Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Illustration

Leeds Arts University

UCAS Code: W220 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

104-120

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Illustration

Enrol on a creative journey that explores communication, image-making, and conceptual thinking. You will have opportunities to refine your talent and carve out your niche as an exceptional illustrator while gaining the professional skills needed to meet the demands of the creative industries.

This course aims to help you develop into an independent, creative thinker with the ability to deliver critically and visually engaging work. You will do this within the professional context of contemporary illustration and the wider creative industries. This is a growing industry with demand in, for example, music and sports design, fashion, and comic and children’s book illustration.

Central to the course is your development, understanding, and use of traditional and new media, theory, and production methods. There are fantastic opportunities for you to grow as a creative practitioner with access to new technologies and industry-standard software such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

You will have opportunities to apply your skills across a range of illustrative applications, including, but not limited to, editorial, publishing, packaging, product, print, music design, advertising, character, and animation. We support you to generate networking and exhibition opportunities, collaborating on multi-disciplinary projects with other students in our large workshops and breakout spaces.

You will benefit from excellent links with professional illustrators and creatives, agencies, and experts across the arts industries. Live projects, competition briefs, and industrial experience will enhance your awareness of the professional opportunities available to you.

Modules

Year one – Explore a range of approaches to the communication of ideas through image-making, with an emphasis on experimentation and reflection. You’ll develop your practical, theoretical, and contextual understanding of the discipline through projects and seminars alongside workshops. There is an ongoing focus on discovery through making, supported by a lively programme of studio briefs.

Year two – You’ll further explore a range of approaches to communicating ideas, concepts and messages through processes and visual language. Apply your work to industrially relevant contexts and products while studying the theory and methods behind your practice. You will also learn essential business skills and explore the postgraduate opportunities available to you. Likewise, you will grow in confidence and understanding to make informed decisions about your future.

Year three – In your final year you will focus on your professional ambitions and further develop the business-related skills required for becoming a professional creative. You’ll negotiate your own creative projects and activities such as competitions, live briefs, industrial research, and work experience. Building a portfolio that reflects your focus and talents is essential as you learn to respond to the demands of the creative industries.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,500
per year
International
£17,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Leeds Arts University

Department:

Communication Design

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

70%
Illustration

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
67%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

57%
Design occupations
8%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£15k

£15k

£19k

£19k

£23k

£23k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Middlesex University | Barnet
BA Illustration with Foundation Year
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 56-64
Nearby University
University of Huddersfield | Huddersfield
Illustration
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-112
Same University
Leeds Arts University | Leeds
Comic and Concept Art
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here