Course summary

Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster.

Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our Foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us.

Our foundation year in Art and Design is designed to provide you with an introduction to our range of subject areas, and to prepare you for the discipline of your choice. It will give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within the field. It begins in the first semester with the development of fundamental Art and Design skills, as well as practical exploration across all of the disciplines in our Art and Design foundation programme. In the second semester, you are encouraged to specialise in your own discipline and are supported at this stage by tutors from your host course. You will also benefit from workshops in our high-end facilities, and from working with leading academics who will encourage you to become a confident and creative thinker. Your practical development is accompanied by modules in both semesters on foundational academic skills – skills that will be essential as you progress to your chosen full degree.

On successful completion of the foundation year, you will be able to move on to study for the Illustration BA Honours degree for a further three years.

On our Illustration BA you’ll find your distinctive creative voice and gain the skills you need to transform your passion for design into a successful career.

Illustration spans a huge range of visual communication practices. On this course, we provide you with the space, facilities and support to explore these techniques and approaches to the full and discover where your artistic vision lies. You’ll spend time drawing from life, and experiment with traditional ‘messy’ processes like printmaking and 3D making techniques such as metalwork, casting and laser cutting. Alongside this physical grounding, you’ll learn to explore ideas and develop skills through digital mediums and emerging technologies.

Studying on our Harrow campus you’ll be part of a close-knit creative community. You’ll have access to a vast range of facilities, including large studios, 3D workshops and our Emerging Media Space, and also spend time off campus, observing visual culture in London.

Throughout the course, our focus is on building your credentials as a creative professional – teaching you how to develop your portfolio, negotiate with clients, and build your brand. Between your second and third years you can choose to spend a placement year with a studio or design company, enabling you to gain valuable industry experience and define the field you want to pursue.

There are plenty of opportunities to work on live industry briefs – both within study modules and via our award-winning Westminster Enterprise Network. Through our membership of the Association of Illustrators and D&AD, you’ll have access to events, industry-set competitions, awards schemes and other opportunities. At the end of your course, you can take part in a prestigious graduate show, showcasing your work to industry professionals.