BA (Hons) Photography
University of Portsmouth
Key Information
Campus location
Southsea, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* for UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students/EU residents | £16,200/year: international students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Discover and develop your photographic vision on this BA (Hons) Photography degree.
Through research, industry, and professional practices, you'll master advanced analogue and digital photography techniques and engage with multidimensional technologies – such as computer-generated imagery (CGI), photogrammetry, virtual reality (VR), and 3D printing. Our distinctive mix of traditional and modern approaches will empower you to be innovative and shine among others in the competitive creative industries.
After you graduate, you’ll have many career options at your fingertips. Want to work for a business or by yourself on client projects? Planning to pursue a postgraduate degree? Join the 90% of our graduates who have taken these paths (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2019).
Course highlights
- Advance your skills in industry-level equipment and image-processing software that professionals use – including digital media format cameras and DSLRs, Adobe Suite, Capture One, and Cinema4d.
- Produce stand-out work using our excellent facilities – from traditional dark rooms to photographic studios.
- Gain valuable professional experience and boost your CV by doing an optional one-year placement – either with a company or by setting up your own.
- Broaden your craft and collaborative skills by working with fellow students on other courses in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries.
- Promote yourself to potential employers by showcasing your work at self-produced exhibitions, industry portfolio reviews, and our annual Graduate Show.
- Be aware of historical and modern photography forms by visiting galleries and festivals in major cities like Berlin, Paris and London.
- Build your professional contacts by attending guest lectures and meeting eminent speakers – past ones include Faisal Abdu'allah, Sunil Gupta and Brian Griffin.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules this year include:
- Creative and Industry Skills – 40 credits
- Introduction to Photographic Practices and Research – 40 credits
- Introduction to Visual Culture (Photography) – 20 credits
- Photography Level 4 Event – 0 credits
- Professional Practice and Work Experience – 20 credits
There are no optional modules this year.
Year 2
Core modules this year include:
- Advanced Skills and Innovation – 20 credits
- Photographic Critical Practices and Research – 20 credits
- Photography Level 5 Event – 0 credits
- Professional Practice and Freelance Experience – 20 credits
- Photographic Practice and Project Development – 20 credits
Optional modules this year include:
- Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice – 20 credits
- Modern Foreign Language – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- Research in the Public Sphere – 20 credits
- Student Enterprise – 20 credits
- Visual Culture: Cult, Taste and Collecting – 20 credits
- Visual Culture: Performing Identity – 20 credits
- Visual Culture: Technology and the Image – 20 credits
- Visual Culture: The Body in Practice – 20 credits
Placement year (optional)
After your second year, you can complete a work placement to gain professional industry experience and enhance your skills. Placements are an excellent way to increase your employability after graduation.
You can work for a company or organisation or go independent by setting up and running your own business as a group or alone. Whatever you choose, you can get full support from Creative Careers, an in-faculty team that can help you find placement opportunities within the creative industries. With their years of recruitment experience and in-depth knowledge of the creative sector, they can help you find placement vacancies and sharpen up your job search profile (including CVs and interview processes) and can guide you throughout your placement year.
Former students have completed their placements in assorted positions, such as:
- Photographer
- Picture Editor
- Junior Stylist
- Studio Assistant
- Photographic and video archival assistant
They’ve either been self-employed or worked for several prominent companies, including:
- Camera Work London
- Miraculous Entertainment
- Dimples & Daisies Photography
- Ellen McArthur Cancer Trust
- Hermione De Paola
Year 3
Core modules this year include:
- Advanced Practice Research – 20 credits
- Major Projects in Photography – 40 credits
- Photography Level 6 Event – 0 credits
- Professional Practice and Graduate Employability – 20 credits
Optional modules this year include:
- Advanced Digital Process – 20 credits
- Blogs, Grants and Catalogues: Writing Visual Culture for the Public – 20 credits
- Visual Culture: Dissertation – 20 credits
- Visual Culture: Research Project – 20 credits
Placement year (optional)
After your second year, you can complete a work placement to gain professional industry experience and enhance your skills. Placements are an excellent way to increase your employability after graduation.
You can work for a company or organisation or go independent by setting up and running your own business as a group or alone.
Whatever you choose, you can get full support from our Creative Careers team.
Placement roles
Our students have done placements in a variety of roles, such as:
- Photographer
- Picture Editor
- Junior Stylist
- Studio Assistant
- Archival Assistant
Placement destinations
Our students have either run their businesses or worked with prominent companies, including:
- Camera Work London
- Miraculous Entertainment
- Dimples & Daisies Photography
- Ellen McArthur Cancer Trust
- Hermione De Paola
Career Opportunities
When you finish the course, you'll have various options within the creative industries to start your career. You can also continue your studies to the postgraduate level.
Graduate roles
Previous students have gone on to work as:
- studio photographers
- video directors
- picture editors
- retouchers
- photojournalists
- curators
- artists
- fashion photographers
- teachers/lecturers
Ongoing careers support
Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience. You can also venture into freelancing or set up and run your own business with help from the University Startup Team.
Towards the end of your degree and up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.
Creative Careers
Our in-faculty Creative Careers team has extensive recruitment experience and knows the creative sector well, making it easier for students to find placements within the creative industries.
They can guide you through every step of the application process, including:
- Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
- Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
- Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
- Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route
The team will continue to give you support throughout your placement year.
Facilities
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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