Course overview
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.
This course includes a foundation year - ideal if you need additional preparation or if you don't have sufficient grades to join Year 1 of a degree.
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. 97.6% of design studies students agreed that staff were good at explaining things. (National Student Survey 2024, tees.ac.uk/source)
- 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
![Creative UK](/images/commonimages/logos/creative_uk.png)
Course details
Course structure
Foundation year core modules
You explore the fundamental principles of design and composition, studying image creation techniques using graphics software. Develop your digital skills and learn how to create form and 3D space, and also incorporate photographic source material.
This is a 20-credit module.
Drawing and Making Fundamentals
Develop your knowledge of fundamental drawing and making approaches for many purposes and disciplines. Through practical drawing workshops, you study measured drawing, scale, composition and perspective, and also the use of colour, materials and expressive mark making. Working alongside a group of your course mates, you create a multi-disciplinary piece based on a brief.
This is a 40-credit module.
Create original ideas and concepts for your individual project, creating an artefact, report, campaign, comic, product or other form related to the arts, design and media industries. You explore the context and history of the creative arts and use this to inform your project. Learning to research and analyse ideas about art, design and media, you develop your understanding of creative working and the relationship between creativity, society and the environment.
This is a 40-credit module.
Develop key study skills in preparation for starting your degree, including critical thinking, teamwork, research and delivering presentations. You are introduced to primary and secondary research sources and shown how to use the virtual learning environment (VLE). You also find out about the wide range of student support and learning resources on campus.
This is a 20-credit module.
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 endpoint 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
Any combination of level 3 qualifications. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis.
We may also be able to help you meet the entry requirements through our Summer University modules.
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.