Course overview
Foundation year Work placement
School of Arts & Creative Industries
See what it's like to study at our School of Arts & Creative Industries.
You become a technically proficient, creatively curious and critically reflective photographer exploring all types of photographic production, from portraiture and fashion to still life, allowing you to identify your specialism in this diverse industry.
We offer a practical photography course in a region that celebrates its legacy of documentary culture – there are varied landscapes that include industrial, urban, coastal, and moors for those interested in shooting on location across genres such as portraiture, documentary, fashion and landscape. This is the place where Chris Killip, Tish Murtha and Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen were inspired to create their impactful bodies of work.
Three strands run through the course to cement your future-ready focus:
- build your practical and subject-specific skills, through access to analogue darkrooms as well as digital cameras, printers and lighting studios
- create an extensive body of work by developing your making process skills and working on personal projects
- develop an outward-looking ethos by responding to live briefs that consider audience and market, resolved into outcomes appropriate to the industry.
Top reasons to study photography at Teesside University:
- Professional facilities: our photography studios and darkroom are installed with the latest equipment, so you learn in professional studios to support your development.
- Learn on location: we are located at the heart of stunning photographic locations with beaches, sunsets, industrial landscapes, historical buildings and the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors.
- Get creative: our course and campus are powered by Adobe and Apple. We’re Europe’s first Adobe Creative Campus and the only Apple-accredited University, equipping you with the digital tools and resources to hone your creative photographic skills.
- Expert teaching: our staff are practising photographers, curators, historians and critics who have exhibited and had their work published in national publications.
- Linked to our own art gallery: our international contemporary art gallery, MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), holds a photography collection to inspire you. You benefit from supportive voices, specialist expertise, shared wisdom, new ideas, a helping hand or a friendly catch-up, developing your unique creative voice.
Creative UK
Take advantage of our Creative UK membership and help futureproof your career, with networking events, a resource hub to support professional development, and bespoke workshops in partnership with industry leaders and mentors. Sign up for free student membership to get opportunities, events and newsletters sent directly to your inbox.
Course details
Think, dream and make: learn through doing, with focused studio time for practice-based creative work, allowing you to develop ideas and undertake larger-scale, more ambitious projects.
Develop your creative voice: you are coached to find and grow your creative voice. Collaboration with industry professionals and your peers gives you new perspectives on developing your practice.
Grow resilience: develop a creative journal, capturing your challenges, milestones and reflections to see patterns in your thinking and linking reoccurring ideas. You learn how to test ideas, explore creative directions, understand pitching etiquette and develop large-scale projects to help you thrive in the creative industries.
Join the creative sector: our intensive, career-focused modules help you understand working in the arts and creative industries. From industry leaders’ professional wisdom and insight to accessing professional opportunities and creative coaching, you become an industry insider and leave with a working understanding of the professional community.
Become connected: access our network of alumni and practising creatives at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA). Benefit from supportive voices, specialist expertise, shared wisdom and new ideas, establishing critical relationships that propel you into your creative career.
Get creative: take part in MIMA Creative Week, a festival of workshops where you experiment with new materials, go on field trips and upgrade your tech skills.
Expand your horizons: collaborate with our international partners in Prague, Dubai and India becoming international creative citizens while developing an understanding of wider global contexts, sustainability and the changing shape of equality and diversity.
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Enhance your skills in team-working, communication, project management and negotiation. You collaborate with a group of your course mates to produce a small-scale creative project in response to a subject-specific brief.
This is a 20-credit module.
Introduction to Photography Practice
Explore techniques and strategies for making analogue and digital photographic images. You are introduced to basic visual language strategies and theory, and consider different ways of making photographs while learning the safe and appropriate use of specialist equipment.
This is a 40-credit module.
Introduction to the Creative Industries
With many opportunities in the creative industries sector, learn how to start on your career path while developing vital employability skills such as networking and digital presence. Understand the structure of the sector and the interdisciplinary relationships between art, design and media. Discover how the sector operates locally, nationally and globally – debating the role of policy and the importance of sustainability.
This is a 20-credit module.
You are introduced to project development in photographic practice by learning key methods, tools and critical concepts. You agree your assignment brief with the module tutor who will guide your research, practise and processes. Your research into a variety of artists and thinkers and explore different making processes.
This is a 40-credit module.
Year 2 core modules
Study advanced concepts, approaches and techniques to create a portfolio of images, fostering greater understanding of creative work, its discussion and historical and modern-day practice. You design your own project exploring contemporary photographic discourse and multiple ways of making. And demonstrate your research, analysis, practice and processes through a workbook.
This is a 40-credit module.
Develop critical thinking and analysis skills, exploring contemporary issues and debates related to the creative industries. You research a specific area or development within your chosen subject – this may be technical, economic, ethical, legal, cultural, sociological, or a combination. You draw on appropriate academic and industry sources to contextualise your research. You present your topic and initial research within taught sessions, providing an opportunity for peer and tutor feedback.
This is a 20-credit module.
You develop and explore, in depth, a creative industry-based project in your specialist area of design, art, media, music, photography or illustration - relevant to your future professional practice. While forming a professional portfolio of work, you experience real-world business scenarios and challenges, industry competitions and cross and inter-disciplinary activities. You gain skills in project management, applied research methods and collaborative creative work.
This is a 40-credit module.
Working in the Creative Industries
There are many challenges facing contemporary art, design and media practices. You research the social, political or ecological challenges around us to generate a small-scale project. You develop and reflect on your understanding of enterprise in the context of the creative industries. Contextualise your own professional practice and aspirations through application of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
This is a 20-credit module.
Optional work placement year
You have the option to spend one year in industry learning and developing your skills. We encourage and support you with applying for a placement, job hunting and networking.
You gain experience favoured by graduate recruiters and develop your technical skillset. You also obtain the transferable skills required in any professional environment, including communication, negotiation, teamwork, leadership, organisation, confidence, self-reliance, problem-solving, being able to work under pressure, and commercial awareness.
Many employers view a placement as a year-long interview, therefore placements are increasingly becoming an essential part of an organisation's pre-selection strategy in their graduate recruitment process. Benefits include:
· improved job prospects
· enhanced employment skills and improved career progression opportunities
· a higher starting salary than your full-time counterparts
· a better degree classification
· a richer CV
· a year's salary before completing your degree
· experience of workplace culture
· the opportunity to design and base your final-year project within a working environment.
If you are unable to secure a work placement with an employer, then you simply continue on a course without the work placement.
Final-year core modules
You produce a self-managed, individual extended piece of independent investigation and/or creative production or portfolio of work. Supervised by an academic member of staff, you take responsibility for the planning and execution of the work, including the consideration of associated legal, social, ethical and professional issues. You explore in depth a chosen subject area, demonstrating your ability to analyse, synthesise and creatively apply your learning, showing critical and evaluative skills and professional awareness.
This is a 60-credit module.
Plan and implement your departure from education to your first or new career, or to further study. You continue your creative practice, developing a portfolio and/or extended piece of work which reflects you as a creative. You explore discipline-specific employability strategies, and engage and network with industry to develop key connections.
This is a 60-credit module.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
An academic staff team of specialist practitioners and theorists work in partnership with technical staff to ensure you have access to a diverse and extensive range of photographic and fine art expertise. You have contact with professional guest speakers, have the opportunity to establish a support network for photographic practice and undertake study visits directly related to the field. Studio and industry-focussed tutorials throughout the programme are designed to help you develop clear and realistic objectives for continued professional development and employment. Individual and independent learning priorities become an integral component in final year study modules and are supported by a fully established Negotiated Learning Plan.
How you are assessed
The continuous assessment structure allows key assessment deadlines to be located at the mid-point and end-point of each academic year.
Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services
Find out more about financial support
Find out more about our course related costs
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Year 1 entry
96-112 points, including a creative subject, from any combination of recognised Level 3 qualifications. Consideration is also given to students without formal qualifications but with evidence of practical photography experience at an appropriate level. Applicants may be invited to share a portfolio where applicable to show creative skills in photography.
Applicants are invited join us on campus for an applicant day, enabling you to see our photography facilities, gain feedback on your portfolio from academics within our photography course team, meet staff and students and learn more about studying at Teesside University.
English language and maths requirement
Normally GCSE English language at grade C, or 4 under the new grading system. Alternative equivalent qualifications may be considered.
Non-EU international students who need a student visa to study in the UK should check our web pages on UKVI-compliant English language requirements. The University also provides pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements.
Helping you meet the entry requirements
We may be able to help you meet the requirements for admission by offering you the opportunity to study one or more Summer University modules, some of which can be studied by distance learning.
Alternative degree with integrated foundation year
If you are unable to achieve the minimum admission requirements for Year 1 entry you could, subject to eligibility, join one of our degree courses with an integrated foundation year.
Direct entry to later years
If you have previously studied at higher education level (for example, a foundation degree, HNC, HND or one or more years at degree level at another institution) you may request direct entry to Year 2 or year 3 of this degree.
Mature applicants
We welcome applications from mature students (aged over 21) who can demonstrate, through portfolio/written work and relevant experience, that they have developed cognitive and technical skills through their life experiences.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL
Employability
Career opportunities
A large variety of unique options are open to you after graduating with a BA (Hons) Photography. The creative, research and professional skills gained open a broad range of careers possibilities, including:
- freelance and corporate photography industries (advertising, fashion, editorial, blogging, product and special occasion, documentary and art photography)
- photo-related industries (art buyer, picture editor, publisher)
- art-related (curator, archivist, gallery admin)
- further education and academic (teaching, research, education)
- art directing
- entrepreneurship.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.
