Art and Design (including foundation year) BA (Hons)

London Metropolitan University

Why study this course?

This four-year degree course includes an intensive foundation year (Year 0), which will enable you to progress onto one of our art or design undergraduate degree courses at London Met's School of Art, Architecture and Design. It is both preparatory and diagnostic, allowing you to explore a number of different directions prior to choosing a specialism at the end of the year. It will also provide you with the skills required for your subsequent three years of study.

More about this course

As a start you’ll undertake a broad range of short studio and workshop projects in visual imagery and practical making. These will help you to develop techniques that are common across all of our foundation year courses and introduce you to a work ethic of experimentation and open-mindedness. Following this you will approach open-ended, interpretive projects that will help you to establish a personal perspective and sense of direction.

All of our foundation year programmes allow you to develop techniques in:

• observational, technical and creative drawing
• 2D and 3D composition
• framing, sequence/series and narrative
• studio and workshop skills

During your subject-specific projects you’ll also have the opportunity to explore:

• conceptual modelling
• performance
• colour
• materials
• collage
• composition
• curating
• exhibiting

Your lectures and seminars will frame the creative practice within historical, contemporary, conceptual and cultural contexts.

Throughout the course you’ll present work-in-progress and finished projects to peers and tutors on a regular basis, which will prepare you for the public exhibition at the end of year. This will be a chance for you to explore your abilities and guide you towards establishing an individual focus and direction.

By the end of your foundation year you’ll have produced a substantial portfolio of work that will allow you to progress onto one of London Met's art or design undergraduate degree courses. This introductory year will also see you develop into a confident, creative and socially-engaged practitioner, and you’ll continue into your chosen field of study equipped with the skills to make more informed decisions about your own work within its specific context.

Once you have progressed onto the three-year course after the foundation year, you’ll study the same course content as those who take the three-year course. On completion of your chosen degree course you’ll graduate with the same title and award as those who undertook the same traditional three-year degree without the foundation year.

What our students say

"I chose London Met because it was one of the few universities with a good diagnostic foundation year. The course is demanding but well worth the effort. There is strong support from the teaching team and excellent technical support."

National Student Survey

"Thanks to my tutors – and a bit of hard work – I can now say that the months I have spent at London Met are the very beginning of my career as a designer. Understanding the process of design and being able to evaluate my work in a critical way helped me explore creative alternatives, and I was able to bring them to life thanks to the technicians and workshop facilities."

Ewelina Bartkowska

What is a degree with foundation year at the School of Art, Architecture and Design?

This is a four-year degree course with a built-in foundation year (Year 0). It's the perfect route into a university degree if you want to explore your options in a general field, but need more time to discover which particular degree path will best suit you. It is also an ideal option if you don't meet the necessary entry requirements for the standard undergraduate degree. You'll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the three-year course.