Illustration BA (Hons)

Staffordshire University

Key Course Facts

Student Satisfaction	88%
Salary after 15 months	£20000
Number of students	13 graduates / year
Unemployment Rate	10% unemployed Proportion of students of this particular course unemployed and not studying 15 months after their course ended. Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
Student Dropout Rate	5% Proportion of students of Illustration BA (Hons) who are not continuing into their following year of study or have not been awarded a qualification in either of the two comparison years. Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
Tuition Fees	£9250 Tuition (UK) £16750 Tuition (International) Tuition fees per year for Illustration BA (Hons) at Staffordshire University UCAS course summary. Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023
Duration	3 years - Full-time
Campus	On campus - Staffordshire University (Stoke Campus)
Degree	Bachelor of Arts (Honours), BA (Hons)
Subject	Illustration, Design

Admission advice for international students

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews for 10 graduates of Illustration BA (Hons) at Staffordshire University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Design Studies.

Overall student satisfaction

88 /100

10 total respondents

	Staffordshire University, Illustration BA (Hons)	Average review score among all Illustration courses in the UK
Explanations	100	92
Interesting courses	100	86
Intellectually stimulating	100	77
Challenged to do my best	100	86
Depth of concepts	90	89
Builds on previous learnings	100	78
Joined ideas from different topics	90	86
Balance directed/independent study	100	76
Applicability of course content	100	79
Clear criteria in markings	100	81
Fair assessment	100	87
Tests reflected your learning	100	87
Timely feedback	100	93
Helpful feedback	100	84
Approachability of teachers	100	88
Support from teachers	100	90
Organisation of courses	100	75
Communication of changes	100	78
IT facilities	90	79
Library	100	91
Course specific resources	90	81
Student feedback opportunities	100	83
Student feedback valued	100	85
Student's feedback acted upon	100	73
Work of student union	100	75
Mental wellbeing services	78	74
Overall satisfaction	88	75

Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
This particular course

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	£20000	£18500	£21500
25-75 percentile range	£18500 - £24000	£15500 - £23000	£17000 - £26500

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Design Studies courses of Staffordshire University

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

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Design Studies courses in the UK

Course Description

Our Illustration degree is ideal if you’re interested in image-making, visual communications, printmaking, visual storytelling or animation. You’ll become a versatile illustrator and will establish a personal voice and vision within an engaging portfolio of work.

With an emphasis on creative visual thinking this course reflects the rich and diverse nature of contemporary illustration, inviting you to challenge its contexts and boundaries through both digital and craft-based media.

Our flexible and integrated approach to learning fosters collaboration, experimentation and engagement in a wide range of visual practice to include; drawing & printmaking, publishing & book arts, illustration for communication (information, awareness & promotion), character and concept art, visual storytelling, editorial illustration and animation.

Due to the power of this medium to impact upon audiences and interact with the world, professionalism, sustainability, ethics and diversity are at the heart of all that we do.

You will benefit from a range of specialist and visiting lecturers and have the opportunity to work on live briefs and enter high profile national competitions such as D&AD, Creative Conscience and Penguin Books.

With an emphasis on creative visual thinking and craft, this course reflects the rich and diverse nature of contemporary image-making, inviting you to challenge its boundaries through both digital and craft-based media.

Our flexible studio space fosters an integrated approach to learning and we encourage you to collaborate, experiment and engage in a wide range of related visual practices. These include: image making techniques, drawing for illustration, illustration for information and promotion, photography and art direction, visual storytelling, editorial/book illustration, and crafts and animation.

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.

What graduates are doing after 15 months

	Graduates of this course	All UK graduates of undergraduate studies in Design Studies
Total respondents	15	925
Unemployed	10%	9%
Studying	0%	3%
Working	90%	76%
Both studying and working	0%	9%
No information	0%	3%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
This particular course

Current jobs

Job in line with future plans

Utilise skills from studies

Work is meaningful

	Agree or strongly agree	Disagree
Job in line with future plans	60%	40%
Utilise skills from studies	55%	45%
Work is meaningful	75%	25%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of Staffordshire University

Required skill level of job after 15 months

% Skilled jobs

	% Skilled jobs
Highly-skilled jobs	25%
Non highly-skilled jobs	65%
Skill level unknown or unclassified	10%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
This particular course

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

Example below based on all graduates of Illustration BA (Hons) at Staffordshire University

35%	Elementary occupations
20%	Finance Professionals
20%	Quality and Regulatory Professionals
10%	Protective service occupations
10%	Artistic, literary and media occupations

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

You are assessed in this course by a range of different types of coursework and practical activities. The assessment task for each module will vary dependent upon its content but may include: • A portfolio of completed artwork, professionally presented in the format required by the assignment, project or brief. • Workbooks, sketchbooks etc., documenting the process of generating, developing and resolving thoughts/ideas, and demonstrating the influence of research on practical work. - Research books, folders, dossiers, etc. documenting the gathering, sorting and presentation of research material. • Technical Exercises demonstrating your skills and competencies using particular equipment and/or techniques. • Written essays or reports, in which you are exploring the contextual or professional background to a specific project. • An individual or group seminar presentation and/or the accompanying material which you have used to create the presentation.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course

Average UCAS Tariff Score 126

Tariff score	% Students accepted for this course
<48	0
48-63	0
64-79	10
80-95	0
96-111	15
112-127	25
128-143	10
144-159	10
160-175	20
176-191	0
192-207	0
208-223	5
224-239	0
>240	0

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
This particular course

Requirements for international students / English requirements

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

- 4.5
- Foundation / Pathway Courses
- 6.5
- Others
- 5.0
- Others for specific English Language and undergraduate awards for overseas students
- 6.5
- Graduate Degrees
- 7.0
- Graduate Degrees Journalism
- 6.5
- Undergraduate Degrees
- 6.5
- Undergraduate Degrees Journalism and Media Studies

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Illustration, 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 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
EU	£16750	year 1
International	£16750	year 1

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

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.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

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:

year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of Staffordshire University in top UK and global rankings.

See all 16 university rankings of Staffordshire University

About Staffordshire University

Established in 1970, Staffordshire University offers students the opportunity to become a part of the diverse and lively city of Stoke-on-Trent, West Midlands. This university provides a rich experience in a variety of disciplines, including state-of-the art Specialist Technical Facilities, such as their Motion Capture suites for Biomechanics students, or the Simulation Hospital Wards for those in the Medical programme. International learners can also benefit from language support offered by the university’s designated teams, ensuring both a strong academic and social start.

List of 155 Bachelor and Master Courses from Staffordshire University - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Staffordshire University

Total number of students enrolled at Staffordshire University by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
undergraduates:: 12255
postgraduates:: 1340
Total:: 13595

Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Illustration”: Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

Source: Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

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

Illustration BA (Hons) Staffordshire University