Please note there are no vacancies on this course for September 2024
Page last updated 23 September 2024
This course is affiliated with the leading professional body for photographers in the UK and beyond, the Association of Photographers.
Images are everywhere. Studying photography enables you to understand the language of images and develop your 'visual voice' to communicate effectively and with confidence.
It helps you understand the contexts in which images exist and circulate, and locate opportunities to get your images published, exhibited and commissioned.
Becoming a photography professional opens doors to a wide range of careers within a global landscape of creative industries.
BA(Hons) Photography is based in the city of Bristol, a vibrant arts and media community that will challenge and inspire you.
The course offers a vibrant, collaborative environment, modern facilities, supportive workshop instruction and expert input, all underpinned by theory and critique.
Study at Bower Ashton Studios, part of our City Campus, where exceptional facilities and resources include industry standard digital media studios.
Explore traditional tools and the latest technology in our production and fabrication workshops. Develop your creativity and the high-level practical skills needed to become a successful photographer. Work across all areas of the discipline, from editorial and documentary to fashion, advertising and fine art.
We'll encourage you to transform your broad-based photographic practice into an individual visual style. On graduation, you'll have a unique and compelling body of work for the marketplace.
Work to briefs set and assessed by external individuals and organisations, including photographers, filmmakers, publishers, clothing labels, product designers, theatre groups, musicians and festivals. Build your CV with work experience, and access to job opportunities, throughout the course.
Our partnerships with Bristol Photography Festival and IC Visual Lab, two highly reputable Bristol-based photography organisations with national and international influence, will provide you with a wide range of work experience placements and live briefs to work on. You'll also have access to industry talks, events and opportunities to display your work at prestigious exhibitions and venues.
Our City Campus is a creative powerhouse. It spans across Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton and renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
Attend talks from creative professionals and visit photographers' studios, agencies and picture libraries. Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year Degree Show and graduate with an impressive portfolio of work.
Hear from Photography graduate, Africa Barrero-Alexander, about their final year degree show project.
Take a look at our students' work:
Our graduates work in fields from editorial and fashion to movie stills and medical photography. Employers include the BBC, Sunday Times Magazine and the Tate.
Past students have assisted photographers such as Steve McCurry, Zed Nelson and Tim Walker, and have been published and exhibited in FT Weekend, Vogue Italia, Oh Comely, The Photographers Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the Tate.
Graduates have also established important collectives and exhibiting networks such as The Lost Light Recordings, Loupe Magazine and Splash and Grab.
Some graduates go on to further study at Master's level, including our own postgraduate MA Photography course.
The image above shows the fantastic work from one of our students (Megan Hart, 2023 Photography graduate).
A showcase of student work from the BA(Hons) Photography course at UWE Bristol.
The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
You will study:
You will study:
Plus one optional module from:
You will study:
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 will inform you.
This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
Learn through workshops, seminars, group and individual tutorials and lectures.
Deepen your knowledge of photography and your own approach to the medium, and develop compelling professional skills. You'll learn to work in a studio, use analogue and film-based processes, shoot and edit moving images as well as stills, and produce your own photobooks and e-zines.
Other workshops cover film processing, black and white and colour printing, location lighting, Photoshop, video, software for page layout, silk-screen printing, lithography and other specialist print disciplines.
Develop a rigorous critical approach to your own work and the work of others.
Craft your skills as a researcher, working with academics and partners helping to shape new thinking in the field.
Go on placements and hear talks from celebrated photographers and professionals.
Many photographers work freelance, so you'll also learn about personal branding and promotion, costing and invoicing, networking, communication skills and presentation techniques.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Look forward to plenty of opportunities to network, exhibit, get known and collaborate in Bristol and beyond.
You'll be automatically affiliated with the Bristol Photography Research Group.
Recent activities include the symposia Moving Stills and Feeling Images: Photography's Relationship with Illness, and Mental Health and Wellbeing.
We regularly advertise work opportunities for students through our inhouse agency site Photohouse.
You could also get your work featured in an independent magazine.
Showcase your work at the final year Degree Show before it's staged at a London venue.
Students have won editorial commissions, featured in magazines, sold work and secured solo exhibitions.
See students' exhibits on Tumblr and on our blog.
Our students and alumni have won many high profile awards and bursaries.
Look out for opportunities to take part in throughout the year on Blackboard and our Facebook page.
All modules are assessed according to the specific learning outcomes of that module. We will make these learning outcomes available to you.
You can expect to be assessed through project work, research presentations and essays. You'll critique and analyse their own work and relate it to the broader context of photography and related media.
This course is affiliated with the leading professional body for photographers in the UK and beyond, the Association of Photographers (AOP), which promotes good professional practice and protects the intellectual property rights of its member practitioners. Our affiliation is testament to the School's commitment to professional practice.
Students who get work experience tend to graduate with better degrees. Experience also hones your skills, industry knowledge and professional network, making you a sought-after graduate.
Find work experience assisting photographers, set designers and curators, or helping with picture desk, agency and gallery work.
The thriving city of Bristol offers opportunities for work experience and placements. We have close relationships with the BBC, Spike Island, the Arnolfini, Watershed, Bristol Museums and Galleries and the M Shed, the Royal Photographic Society, IC-Visual Lab, Knowle West Media Centre, local schools and community groups.
Our partnership with the Prince's Trust has seen students working with young people and vulnerable adults. This is particularly valuable for students intending to become teachers or art therapists.
Where possible, you could also spend the second semester studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in Rotterdam, Barcelona, Taipei, Hong Kong, Berlin, Bologna, Linz, Ghent and Bergen.
You'll get help to find placements and support throughout from staff within the School and our award-winning careers service.
Where possible, you will visit photographers' studios, agencies and picture libraries, throughout the course.
Photography is an international business and where possible, you'll have the opportunity to visit cities like New York, Paris, Marseilles, Barcelona and Vienna for photography festivals.
Professional practice is incorporated into these trips wherever possible. Our recent trip to Berlin included studio talks from photographers Jan von Holleben and Jorg Bruggemann, and talks from curator Ann-Christin Bertrand at C/O Gallery and from alumni Steph Third and Mel Flash about working in Berlin.
The facilities at Bower Ashton Studios offers the latest photography technology.
Our equipment includes:
Get support from our excellent team of technical staff through regular workshop sessions.
Bower Ashton houses the main creative and cultural industries library as well as student support services.
Studying at Bower Ashton offers an excellent base for you within the exciting City Campus, which connects teaching and learning with some of the best creative and cultural organisations in Bristol. You'll attend lectures, seminars and symposia at the Arnolfini and Watershed in Bristol city centre.
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 Virtual Tour of the Filmmaking, Animation and Photography facilities and see what's on offer 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.
Photography is largely a freelance practice and students with experience of live briefs are best placed to make a smooth transition to industry. Tailoring what and how you study, you can shape the course towards your chosen career path.
Our graduates work in fields including editorial, fashion, fine art, advertising, movie stills and medical photography for employers such as the BBC, Sunday Times Magazine, FT Weekend, the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery, French Connection, Prix de la Photographie Paris, We Folk, British Journal of Photography, the Department for Education and Aardman Animations.
Careers include:
Our award-winning careers service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.
UWE Bristol places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and initiatives nurturing talent and innovation, you will have opportunities to gain valuable real world experience, allowing you to graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
Visit our Employability pages to find out about careers, employers, real world experience and what our students are doing six months after graduating.
Watch Sarah's YouTube video about her passion for photography and the work opportunities she has found within the media.
Additional costs are for 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.
If you don't meet the entry requirements, you may be eligible for BA(Hons) Photography (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.
Applicants will be required to submit a digital portfolio for review within 21 days of their application being received.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview.
For more details on the process, please visit our selection page.
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