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Subject showcases - November 2024

Delve deeper into your subject area of interest, learn more about programmes, meet staff and students and see what it’s like to study at UWS.

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UWS Student Pondering Potential New Course Developments | University of the West of Scotland

Overview

Pursue your passion for art that tells a story.

UWS’s BA (Hons) Graphic Arts & Moving Image provides entry to exciting career opportunities for the next generation of artists. Whether through animation, illustration, television & film graphics or the production of graphic novels you will build a professional portfolio that will develop your creativity, skills and employability across the contemporary creative industries.

With teaching led by creative industries professionals you will work in our contemporary art studios and labs at the beautiful Ayr campus.

Course highlights

  • With a focus on multi-disciplinary learning, you’ll have access to industry-leading facilities such as art, TV and music studios, computer labs and performance spaces
  • You’ll develop transferable skills in content production, information processing and professional communication – meaning you can develop your portfolio
  • You will work with industry specialists, such as designers, publishers, writers and artists
  • Focus on practical approaches for creating narrative driven content including motion graphics, illustration, experimental animation, time and event-based media, graphic fiction/comic art, and documentary artefacts

Course details

  • BA (Hons) Graphic Arts & Moving Image will help you develop the essential professional skills required to work in creative industries such as book, comics and graphic novel publishing, advertising, production design and post-production for film and television, digital heritage, animation, performance entertainment industries and public/community arts
  • The programme will help you build up a portfolio of work to prepare you for future developments in the ever-changing landscape of visual arts, culture, and communications
  • By keeping up with cultural and industry trends, the programme will equip you with the creative and critical learning skills to effectively explore the relationship between visual art-making, media technologies and how these relate to and reflect political, social, cultural and historical contexts

Career prospects

Graduates will develop skills and experience to support careers in:

  • Motion Graphics for film and television
  • Animation
  • Storyboarding
  • Illustration / graphic novels
  • Moving image and time-based art
  • Production design
  • Online content production
  • Self-employment

Entry requirements

Candidates must be able to satisfy the general admission requirements of the University of the West of Scotland as specified in Chapter 2 of the University Regulatory Framework together with the following programme requirements:

Year 3 
HND in Art, Design, Computer Arts, Contemporary Art Practice, Film craft, Animation, Photography, Visual Communication, Audio Visual Technology, Digital Media, Sound Production, Technical Theatre, Production Arts, or relevant discipline and English Higher (B grade or above) or relevant alternative. 

All applicants will be expected to submit a personal statement, reference, and portfolio. Full explanation of this will be provided to applicants through an Admissions Staff contact. Initial offers and rejections will be made based on the above. Should places remain available after this first stage, remaining applicants will be invited for interview. Full details of the interview criteria will be provided to the applicants ahead of their interview date through an Admissions Staff contact. 

Applicants should demonstrate at least basic competence in some or all of the following: 

  • Observational drawing.
  • Familiarity with conventions inherent in the visual arts, such as composition, perspective, and proportion.
  • Applied knowledge or skill in media such as printmaking, painting, illustration, photography, or sculpture.
  • Some knowledge of notable historical and current creative practitioners in the visual arts.
  • Applied knowledge or skill in computer-based applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Procreate or similar equivalents. 

Other routes for admission

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) 

APL refers to certificated learning of full or part completion of academic qualifications for which there is an agreed, general credit rating or recommendation as set out in the University’s Regulatory Framework: 
 
“Appropriate learning, wherever acquired, provided that it has been subject to reliable and valid methods of assessment, is accepted for the purpose of gaining academic credit towards an award of the University.” 
 
Applicants who have successfully completed a programme of certificated learning at a recognised UK awarding institution are considered for admission with credit, at an appropriate point on the programme of study for which entry is being sought. 

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) 

APEL is defined as learning that has its source in experience, for example at work or in the community. The assessment of APEL is undertaken by the University. 

Undergraduate tuition fees

Tuition fees for this course 2024/25

Scottish

£1,820 cost per year of study (usually paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)

All other UK & Republic of Ireland

£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750

Channel Islands & Isle of Man

£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750

International (all other EU plus Non-EU)

£15,500 per year of study

More on tuition fees and funding

Apply via UCAS

Ready to apply? All UK & EU undergraduate applications should be made through UCAS. Further information for international, part-time and exchange applications can be found below.

UCAS

Further application information

Full-time (domestic & EU/EEA)

All UK and EU applicants for undergraduate study, not applying through an agent or partner, should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)

The on-time application deadline for 2025/26 entry is 29 January 2025, 18:00 (UK time). For some courses it may still be possible to apply beyond this period, subject to suitable vacancies remaining. The final deadline for late applications via UCAS is 30 June 2025. Beyond this deadline, you may be able to apply via ‘UCAS Clearing’ if the course you are interested in has remaining places.

Please refer to our Undergraduate Application Guide for domestic & EU/EEA to find more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS.

You can find out more about applying for this undergraduate course on UCAS.

 

Full-time (non-EU/non-EEA), Part-time & Online (all students), Erasmus & International Exchange

Students from non-EU/non-EEA countries can apply directly to UWS via our dedicated online application system. The latest we can process your application is 6 weeks before the course start date to allow for visa processing times. For more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS please refer to our International Undergraduate Application Guide.

For part-time & online study, you should apply directly to the University through our online application system, not through UCAS. Please select the part-time mode of study when submitting your application. Before you begin your application, it is important to read the part-time application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.

To come to UWS as a visiting student on a study abroad or exchange programme, you must apply entirely through our online system.

An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.

Get in touch

Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!

We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.