You don’t need to have any experience of studying art previously, but you do need a keen interest in art, design and making things. It is useful if you have studied a creative or technology subject but we are happy to support you to develop skills if you have not had that opportunity. Have a look at our student work and follow our Instagram if you want to get a flavour of what our current and former students have done.

Art, Craft & Design is a mixed media course and you have the opportunity to explore techniques and processes from across the whole department. There is less focus on drawing and painting (although these are things you will learn) and more chance to develop skills in ceramics, textiles, print and digital media. You can choose to specialise as you discover where your strengths are or continue to work across disciplines.

The first year of the course is about learning techniques and processes and discovering what you are interested in and where your strengths are. You will explore drawing, textiles, ceramics, printmaking, painting and digital design in a project with an overarching theme. The second project of the year is a mock externally set assignment, where you will follow a question and devise your own project from it, whilst selecting techniques which suit you. There will be lots of experimenting and exploring ideas with no external assessment.

In the second year you will be able to select and develop your own personal project using skills which you choose to develop. There is an Externally Set Assignment; you will select 1 topic from a choice of 8 set by the examination board and complete a practical project, drawing together all your practical, design and making skills. External assessment is 100% practical and there is no written exam.

Art, Craft & Design works well with most A level subjects and is acceptable for entry to most degrees and apprenticeships in a variety of subjects. Many students combine it with a second creative subject from the department (often photography or textiles) if they are keen to pursue a creative career as it helps build a stronger portfolio for direct entry to university.