Buckinghamshire New University
Illustration with Foundation Year BA (Hons)
Buckinghamshire New University

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 35 graduates of Illustration with Foundation Year BA (Hons) and other courses in Design Studies at Buckinghamshire New University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Design Studies.

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Design Studies

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Design Studies at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £23000 £23000 £26500
25-75 percentile range £19000 - £24000 £17000 - £27500 £19500 - £33000


Salary of all UK Graduates of Design Studies

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22025 £20113 £23568
25-75 percentile range £19981 - £25071 £15144 - £24676 £17604 - £29974

Course Description

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivery expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career.

Led by our dedicated and supportive course team, you will have the freedom to explore all areas of Illustration, whether that’s digital such as vector art or traditional methods such as printmaking.

During your time with us you’ll get direct access to guest lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking chances. As well as this, through lectures, seminars and workshops, we equip you with important skills that prepare you for a successful career.

Degrees at BNU are designed to offer a broader and more flexible education by giving you the opportunity to try a range of subjects before specialising. Even if you know exactly what you want to do, with most of our courses you can choose to study additional subjects to enhance your education.

What facilities can I use?

You’ll be encouraged to explore both traditional and current mediums to craft your design solutions, you can do this through our;

  • silkscreen equipment
  • plotter cutters
  • letterpress equipment
  • photography studios
  • litho equipment
  • laser cutting
  • 3D printing technology
  • Adobe Creative Cloud

You also benefit from our specialist technicians and demonstrators on site, who can support you in the area you want to explore.

What will I study?

Students are encouraged to take risks in their work and learn to challenge established languages and processes through questioning and individual experimentation.

Central to the ethos of the Illustration course is the development of two aims; the first is self-authorship, where your point of view and vision play the pivotal role in identifying and communicating images and messages that are central to your own personal interests, opinions, and core values, and secondly a multi-disciplinary confidence and ability to accomplish communication tasks across a range of media and client bases. These aims reflect the current contemporary vocabulary of a modern illustrator.

Through specialist modules in Editorial Applications and Narrative Illustration students explore a range of media, techniques and theoretical ideas which build an understanding of the role of a professional illustrator. By investigating contexts and audiences through practical projects and live briefs, students develop their personal visual language, consolidate critical and strategic thinking, complex problem-solving and presentation skills, to build an awareness of the wider contextual role of an Illustrator. The final year focuses on personal exploration, application and developing personal voice through a Major Project module. We encourage students to investigate their own interests by writing a brief that challenges students to create innovative and imaginative solutions to problems in areas that are important to them.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Illustration with Foundation Year BA (Hons) at Buckinghamshire New University

25% Elementary occupations
15% Welfare and housing associate professionals
10% Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
10% Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations
5% Process, plant and machine operatives
5% Customer service occupations
5% Welfare Professionals
5% Caring personal services
5% Administrative occupations
5% Health associate professionals

During your time with us you'll study modules that are centred around your own career aspirations and, through guest lectures from industry specialists, seminars and live industry projects, You’ll work alongside a diverse community of illustrators and graphic designers, each working on their own projects, just as a ‘real-world’ design studio would function. You’ll study in a close-knit tutor group where everyone’s input is recognised and valued. Not only will you make friends for life, you’ll also make important connections that will last through your career, and you’ll form a network, just like you’d find in any design group. You’ll also work with professional illustrators who will give you feedback and pointers on how you can develop your imagery. Workshops, lectures and seminars with other students in the art and design department help you prepare you for life in an agency or studio environment where you will need good presentation and ideas generation skills as you meet and impress clients. We have many visiting tutors running workshop-based sessions in fields as diverse as stencil print, bookbinding, branding, ideas generation, storytelling, and ethical design. Individual and small group tutorials led by industry professionals, are not only to support you throughout the degree but more importantly to prepare you the professional world afterwards with an outstanding portfolio and a network of employers. **You’ll also be assessed though; 1:**1 or small group tutorials, Portfolio and presentations, written assessments, sketchbooks, group critiques and self-directed study. To build your experience, we also support work placements for the right students with companies that we have long relationships with. Students have worked for publishers, advertising agencies and magazines as well as winning awards such as the V&A Illustration Award. At the end of your studies, you’ll have the chance to take part in the graduate Art and Design Showcase exhibition at the University.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Design Studies

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • All other courses
    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • 6.0
    • Undergraduate Degrees

For information about applying to Buckinghamshire New University as an International applicant, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/international

Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Illustration with Foundation Year, BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Illustration with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1
Ireland £9250 year 1
EU £15000 year 1
International £15000 year 1

Additional fee information

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.

You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • Foundation

University Rankings

Positions of Buckinghamshire New University in top UK and global rankings.

See all 7 university rankings of Buckinghamshire New University

About Buckinghamshire New University

Buckinghamshire New University, also known as Bucks, was founded in 1893, in the town of High Wycombe, South East England. This university has chosen to divide its academic offerings into seven separate schools, which is reflected in that learning resources such as libraries are located in their relevant areas to reduce crowding and also increase the ease of looking for the materials the student needs. Bucks has been the recipient of numerous awards, among which we can find the Silver Award from TEF.

List of 191 Bachelor and Master Courses from Buckinghamshire New University - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Buckinghamshire New University

undergraduates:
16465
postgraduates:
860
Total:
17325
  • 5 reasons to study at Bucks New University
  • Tips for International Students and Life at BNU
  • Why our students chose Buckinghamshire New University
  • Bucks in One Word
  • Joe || Nursing Experience at Bucks New University

Where is this programme taught

Buckinghamshire New University
map marker Show on map

Similar courses

Program University Student satis­faction Unem­ployed Drop­out Tuition (UK) Tuition (Inter­national) UCAS Tariff City
Illustration (including Year 0) BA (Hons) Norwich University of the Arts 76% 5% 6% £9250 £18000 134 Norwich On campus Full-time
Illustration (with Professional Practice Year) BA (Hons) University for the Creative Arts 76% 6% 3% £9250 £17500 144 Canterbury On campus Full-time
Illustration with Art & Design Foundation Year BA (Hons) Southampton Solent University - - - £9250 £13020 £14000 - Southampton On campus Full-time
Illustration and Animation BA (Hons) London Metropolitan University 20% 5% 0% £9250 £19250 144 London On campus Full-time
Illustration BA (Hons) University of Derby - - - £9250 £14900 - Derby On campus Full-time
Illustration with Foundation Year BA (Hons) University of Derby - - - £9250 £14900 - Derby On campus Full-time
Illustration BA (Hons) University of East London 77% 6% 10% £9250 £13920 113 London On campus Full-time
Illustration BA (Hons) The University of Edinburgh 78% 0% 5% £9250 £34800 187 Edinburgh On campus Full-time
Illustration BA (Hons) Norwich University of the Arts 76% 5% 6% £9250 £18000 134 Norwich On campus Full-time
Illustration BA (Hons) University of Huddersfield 70% 10% 5% £9250 £16500 140 Huddersfield On campus Full-time