Foundation Diploma Welcome Guide : Preparing for your course

We're delighted that you've chosen to join our creative community at Arts University Bournemouth. We can't wait to see what you'll create.

Welcome to the Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media

This welcome pack has been designed to help you prepare for the start of your Foundation Diploma and give you an idea of what to expect during your first few weeks at Arts University Bournemouth. It contains important information about the course, how it's structured, and what you can do to get ready before you arrive.

As much of the information applies across the Foundation Diploma as a whole, we encourage you to read it carefully and pay particular attention to the pre-course preparation activities, which will help you make the most of your first days on the course.

A message from your Course Team

Congratulations and welcome to the Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Arts University Bournemouth. You are about to begin an exciting and inspiring year that many students look back on as one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences of their education.

The course offers a unique opportunity to explore your creativity, discover new interests, and build confidence in your ideas while working alongside other passionate and like-minded students.

Throughout the year, you will have the chance to immerse yourself in art, design, and media, experimenting with different materials, processes, and ways of thinking. The Foundation Diploma is a time for exploration, curiosity, and growth. It is an opportunity to challenge yourself creatively, take risks, and develop your own interests in a supportive and encouraging environment.

The course is busy and rewarding, and it requires commitment and enthusiasm to get the most from the experience. You'll spend time both in timetabled sessions and working independently on your projects, with a recommended study commitment of around 30 hours per week. To help you balance your studies and make the most of everything the course has to offer, we recommend limiting part-time work to no more than 16 hours per week when possible.

Many former students describe their Foundation year as a turning point in their creative journey. It is often the year in which they discover new strengths, gain confidence in their abilities, and make lasting friendships. With inspiring studio spaces, excellent facilities, dedicated staff, and the vibrant setting of Bournemouth, you will be joining a creative community that encourages experimentation, collaboration, and personal development.

We're delighted to welcome you to Arts University Bournemouth and look forward to supporting you throughout the year ahead. We hope you embrace every opportunity, enjoy the challenges, and make the most of this exciting chapter in your creative journey.

– The Foundation Diploma Course Team

Before you join us

Summer project – MICROVERSE exhibition

To celebrate the start of your Foundation Diploma, we're inviting every new Foundation student to take part in a special collaborative exhibition called MICROVERSE.

A microverse can be thought of as a tiny world or universe of its own – a miniature space where ideas, stories, characters, objects, memories, dreams, or imagined realities can exist. It might be something microscopic and hidden from view, a small detail from everyday life, an invented world, or even a personal universe that reflects your interests, experiences, and imagination.

This exhibition is your first opportunity to share your creativity with the Foundation community. Although the artworks will be small, the ideas behind them can be as ambitious, playful, strange, thoughtful, or imaginative as you like. Together, all of the individual works will form a collective MICROVERSE: a fascinating collection of tiny worlds created by the entire incoming Foundation cohort.

Step 1) Make a piece of work responding to the theme of “MICROVERSE”

Step 2) Submit your finished work in the first week to your tutor.

The MICROVERSE Guidelines:

You can interpret the theme how you want.
2D works can't be bigger than 7 cm x 7 cm.
3D works can't be bigger than 7 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm.
Due to the nature of the exhibition space, we can't display films/animations/time-based work on screens.
Due to the nature of the exhibition, the work must fit on a shelf that protrudes 7 cm from a wall.

It's recommended that you record your work using a recent camera or camera phone. If you struggle to take good photographs, we can assist you in updating these skills and will review the work through tutorials and UCAS discussions if required.

We also encourage you to consider conducting early research into degree courses that are available using the UCAS website, particularly those here at AUB. Our internal progression route provides an excellent opportunity to continue on to our undergraduate degree courses.

What you need to do

Step 1: Create a piece of work in response to the theme MICROVERSE.

Step 2: Bring your finished work with you and submit it to your tutor during your first week on the course.

Exhibition guidelines

The theme is intentionally open-ended, and you are encouraged to interpret it in your own way.

Please make sure your work follows these requirements:

2D work must not exceed 7 cm x 7 cm.
3D work must not exceed 7 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm.
Due to the nature of the exhibition space, we're unable to display films, animations, or other screen-based work.
All work must fit on a shelf that projects 7 cm from the wall.

Some starting points:

What might exist within a tiny universe?

A microscopic landscape or ecosystem
A miniature sculpture, object, or character
A tiny collection of memories or found objects
An imagined planet, city, or architecture
A hidden world that exists beneath the surface of everyday life
A small artwork that captures something vast, such as time, space, nature, or identity

There are no right or wrong answers. We want to see your curiosity, imagination, and creativity.

Think small. Dream big. We can't wait to see the worlds you create and how hundreds.

If you just can't wait to get started and want to do some preparation over the summer, we recommend reading any (or all) of the below:

Bull, S. Photography. Routledge.
Editors of Phaidon Press. 20th Century Art Book. Phaidon Press.
Fiell C. & P. Design of the 20th Century. Taschen.
Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press.
Micklewright, K. Drawing. Laurence King.
Millard, R. The Taste Makers. Thames and Hudson.
Perry, G. Playing to the Gallery. Penguin.
Pipes, A. Foundations of Art and Design. Laurence King.
Stallabrass, J. Contemporary Art: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford.
Sutherland, R. Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas that Don’t Make Sense. WH Allen.

Some research can begin...

As you begin your Foundation Diploma, we also encourage you to start exploring the wide range of creative degree courses available through the UCAS application process, particularly those offered here at AUB.

While there's plenty of time to discover where your interests might lead, familiarising yourself with different subject areas can be a great source of inspiration and motivation throughout the year. Many Foundation students choose to continue their studies at AUB, progressing onto one of our undergraduate degree courses. As part of our creative community, you'll have the opportunity to learn more about these courses, meet staff and students, and gain valuable insight into the exciting pathways that could be available to you after Foundation.

Current student work

Have a look through some of the work our students are producing to get an idea of the type of work you may be doing on our course.

Black and white photograph of a person leaning on a street pole, looking up to the sky. Behind them is a small street road lined by houses and small shops. The person is wearing dark coloured trousers and boots, with a sweatshirt that reads ‘Kindness. Compassion’.

Collection of wallpapers and fabrics digitally printed, blue and green colour pallet of digital illustrations inspired by mould samples

The tropical beach scene with the green sky and many rocks, together with three long-tailed boat landing in front of the beach while people capturing their time by a phone and doing sunbathing

A person wearing green sat in an abandoned window frame, surrounded by plant roots and foliage.

PDF bok, 'A to Z of unusual birds' with colourful illustrations.

3D model of an interior pastel-coloured play space with slides, black background.

What to bring on your first day

To help your first day run smoothly, please remember to bring:

Something to write with
Your identification and any documents required for your face-to-face registration (please refer to the Next Steps section for full details)

Arriving prepared will help you complete registration quickly and ensure you're ready to get started with your Foundation Diploma from day one.

During your first week, you'll meet your Stage 1 tutor and the other students in your tutor group. Together, you'll begin your Foundation journey, getting to know one another while exploring the different specialist areas that make up the course. Throughout Stage 1, you'll remain with your tutor group as you experience a wide range of creative disciplines, helping you discover new interests and identify the areas that excite you most.

Your first week is designed to help you settle into university life and feel at home within the AUB community. You'll have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the campus, learn about the facilities and resources available to you, and start building friendships with your fellow students. It's also a chance to ask questions, find your bearings, and gain a better understanding of what to expect from the year ahead.

Starting a new course can feel exciting, and sometimes a little daunting, but your tutors and the wider Foundation team will be there to support you every step of the way as you begin this new chapter of your creative journey.

To help you get started, we'll provide you with a starter pack that includes your first sketchbooks (A3, A4 and/or A5). These sketchbooks will become an important part of your creative journey throughout the year, so please take good care of them.

You'll also receive an allocation of printer credits at the start of the course. These can be used for printing and photocopying within the university. Once your initial credits have been used, you'll need to top them up as required throughout the year to cover any additional printing costs.

What we'll provide

As you progress through the course, we'll provide a wide range of materials and equipment to support your projects and creative development. Our aim is to ensure you have access to the resources you need to explore ideas, experiment with different processes, and make the most of the opportunities available to you throughout your Foundation Diploma.

Please refer to the Foundation Fees page for information on these fees and how to pay them after enrolling.

Learn more

This course primarily uses Apple computers, although students can work just as effectively using PC equivalents. In addition to our Mac facilities, PC workstations are also available in selected areas across the University, giving you flexibility in how you work.

To support your studies, AUB also offers a laptop loan scheme. You can borrow laptops for use on campus, providing access to digital resources and software whenever you need them. This can be particularly useful for independent study, project work, and accessing course materials between timetabled sessions.

Timetable and learning structure

As a full-time student, you'll be expected to be available for study throughout the week.

During Stage 1, you'll experience a range of creative disciplines, projects, and approaches, giving you the opportunity to explore different areas of art, design, and media before deciding where your interests lie.

Towards the end of Stage 1, you'll choose a specialist area that reflects your interests and creative ambitions. From this point onwards, you'll follow a more focused programme of study, allowing you to develop your ideas, skills, and portfolio in greater depth as you progress through the course.

Alongside your studio-based learning, the course also includes lectures, talks, seminars, and other learning opportunities that will help broaden your understanding of art, design, media, and contemporary creative practice. These experiences are designed to inspire new ways of thinking, introduce you to a range of creative perspectives, and support the development of your own ideas.

This structure gives you the freedom to explore a wide range of creative possibilities at the beginning of the course before gradually focusing on the areas that excite and inspire you most.