Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Design

at Arts University Bournemouth United Kingdom

Painting defines its practice through the particularities of the painted field. The making materiality of the unique object, a globally acknowledged cultural history and the dedicated and dynamic relationship of the painted object to the painter. Painting in the 21st century is vital and relevant. Contemporary painting and what it can be, do and declare is meaningful. We ask how, why and according to what means.

The MA Painting course will explore this innovative and expansive territory in depth, dedicating itself to specialist study at postgraduate level.

Our course is designed to develop your individual pathway into this burgeoning sector of the creative and cultural industries. Events don’t just happen. Festivals, celebrations, exhibitions, pop-up events and multi-media events need creative, energetic and well-organised people to make them a reality. On this course, you’ll develop the skills and knowledge to conceive, plan and manage successful creative events.

Events are the product of teamwork involving people from a wide range of backgrounds and interests working together. A unique aspect of this course is that you’ll work with fellow students each year to devise and deliver a live event. You’ll discover and develop your own specialist interests and have the satisfaction of seeing the events you organise go ‘live’ in front of an audience.

Our work placement unit in the second year allows you to put these skills into practice in an industry setting. You’ll be surrounded by a wealth of creative talent and will have the opportunity to work with creative practitioners and external clients in the events world.

You’ll also learn how the events industry operates, and will develop skills in digital technology and business planning. Our graduates have gone on to use their skills in organisation, management, and marketing in festival production companies and in many of the top digital businesses, such as Spotify. They also work in multi-platform marketing and events companies, fashion businesses, world-class museums, and leading charities. Through theory, technique and practice, we’ll help you to develop as a successful creative events manager, with plenty to offer the arts and creative industries.

MA Historical Costume engages you in the potential of performance design and garment construction to explore complex ideas; some of which could stray into other areas of artistic experimentation. Students may come to the course with a background in costume, fashion, textiles or theatre/performance design or you may have studied subjects from across the humanities including arts and performance.

This master’s program supports and encourages you to investigate individual practice within an interdisciplinary framework, whilst developing a critical theoretical context for your work. The very special and unique nature of course delivery, through shared lectures, seminars, critiques and tutorials encourages both a ‘freewheeling’ atmosphere as well as an intense immersion in creative practice.

Whether you are interested in looking at historical influences or current socio-political issues related to dress, you will challenge the context of your study in design or historical costume construction within the broader framework of contemporary practice.

The journey from design to shop window or fashion catwalk is fascinating. You’ll discover the complexities of buying, selling and promotion – and the need to be entrepreneurial. A major strength of this course is its position within a specialist arts, design and media institution with the potential for you to study alongside other creative and cultural disciplines.

During the course you will build an appropriate portfolio of skills, which supports the development of individual practice, and informs your decision regarding the selection of a specialist named award.

Our BA (Hons) Acting course will appeal to you if you're passionate about pursuing a performance career. You’ll have plenty of professional and technical support and we encourage you to experiment and work collaboratively with other students on your own projects.

MA Photography course is a balance of art and commerce and is founded on the assertion that photography is a powerful form of communication that potentially connects with an audience of millions.

The course offers the opportunity to make professional work within, or crossing genres, whether it’s for publication, or the gallery. What defines it as professional, is that it is conceived and created with a specific audience in mind and is conscious of how meaning is affected by socio-political criteria.

The course is designed for ambitious photography graduates, or experienced photographers who wish to develop their knowledge and expertise in order to reach the very top of their field. We look for students with a passion for the subject and who are willing to take risks, and in doing so, push themselves to new heights.

MA Fine Art represents an exciting opportunity for students to challenge and build on their previous achievements and to study at an advanced level. Students deepen their knowledge and their ability to focus on their chosen field in relation to the key aspects that inform it.

Set within a community and culture of makers, students engage in dialogue and debate with their peers, both within and across MA pathways.

This experience provides dynamic and interactive sessions, which are vital to the enhancement and testing of new thinking and ideas generation as well as offering the broadest available critical arena for discussion of student work.

You will be joining a course with an international reputation, a challenging curriculum, and inspiring teaching.

This course encourages students to engage with contemporary photography in an individually creative and experimental manner, supported by outstanding analogue and digital resources. This course is visually led, but you will learn how to place your practice within a historical and contemporary context, and define its audience. You will be introduced to a range of technical processes, from 19th-century alternative printing techniques in our traditional darkrooms to digital still and moving image capture, and post-production in our state-of-the-art lighting studios and digital suites. You will also be able to borrow an extensive range of analogue and digital kit from our professional standard technical store.

During your studies, you will be engaged in specialist professional practice units, and will be able to use our extensive alumni and professional network to help plan your career or prepare you to undertake postgraduate study.

BA (Hons) Costume offers a comprehensive approach to the study, interpretation and creation of costume. Students will become skilled at producing accurate historical recreations of costumes as well as expressing imaginative flair through creative and conceptual costume making. In addition, you will learn the art of tailoring and couture dressmaking.

Costume supervision is integral to the course and can be described as interpreting a two-dimensional costume design into a three-dimensional costume through sourcing and procuring garments. This exciting role places you at the heart of live productions, as you are key to ensuring the smooth running of the wardrobe department for all types of live performance.

The current BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design course has been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its ‘distinguished degree-level education in costume design for the UK’s leading creative industries’.

In our dynamic studio environments, you’ll learn to experiment, test and develop your illustration practice. You can explore drawing, painting, sewing and printmaking, as well as photographic, digital, moving image and interactive media.