Integrated Foundation - Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Photography

The BA (Hons) Photography course at the University of Derby offers an outstanding opportunity for aspiring photographers to become highly creative and technically proficient professionals. The program is designed to foster imaginative approaches to photography, helping students develop a distinctive identity that sets them apart within the creative, media, and arts industries. Students are encouraged to challenge conventions, break moulds, and cultivate their own unique style as informed and creative thinkers and image makers.

The School of Arts has a long-standing reputation for excellence in photography, boasting state-of-the-art facilities that are the envy of many experienced professionals. Students have access to a free equipment loan centre stocked with high-spec analogue and digital equipment, ensuring they have the tools to bring their creative ideas to life. The university was one of the first UK institutions to offer a photography degree and has over half a century of heritage in photographic education. This rich history is complemented by cutting-edge technology, providing students with a dynamic learning environment.

Students will benefit from learning under the guidance of experienced professionals and high-calibre tutors, with access to extensive darkroom and digital facilities. The program includes live briefs set by external clients, gallery visits, overseas study trips, exhibitions, festivals, and competitions, offering students an exciting and diverse range of opportunities to enhance their studies and develop their skills in real-world contexts.

The BA (Hons) Photography course at the University of Derby takes students on a creative journey, exploring the evolution of photography—what it has been, what it is now, and what it can become in the future. The program is designed to challenge students, encouraging them to expand beyond conventional photography practices while developing the confidence, ambition, and skills to create original work. Students are supported in forging their own identity as image makers and thinkers for the future of the industry.

Blending creative and experimental approaches, the program covers a wide range of media, incorporating high-level skills in research, critical thinking, communication, presentation, exhibition, and dissemination. Additionally, students gain essential digital technology skills that are crucial for success beyond their degree. The course encourages students to push the boundaries of photography, exploring and exceeding its limits through the creative process.

Throughout their studies, students will engage with both traditional analogue and contemporary digital media. They will have the opportunity to explore time-based and moving image media, as well as installation, sculptural, and performance approaches. The course emphasizes the hybridization of photography, encouraging students to combine different media to create new forms of image making.

The degree culminates in a professional final exhibition at the university’s Degree Show, where students have the chance to make important industry connections during the Private View evening. Students will also have the opportunity to apply to exhibit their work at the Format International Photography Festival, the UK’s leading international contemporary photography festival. For those wishing to continue their studies, the program offers the option to pursue an MA in Arts.

Entry to the program requires a strong personal statement, a good reference, and, where applicable, a portfolio, which are considered as part of the application process.