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Illustration

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language.

UCAS Tariff

104

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Illustration

Immerse yourself in the world of illustration. Develop your ability to express narratives through images. Start your career as an illustrator.

We believe in the transformative power of storytelling and visual narratives. On our course you will explore illustration through a focus on drawing, image making and narrative construction. Your study of theory will also inform your illustration practice and help you understand the wider contexts of illustration. We will teach you traditional and digital illustration techniques, using industry standard software and equipment.

Develop your ability to illustrate with confidence. Your time will focus on drawing, making images and constructing narratives. We will encourage you to experiment with different techniques, covering both traditional and digital creative processes. This will help you extend your practice and discover your specialism. While on the course you will illustrate across different genres, including:

Comic art
Book illustration
Editorial illustration
Children's illustration
Social engagement illustration.
Alongside your practical work, you will carry out contextual studies to develop your practical work. This means carrying out research that helps you understand and explain where, how and why your ideas fit in terms of contemporary illustration practice. You will also examine the social and political events that inspire the work you do. It's also a chance for you to research and explore different perspectives in illustration.

As you work on briefs in the studio, you will be offered the opportunity to:

work with students from other courses
illustrate a story by a creative writer
work alongside photographers and artists
bring your illustrations to life through moving image
work on illustration briefs with industry clients
visit cities around the world to enrich your cultural courses and references
take part in work placement opportunities and internships
showcase your work at our annual degree show and national graduate exhibitions.
Our team of illustrators and specialist technicians are here to support you. Your tutors will really get to know you, your practice and your ambitions.

Modules

Modules may include:

Year 1
Critical Contexts 1
Critical Contexts 2
Illustration Fundamentals
Illustration Exploration

Year 2:
Critical Enquiry 1
Critical Enquiry 2
Illustration Practise and Development
Illustration Exposition

Year 3:
Independent Research Project
Advanced Studio Practise
Situated Professional Practise

Assessment methods

https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/fine-art-illustration-and-photography/illustration-ba-hons/

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,000
per year
International
£14,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

York St John University

Department:

Art and 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.

75%
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

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
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

73%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
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?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
22%
Male students
78%
Female students
59%
2:1 or above
43%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

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
52%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

39%
Design occupations
16%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
6%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

£16k

£16k

£20k

£20k

£21k

£21k

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
York St John University | York
Graphic Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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?

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