BA (Hons) Photography

Year One – The course begins with a focus on developing your technical photography skills, and historical and contemporary perspectives on photography. You will gain knowledge about iconic photographers and image impact while developing practical competencies across all aspects of photography, from lighting to photographic workflow.

Year Two – This is a more conceptual year that builds on your specialist photographic practice and interests. You’ll learn business skills for freelancing or running your own business, and professional guest speakers will relate their own experiences and insights. You will respond to live commercial and community briefs, and be encouraged to arrange work experience in the industry.

Year Three – In your final year you will continue to build an extensive and impressive portfolio of work. Collaborations with students on other creative courses will help you build a diverse breadth of experience and contribute to your end of year show. You will develop your professional practices through specific degree modules and be encouraged to seek feedback from industry on your work. Our impressive sector networks and focus on employability give you a great platform as a skilled photographer starting out in this exciting field.

Work experience covers a broad range of activities and students are encouraged to undertake work placements during their time at university. As well as guidance from the course team our Careers, Employability and Enterprise team offer support that enhances employability skills and underpins engagement with industry.

Students have won a raft of international awards and gained industry attention, including:

• Alumni had book published by RRB Books with a foreword by Martin Parr 2022
• Two alumni selected to work with acclaimed Photographer Hannah Starkey on a professional development programme through The Hepworth 2022
• Winner of the Signature Art Prize 2021
• Student work selected for the cover of Fresh Eyes Talents 2021
• Student work selected for Prix de la Photographie Paris 2019
• Winner of Vogue Talent 2018
• Two alumni won British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain awards 2018 and were included in the book published by Hoxton Mini-Press
• Student work featured on i-D Italy in 2017
• The Clothes Show Live Young Fashion Photographer of the Year
• WPO People’s Choice Video Award
• The Fuji Student Photographer of the Year

Click here to view the course specification

Undergraduate degree courses at Leeds Arts University are delivered and supported through a range of teaching and learning strategies. Courses are made up of modules, these are elements of study that are taught and assessed separately. Each module carries a clearly identified credit value, the accumulation of which will allow you to progress to the next level of the course. Around 100 hours of learning are expected for every ten credits of the course. Each level (year) of the course is made up of 120 credits and therefore requires 1200 hours of learning. Teaching is split over 2 semesters; each semester has 13 weeks of teaching and 2 weeks of assessment. 

For further information visit Undergraduate teaching & learning at Leeds Arts University.

Graduates have gone on to work as freelance photographers, for agencies, in galleries and curating, and in post-production. Graduates may also continue to postgraduate study. 

We’re looking for students with the best potential to succeed - irrespective of their background. That’s why we welcome a wide range of qualifications and experience.

Click here to view our entry requirements

Tuition Fees

Our current fees are listed here

Other Costs

Further costs of study are related largely to the costs of materials and depend very much on how individual students choose to respond to University briefs.

The costs below are the result of asking our students to state how much they spend during the year and creating an average, as such they are indicative only.

Equipment and Materials

• Level 4 (First Year)
  Printing and materials costs - Approximately £80 plus £100 for external hard drive
• Level 5 (Second Year)
  Printing and materials costs - Approximately between £20-£200
• Level 6 (Third Year)
  Printing and materials costs - Approximately between £20-£400

Computers and Digital Equipment

Teaching and learning are supported through access to some online events and learning materials. This might include visiting speakers or the chance to review lectures that have been recorded. The University also uses a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support learning. There are a range of computer facilities across the University available to access Monday to Saturday including weekday evenings. If you are intending to buy a computer we suggest you wait until you start your course. You will quickly find out what you do and don’t need. The Course Team will be able to offer you advice on what to buy and where to purchase it from, based on your creative needs and budget.

Educational Visits and Off-Site Activities

Educational visits to enhance your experience may take place throughout the course and can range from a visit to a UK conference, exhibition or gallery, to a European or international study trip. All trips requiring a student financial contribution are optional and costs will always be kept as affordable as possible. We do not guarantee that we will run international visits. The decision is made annually based on availability, cost and the number of students required to make the trip viable.

We provide support for undergraduate students dependent upon their financial circumstances. Visit Undergraduate Finance for further information.

Click here to view our Terms & Conditions

Click here to view the Key Information for this course

We are delighted to welcome undergraduate visiting and exchange students from Europe and around the world who would like to spend a semester or a full academic year taking credits from our exciting range of courses. You will be fully integrated into the academic and social life of the University during a period of full-time supervised study and your credits transferred back to your home institution.

You can join us through programmes such as Erasmus+, individual university partnerships or as an independent applicant. Please see here for more information and how to apply.

Leeds Arts University students interested in spending some time overseas can find information on the international opportunities available during your course here.

Questions? Contact international@leeds-art.ac.uk