Prices vary according your subject of practice.

Additional Field Trips: £50 to 500 - Prices will vary according to location.

Additional Events: £350 - Degree Show/New Designers. Costs will vary according to the medium and mode of your practice but considerations will be around materials, installation and presentation.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

Typical entry requirement: 96 UCAS points including a level 3 qualification in Art and Design.

  • A Levels - grades CCC / BCD
  • BTEC L3 Extended Diploma or OCR Cambridge L3 Technical Extended Diploma - grades MMM
  • BTEC L3 Diploma - grades DD
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (96 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at merit)
  • UAL L3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design or Creative Media Production & Technology - grade M

Use the UCAS Tariff calculator to check your qualifications and points

Other Requirements

Those meeting the entry requirements may be shortlisted for a Portfolio Review. Further details can be found at https://www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply/4---after-youve-applied/subject-specific-applications/. Applicants will also be required to provide satisfactory reference.

Students must have studied a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, it is expected that some applicants will be mature students with work experience, who wish to further their career development. These applicants will be processed through standard procedures, which may involve an interview as part of the process. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

Order a prospectus

How We Compare

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Sandwich Course