This course is open for applications
Page last updated 15 November 2024
Learn in a creative and supportive studio environment with professional-standard facilities and a focus on helping you gain real-world skills for the workplace.
Studying illustration opens the door to diverse careers in the creative industries.
You will respond to ideas, explore narratives and work across a range of media, including 2D, 3D and moving image.
Self-directed projects could range from editorial to narrative, 3D model-making to film, animation to artists' books, providing excellent preparation for the commercial world.
BA(Hons) Illustration encourages you to create and develop your own personal visual language. Problem-solving through drawing and making is core.
You'll be based at Bower Ashton Studios, part of the City Campus. Exceptional facilities and resources include industry-standard digital media studios and production and fabrication workshops.
Explore a range of media and deepen your awareness of the ideas, concepts and contexts of illustration through theoretical studies. Build an awareness of the professional world and develop core skills through individual experimentation.
Innovation and individualism are celebrated. Investigate potential contexts and audiences for your work and test yourself against industry expectations through live briefs, and national and international competitions.
City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
Our strong industry links with the thriving city of Bristol ensure input from illustrators and creatives. Visits from respected practitioners will keep you up to date with contemporary illustration practice.
Attend lectures and seminars at the Arnolfini and Watershed and work in our production and fabrication workshops, equipped with traditional tools and the latest technology.
Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year Degree Show and D&AD New Blood, London.
Hear from Illustration graduate, Maya Albagli, about their final year degree show project, Tongue Tied.
Focusing on the avenues that interest you, you'll graduate with an impressive portfolio of work, ready to make your mark as an illustrator.
This course prepares you for a sustainable and flexible career in illustration.
Alongside established freelance illustration career paths, our graduates work as film directors, set designers, art/creative directors, illustration agents, visualisers, designers, model-makers, animators, storyboard artists, puppeteers and theatrical/film costume and prop designers.
The image above shows the fantastic work from one of our students (Elsa Diez, 2023 Illustration graduate).
You'll be introduced to the field of illustration and key areas of illustration practice: Sequential Narrative, Editorial Illustration, Artists’ books and the Visual Essay through set project briefs.
You'll engage in a wide range of physical making processes, both analogue and digital such as printmaking, laser cutting, and fabrication.
You'll be introduced to design thinking and visual problem solving, underpinned with a series of lectures, workshops, tutorials within a vibrant studio culture.
The introductory nature of year one encourages the exploration of individual expression and creative risk-taking.
You'll engage in modules that challenge and refine your practical and conceptual approaches to interpreting texts while utilising on-campus fabrication, print, and digital facilities.
Through lectures and workshops, you'll explore visual language, deconstruct semiotics, and examine narrative structures.
You'll be encouraged to contextualise your practice within the creative industries, broadening your understanding of potential career paths. The modules foster creative adventure and equip you with the tools to communicate ideas effectively.
Additionally, in the second half of the year, you may be offered the opportunity to travel through the Turing Exchange Programme.
You'll negotiate your own individual programme of study, based on your creative developments and achievements in the preceding years.
The year is more outward facing via live briefs and competitions in tandem with the development of a professional portfolio, website and promotional material to help launch your career.
You'll continue to develop your individuality of thought and will be supported to be creatively daring, building confidence in your professional practice.
Lectures and workshops from industry experts and freelance practitioners offer support as you graduate and prepare for the creative marketplace.
This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
Teaching is mainly studio based, with workshops, seminars, tutorials and lectures.
You'll explore traditional and digital media, attend visual culture lectures, and develop a critical and analytical approach to yours and others' work.
Build your creative, professional and research skills, working with active researchers, authors and thought leaders. Get involved in projects with the Centre for Fine Print Research, the Pervasive Media Studio and Bristol VR Lab.
Build critical questioning and persuasion skills, and expand your ideas about what illustration can be and do.
Attend talks from industry professionals, find out about career options and go on work experience. Get advice from practising illustrators about presenting a professional portfolio.
Take responsibility for your own creative progress through self-directed study.
Many illustrators work freelance, so we'll cover areas such as how to find clients and promote yourself.
You'll be fully aware of the business and working processes in your chosen area
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Look at illustration students' work on Instagram.
Attend workshops with the Association of Illustrators on contracts, copyright and invoicing; and with The Central Illustration Agency on sustainable careers and career preparation.
The D&AD runs a Graduate Academy and many students have won places to secure this additional support.
Work on projects with Beneficial Shock magazine, a global publication that uses illustration to discuss film, run by course lecturers.
All modules are assessed, and marks from modules undertaken in year two and final year can contribute to the final award.
You can expect to be assessed through projects, essays, group presentations and visual presentation.
Go on European and international visits and field studies throughout the course.
BA(Hons) Illustration is based at the Bower Ashton Studios. It's an excellent base within the exciting City Campus, connecting teaching and learning with some of the best creative and cultural organisations in Bristol.
Bower Ashton houses the main library supporting the creative and cultural industries as well as student support services.
A mix of traditional and hands-on learning environments helps you quickly take on essential knowledge and skills, standing you in good stead for your professional career.
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Art facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
We provide support in the way you need it.
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Tailoring what and how you study, you can shape the course towards your chosen career path.
Our graduates go on to work across all areas of the creative industries.
They are film directors, set designers, art/creative directors, illustration agents, visualisers, designers, model-makers, animators, storyboard artists, puppeteers, theatrical/film costume and prop designers.
Past students work as:
Others establish successful freelance careers as illustrators.
Our alumni also include a Batsford Prize winner and the designer of the new Elbow album cover.
Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.
We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.
Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.
*The UK Government recently proposed that tuition fees for Home students will increase by 3.1% to £9,535 from 1st August 2025. This increase is subject to Parliamentary approval and the vote is expected to take place later this year.
Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following approval.
Please see GOV.UK for further information.
Your overall entitlement to funding is based on how long the course is that you're registered on. Standard funding is allocated based on the standard number of years that your course lasts, plus one additional year.
You'll apply for funding each year that you study and Student Finance will take into account how long the course is in each year that you apply. So if you register for the four year course and then transfer to the three year course, the number of years you can apply for funding will change. Student Finance will reassess your funding based on how many years you have been in study, not just those years for which you received student finance.
Always seek advice before taking any action that may have implications for your funding.
This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page.
For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.
Applicants may be required to submit a digital portfolio for review within three weeks of their application being received. Applicants may be invited for an online interview if we have any further questions about your portfolio. For more details on the process, please visit our selection page.
If you don't meet the entry requirements, you may be eligible for BA(Hons) Illustration (with Foundation Year).
For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing one of our Art and Design foundation programmes.
If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.
Read more about entry requirements.
Read more about undergraduate applications.
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
UK applicants
Admissions@uwe.ac.uk
International/EU applicants
International@uwe.ac.uk
UK applicants
+44 (0)117 32 83333
International/EU applicants
+44 (0)117 32 86644