BA (Hons) Photography

UCAS code: W650

Start date: September

Course length: full time: three years, or four years with Year Zero, part time: available by negotiation.

Campus: Markeaton Street site, Derby Campus

This course is available to international students

The course values and encourages imaginative and inventive approaches to photography and supports all types of work, including black and white, colour and digital. You'll learn through a combination of lectures, technical workshops, seminars, group critiques and individual tutorials. You'll also go on regular gallery visits and be able to hear high profile guest lectures regularly.

The degree finishes with a professional final exhibition at our degree show, where you'll have the opportunity to make vital industry contacts at the Private View evening.

Watch the video from this year's Degree Show

You could also continue your studies by taking our MA Film and Photography course.

You'll study a total of 120 credits per year. This will be made up of single or double modules.

Stage one

You'll study these modules:

• Histories, Practices and Technologies 1
• Past and Present (Double module)
• Histories, Practices and Technologies 2
• Present and Future (Double module)

Stage two

You'll study these modules:

• Finding your Place
• Discourse and Technologies 1 (Double module)
• Raising your Voice
• Discourse and Technologies 2 (Double module)

Diploma in Professional Practice (optional)

You'll study modules such as:

• Applied Professional Practice
• Contemporary Issues in Professional Practice

Stage three

You'll study these modules:

• Vision (Double module)
• Visual or written Dissertation 1 (Research and Development)
• Realisation (Double module)
• Visual or written Dissertation 2 (Development and Conclusion)

Our entry requirements are usually 260 UCAS points, of which at least 220 will be from your core A2s (full A levels) or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Diploma, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers etc.

We'll accept up to 40 points towards the total from level 3 qualifications such as AS levels (where those AS levels are not taken on to A2 level), the Extended Project or Music qualifications.

We don't accept points from Key Skills Level 3. If you have any questions about what is or isn't accepted, please contact our Admissions team.

We also accept the Access to HE Diploma.

Your points at level 3 will be in addition to 5 GCSEs at grade C or equivalent level 2 qualifications.

The UCAS tariff points are a guide - we'll also consider all the information that you've included in your application, your portfolio, and how you've done in your interview. We'll also want to see that you're enthusiastic and motivated to take this course and that you have the potential to benefit from coming to university.

General undergraduate entry requirements

This is a specialist course.

UK/EU students

• Full time: £8,800 (each year)
• £1,100 per module (you usually take 18 of these modules in total)

International students

• Full time: £10,510 (per year)

*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2013 and August 2014. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.

The course will be taught by a combination of workshops and lectures to introduce new concepts and knowledge; seminars to enable group discussions; critiques to learn to communicate about students’ own work and to give and receive constructive feedback; small group tutorials to encourage the development of ideas, individual tutorials to monitor progress and clarify direction; group research activities to encourage team working and individual presentations to develop communication skills.

"The course is not just about the acquisition of technical skills. It's really about thinking about your work and how it relates to what else is happening in contemporary art and in the world."

Nick Judd

Students who've taken this course have gone on to be artists, academics, teachers, curators, critics, commercial photographers, picture editors, and news and sports photographers.

If you want to gain work experience you can take an optional work placement between stages two and three during which you'll also gain an additional qualification - the Diploma in Professional Practice.

Find out more about placements.

We also provide support for graduates starting out in the creative industries, through our incubation unit - Banks Mill.  It offers studio workspace and business development activities, in a vibrant and thriving community of artists, designers and makers.

"The course is not just about the acquisition of technical skills. It's really about thinking about your work and how it relates to what else is happening in contemporary art and in the world."

Nick Judd