Further Education
Foundation Diploma in Art & Design
Course Validated by the University of the Arts, London.
Course Contact
Elspeth Mackie
Telephone
0113 202 8093
Course Duration
1 Year
About
This one-year foundation course is an exciting and challenging experience which will prepare you for applying for highly competitive degree courses. You will also achieve a UAL Level 3 qualification in drawing.
Art and design covers a bewildering variety of specialised disciplines from which you could build a rewarding career. This course will give you the creative and visual understanding you need to develop your strengths and interests and to make a well- informed choice of degree course. Our goal is to provide a strong creative foundation from which you can develop the rest of your professional life.
You will find yourself in an intensively creative and demanding environment, in which you will be challenged and become inventive, experimental and analytical.
The early start and finish to the course (which runs from August to the beginning of June) allows you more time to prepare your portfolio for university interviews. Because of the intensive nature of the course, applicants should plan no holidays during term-time at all.
The induction programme
You will be introduced to our staff and will familiarise yourself with the College. Studio- based work will start immediately, alongside a programme of workshop inductions which include wood, metal, clay, photography, paper-based print, critical writing, the library and computer suites.
Stage 1
You will be asked to explore a wide range of abstract ideas and principles and to challenge your own pre-conceptions, becoming more independent in your study. Drawing underpins all idea development— challenging why we draw, how we draw, and its value as a creative tool for expressing ideas. You will also develop new technical skills and your preferences and abilities, together with your research into contemporary practice and involvement in work-orientated tutorials, will help you to choose a specialist area of study. Your ability to develop your visual thinking skills are central to this stage of the course.
Stage 2 (specialist option)
You will work in graphics, illustration and digital media, fine art, textiles, fashion, design for performance, or object and spatial design. You will have opportunities to work with fabric-printing and dyeing, computer software, book-binding, paper-print, glass, animation, moving image and film. You will be encouraged to develop and exploit your skills base as widely as possible.
Stage 3 (final project)
Negotiated by you, and forming the bulk of your exhibition at the end of the year, this project is the culmination of your foundation experience and is presented at the public End of Year Show.
Historical and contextual studies
You are encouraged to involve yourself in contemporary and historical art and design practice from the outset of the course. A lecture and seminar programme places your study in the context of art and design developments within the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Your research into recent developments in your specialist area, and your written findings, will support your knowledge for discussion at degree-course interviews.
Study visits
Apart from local visits to museums, galleries and exhibitions, there are usually optional trips to a centre of cultural significance.
Resources
The course is housed in the original art school at our City Centre building on Vernon Street, which has a long history of influence in art and design education. It is close to the city libraries, galleries and study centres, with access to the excellent College library facilities and computer, print, photographic and 3D craft workshops.
Progression & career opportunities
This course is long-established and nationally respected, and our placement record is excellent.
Students progress to higher-education courses in a wide range of subject areas at some of the most renowned universities and colleges in the UK.
The interview
All applications received by 15 January will lead to an interview. After that, interviews will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, within the interview slots available. All applications will be considered. You will be interviewed in groups of about ten. Members of the course team look at your folder of work while another member shows you the studios and workshop facilities and explains the structure of the course. You will then have a brief one-to-one interview lasting about ten minutes.
What do I need in my portfolio?
You should demonstrate a breadth of approaches to visualisation through analytical or observational drawing, use of colour, 3D work, the use of sketchbooks as a tool to develop ideas and creative thinking, and an exploration in art and design practice. We expect to see photographic documentation of any work which is too large for your folder, difficult to move, or not available due to examination at the time of interview. We recommend you include any work produced outside of school that might be of particular interest, eg theatre pieces, garments, life drawing, illustration, etc.
Destinations
The course has established links with a range of nationally and internationally renowned institutions, and consistently places students on some of the country's leading degree courses.
Course fees & costs
If you are 18 on 31 August of the year you are applying for entry to the course, then fees are not payable. If you are 19 or over on this date, then we suggest you contact our Student Advice Team for more information. Please note that this course is funded by the Learning and Skills Council and therefore student loans are not applicable. You should be prepared to spend up to £15 a week on basic materials and £260-£500 (depending on the destination) for optional study trips. Travelling costs to university interviews in the spring term should also be kept in mind.
Find out more
- Contact our Student Advice Team
- Visit the College at one of our open events
- Contact our marketing department on 0113 202 8000.
How to apply
Visit our how to apply section.
