BA (Hons) Illustration

At Level 6 the emphasis is on professionalism, ambition and innovation. You’ll be encouraged to manage your own practice.

Through the ‘Pre-Major Project’ and ‘Investigative Study’, you’ll identify the subject matter and contexts that influence and position your practice.

These findings will then be developed, tested and refined within the ‘Major Project’ and ‘Professional Practice’ units.

We’ll encourage you to relate your research and learning to you professional aspirations and you’ll build a portfolio of work that will prepare you for career opportunities within the creative industries.

All students are registered for the award of BA (Hons); however, exit awards are available if you leave the course early, having successfully completed one or two levels. If you successfully complete a level of the course, you will automatically be entitled to progress to the next level.

For the award of a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), you must have achieved a minimum of 120 credits at Level 4. This qualification may be awarded if you leave the University following successful completion of the first year of your course.

For the award of a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), you must have achieved a minimum of 240 credits of which a minimum of 120 must be at Level 5. This qualification may be awarded if you leave the University following successful completion of the second year of your course.

For the award of a BA (Hons) you must have achieved a minimum of 360 credits of which a minimum of 240 must be at Level 5 or above, of which a minimum of 120 credits must be at Level 6. This qualification will be awarded upon successful completion of your course.

A BA without Honours may be awarded if you have achieved 300 credits, at least 180 of which are at Level 5 or above, and at least 60 of which are at Level 6.

In consultation with the Course Leader, Level Leaders are responsible for co-ordinating individual units of study, and for selecting appropriate methods of delivery according to subject matter and the student experience.

The study time allocated to each unit in the course incorporates a balance of formal teaching, tutorial support and independent learning.

Theoretical, contextual, studio and professional practices are embedded within all units. This integration dissolves the artificial barriers between these forms of engagement, such as recognising theory in making, allowing you to fully realise your potential and truly understand the rich relationship between these elements of practice.

The course is structured progressively to provide increased opportunities for independent learning as you reach the later stages of the course. The promotion of independent learning reflects your anticipated maturity as a student and allows you to direct your learning towards individual goals.

Importance is placed upon you acquiring the skills to be able to learn independently and to develop a critical awareness. This is facilitated through a variety of learning and teaching methods such as tutorials, group critiques, discussion groups, peer learning activity, projects, lectures, workshops, seminars, study visits, demonstrations, skills-based workshops, educational visits, on-site learning, ‘live projects’, learning agreements, exhibition and group presentation.

For every unit of your course, we will inform you of what you're expected to learn; what you have to submit; how your work will be assessed; and the deadline for presenting your work for assessment. This is made available through Unit Information, which is on your course blog.

You will receive a final mark for each unit in the form of a percentage, which will be recorded on your formal record of achievement (transcript). Each component of assessment is graded using a notched marking scale, whereby only certain marks are used within each grade. The only marks available within any ten-point band are *2, *5 and *8 (e.g. 62, 65, 68). These marks correspond to a low, mid, and high level of achievement within each grade band.

All learning outcomes must be passed to successfully complete the unit.

On successful completion of your Honours degree course, you will be awarded a degree classification based on your unit marks. The final classification is determined using all unit marks at Levels 5 and 6 using two different algorithms, which are detailed in the HE Student Regulations. If the two algorithms produce different results, you will be awarded the higher class of degree.

If you have joined Level 6 through either the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route or having completed a Foundation Degree (FdA), the final classification is determined using only your unit marks at Level 6.

For further information on assessment, progression, awards and classifications, please visit viewpoint.aub.ac.uk.

Some graduates are employed by creative agencies, design departments or digital businesses – while others work as independent freelance illustrators or form illustration collectives.

Students studying this course achieve great things and have won prestigious and high profile awards, such as:

• The Macmillan Prize 2019 – Winner & 2 x ‘Highly Commended’ entries
• Pictoplasma (#Secretsidekick) 2019 – 2x Winners
• Creative Conscience 2019- Winner & Bronze award
• Penguin Book Prize – Children’s Cover Award: 2nd & 3rd Place
• The Cheltenham Illustration Awards – 2x Student Award winners & 1 ‘Highly Commended’ entry
• Batsford Art Prize: Illustration – Runner-up
• Northern International Illustration Prize – Finalist
• Carmelite Prize 2019 – ‘Highly Commended’
• Lauren Childs Illustration Awards – Finalist