Do you have a flair for visual communication? Would you like to improve your understanding of graphic design, printmaking and illustration? Solent University’s visual arts top-up programme will help you to develop the essential skills and industry awareness required for work in the creative industries, building on your existing qualifications and earning a full honours degree in just one year.
Solent University’s visual arts top-up course is perfectly suited to students from a HND or foundation degree background, allowing them to upgrade their qualification into a full honours degree over the course of one academic year.
As well as developing practical creative skills, students will also learn a range of relevant transferable skills. These include research and academic writing, presentation, project management and problem solving. Students will apply these skills to a research proposal and a final major project.
Visual arts at Solent also includes a unit of negotiated study, enabling students to specialise in an area that interests them and prepare for their career after graduation.
Learning is supported by the dedicated studio space at our Below Bar campus. Here, students are encouraged to experiment with a wide variety of media including intaglio and silkscreen print making, photography, digital imaging, drawing and painting. The creative space also boasts an in-house publishing press, bringing modern and traditional printing resources together under one roof. There are also letterpress, drawing and bookbinding facilities, all of which are designed to aid students as they navigate from initial concept through to final design.
What does this course lead to?
Job prospects as a visual arts graduate are wide and varied, ranging from publishing or corporate business to television, film, advertising and marketing. Learners are encouraged to pursue a range of work-experience opportunities, entering design competitions and freelancing through the Solent Creatives agency.
Who is this course for?
This top-up course is the ideal way for students with a relevant qualification at HND level (or equivalent) to upgrade their qualification and earn a full honours degree in just one year.
Students spend the year refining their craft and creating work to a professional standard, perfect for those who need time and support to build a portfolio.
