Photography BA (Hons)

Why choose this course?

Photography is pivotal to fine art, fashion, advertising and editorial photography, as well as digital applications. This course is centred on the making and understanding of photographic production and critical thinking, applied to any subject area.

You'll study both analogue and digital photography; the key focus of the course is for you to develop your creative ideas alongside your professional skills, within a multi-genre approach to the medium. The course takes maximum advantage of Kingston's proximity to the vibrant art, photography and cultural life of London – one of the major photographic art and commercial centres of the world.

There will be opportunities to work with historic manual processes such as cyanotypes and salt prints as well as other 'craft' processes including creating unique one-off photo books.

Attendance UCAS code Year of entry
3 years full time W640 2024

This course is now full for 2023 entry – please apply for 2024 entry.

For 2024 entry, please submit your application before the UCAS deadline as this course may not be in a position to consider applications submitted after this date.

Location Kingston School of Art, Knights Park

Reasons to choose Kingston

  • We're ranked No.2 in London for Film Production and Photography (Guardian University Guide League Tables 2023).
  • You can prepare yourself for employment and increase your workplace skills through an optional work placement.
  • You'll be taught by staff who publish and present their work nationally and internationally. Our technical staff are practising artists and will support you in the bespoke photography workshop.

The Art School Experience

As part of Kingston School of Art, students on this course benefit from joining a creative community where collaborative working and critical practice are encouraged.

Our workshops and studios are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.

Two students collaborate on a design project.

Photography at Kingston

What you will study

You'll develop your creativity and photography through workshops and self-initiated projects. A programme of seminars, lectures, workshops and tutorials will enhance your learning and prepare you for your professional future. Our teaching relates your own ideas and ambitions to the critical, contemporary and historical contexts of photography.

The degree programme sets out to structure your learning and appreciation of, and about, photography and its potential through a process which identifies distinct aims and progress each year.

Modules

Years 1 and 2 are made up of four modules, each worth 30 credit points. Year 3 is made up of three modules – two worth 30 credits and one worth 60 credits. Typically a student must complete 120 credits at each level.

Year 1

Year 2

Optional year

Final year

In your first year, you'll become aware and critical of the range of photography practices and the possibilities of a personal photography practice. You will be encouraged to experiment with new approaches and techniques.

Core modules

Independent Photography Practice

30 credits

This module introduces the course. It introduces active learning, research and reflection through practical photography projects which lead from thematic and conceptual to self-initiated and developmental projects. These projects will involve increasing engagement with conceptual and thematic concerns utilising different methodologies for work. There is an emphasis on the self-initiated development of critical photography in response. You will develop and independently produce (with tutorial support) a body of work that can be considered "personal photography" arising from personal concerns. In effect, a committed and serious independent practice on reflection, rather than purely a set response to project briefs.

Photographic Production Processes

30 credits

This module's focus is on the attainment of an array of production and technical skills to expand and enhance the development of a personal (and professional standard) photographic language. It is primarily concerned with the development of a critical awareness of photography processes, photography and related transferable skills, research and critical thinking. It begins with active learning through skills based projects, both analogue and digital. All projects will encompass conceptual concerns, individual development and critical engagement with a photographic ‘way of seeing' and working with light, both natural and artificial, which lead from thematic and conceptual to self-initiated and developmental projects. Each project will be introduced and continue with technical workshops, group seminars a series of group project reviews. and individual tutorial support.

Modes of Presentation for Photographers

30 credits

In this module you will develop and progress further your independent photography and begin to engage with the moving image, extending your skillset and enhancing the potential for all image based work. The intention is for you to explore and exam the implications of different modes for editorial presentation with your photography and image making. You will be supported to develop appropriate methods of presentation through tutorials, workshops aligned with your contribution to the seminar programme where you show and discuss work-in-progress to your peer group.  You will self-publish photographic books and other photographic series of works for summative assessment at the end of each teaching block.

Contextualising Contemporary Practice: Photography

30 credits

This module introduces the various contexts in which the contemporary practices of photography, are defined, debated and displayed. The module is designed to support your first steps as practitioners within the wider field of the visual arts in the 21st century. Through lectures, discussions, screenings and exhibition visits you will be introduced to the historical framework of modernity and post-modernity in order to understand the development and contemporary situation of your discipline. The module is organised as discrete but related teaching blocks that progress from broader questions of cultural practice to the more specific debates that have framed the historical development photography and its associated fields - for example moving images and fine art. In the first block, the emphasis is broad and focused on developing in you, an understanding of the notion of practice in the visual arts, by addressing the historical, theoretical, social and political factors that have affected our understanding of its function. In the second block, you will be encouraged to consider the key debates, theoretical questions and changing contexts that inform your discipline. Throughout there is an emphasis on the introduction of key analytical, critical and research skills, and through close engagement with visual sources, historical texts and contemporary critical writing, you will begin to develop the tools necessary to discuss, conceptualise and reflect on your own emerging practice.

In Year 2, you will develop your own independent and self-directed photography practice with critical support. You will continue to develop your ideas, skills and folios in more depth.

Core modules

Independent Critical Practice

30 credits

You will develop portfolios of independent photography and other supporting research materials that demonstrate a growing awareness of the potential of photography across different genres and critical contexts. The development of an independent photographic practice is supported through lectures, group and peer review (not formally assessed), workshops and individual tutorials. You will be supported to challenge their working practices for photography and extend their critical abilities, research knowledge and understanding, as well as increase their visual communication and successfully resolve their photographic responses to readings of important historical and contemporary texts explored in class.

Photography and Process

30 credits

The module encourages and challenges you to make critical photographic projects responding to different subjects and contexts, focusing on process, audience and refinement of visual literacy. You will have the opportunity to participate in collaborative projects as well as work individually, building and increasing confidence in communication and working in partnership towards resolution. You will continue to use journals/workbooks/blogs as a means of analyzing your practice, context, research, critically reflecting on process and making evident your engagement with subjects and project themes.

Professional Practice and Presentation

30 credits

You will engage directly with professional practice working collaboratively and with a project partner organisation, responding to two 'live' professional briefs. Through this important developmental work process, you will consider the implications of different modes of engagement and presentation on your evolving independent photographic practices. You will develop and produce two new bodies of photographic work in response to the 'live' briefs (set by course team) which forms the core of your portfolio and your end of module presentation. You will then produce and present the folios' selected coursework content as an end of year group exhibition and/or publications as an introduction to professional creative skills development, which will be explored further during level 6.  The 'live' briefs will support your working processes, methodologies and development of professional level transferable skills and knowledge that will equip you for professional life. Teaching and learning will be delivered through a series of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. Content will also include support and guidance on preparing a CV, writing supporting statements/letters focussed towards creative industries work, copyright, ethics and legal issues for photographers.

Critical Issues in Photography: Research and Practice

30 credits

Building on the historical contexts introduced at Level 4, this module concentrates on the theoretical frameworks in which photography is produced, consumed and interpreted today. Introducing case studies emerging from current trends in contemporary photographic practice, the module is taught as a combination of lecture, seminar, workshop and exhibition visits through which you will be encouraged and enabled to identify and experience the vital links between practice and research. The political, social, philosophical and aesthetic issues driving current practice will be introduced via lecture and seminar discussion, focused and deepened through independent reading and research, and applied and evaluated through workshops on research practice. With reference to key texts that have informed the development of photographic theory, you will acquire the knowledge and analytical skills to build a framework within which to engage with the critical contexts in which photography operates. You will also develop research methods appropriate to the study and practice of your discipline, propose an area of research for development at Level 6, and begin to contextualise and make sense of the concerns emerging in your own practice.

You can opt to study or work abroad through the University's Study Abroad programme or the Erasmus programme during your Photography degree.

 

In Year 3, you will become proficient, professional, assured, innovative and outward-facing through a more fully realised and engaged personal photography practice. You will refine your photography and define your ambitions more succinctly.

Core modules

Professional Practice

30 credits

This module is concerned with the development, creation and evidencing of a range of vital professional skills: the ability to respond with limited lead time to a photography brief (using skills gained in Level 4 and L5); the creation of a professional work-seeker's photography portfolio; the ability to present and coherently rationalise work to an audience; the production of a relevant CV; evidence of a web-presence. The aim of this module is to ensure that you are well prepared to further a career in photography (and/or related fields) upon graduation and thereafter.

Final Major Project

60 credits

In this module you will produce and display a coherent body of independent photographic work. You are required to synthesise and consolidate practical skills, critical approaches and understanding of the context of contemporary photographic practice through the production and presentation of a major body of work including exhibition installation. You will develop and apply skills of editing, selection, sequencing, printing, framing and other appropriate presentation to produce this final portfolio and display of photographic works, enabling you to progress to professional practice or further study.

Dissertation: Research and Reflection

30 credits

Building on the links between research and practice embedded at Level 5, the Critical and Historical Studies (CHS) Dissertation: Research and Reflection module focuses on in-depth research, critical enquiry and reflection on questions and critical issues emerging in students' own practice, and pertinent to the practice of their own discipline.

Over the module, students will initiate and develop an individual research topic; identify and evaluate appropriate archives, bodies of critical literature, visual/material sources and research methods; manage their study time; engage with and respond to tutorial dialogue and peer feedback, and apply critical and analytical skills to produce a 7-8000 word written Dissertation, supported by a series of lectures, seminars and tutorials.

 

Future Skills

Knowledge to give you the edge

Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

A female engineering student, in the engineering lab.

Entry requirements

Typical offer 2024

UCAS tariff points: 112-128

Level 3 qualifications, including Art and Design subjects (A-levels, BTEC Diploma, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Access Diploma, IB Diploma, etc.).

Typical offer 2023

UCAS tariff points: 112-128

Level 3 qualifications, including Art and Design subjects (A-levels, BTEC Diploma, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Access Diploma, IB Diploma, etc.).

Additional requirements

Entry onto this course will require submission of a digital portfolio as part of the application process. Further details about the portfolio will also be sent via email after submission of application.

See portfolio guidance below for more information about how to prepare your portfolio.

International

All non-UK applicants must meet our English Language requirements. For this course it is Academic IELTS of 6.0 overall, with no element below 5.5.

Make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we consider.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements could be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Applicants from a recognised majority English speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country-specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

Portfolio guidance

You will be required to submit a portfolio of work and a personal statement to support your application. The Admissions Tutors on the Photography BA (Hons) course will use the supporting information when considering your application.

Portfolio

You should prepare a portfolio with examples of your most creative photographic work showcasing your skills, interests and ambitions in photography and how you will benefit from the course. You can also include art and design work but it should mostly be photographically informed.

You can choose to present your work in a single PDF document or via an online link to Instagram, Flicker or Vimeo account.

PDF portfolios should be compressed to under 50MB and no more than 20 pages but you can include more than one image per page.

If you are using Instagram, Flickr or Vimeo, please put the link to your portfolio in a separate Word document and upload this file with your supporting information. Make sure the link is active and works on all platforms.

Personal statement

You must also submit a short and concise statement (Word doc – one side of A4 only) that outlines:

  • your approach to making photographic project work
  • why this Kingston course in particular will benefit you
  • how you will contribute to it
  • your ambitions for your photography
  • references to photographers and artists that provide inspiration

Submitting your portfolio and personal statement

When we have received your application, we will send you an email with instructions on how to prepare and submit your portfolio.

Typical offer and UCAS points explained

Like most universities, we use the UCAS Tariff point system for our course entry requirements.

Find out more about UCAS Tariff points and see how A-level, AS level, BTEC Diploma and T-level qualifications translate to the points system.

Gallery of student work

Teaching and assessment

The course is based on learning through practice and research. You'll be taught through Kingston School of Art's studios and our specialist photography workshops.

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for final assignments. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the online virtual learning platform.

Academic support

Our academic support team here at Kingston University provides help in a range of areas.

Dedicated personal tutor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at Kingston and show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at Kingston University.

Your workload

Time spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity

  • Year 1: 29%
  • Year 2: 32%
  • Year 3: 22%

Type of learning and teaching

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 1
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 344 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 856 hours
Year 2
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 388 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 812 hours
Year 3
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 264 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 936 hours

How you will be assessed

Assessment is all coursework based (e.g., print portfolios, photo-books, social media including websites, blogs, moving image, research books, essays, exhibitions reviews, artist statements, self-assessment, dissertation). The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows:

Type of assessment

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 1
  • Coursework: 100%
Year 2
  • Coursework: 100%
Year 3
  • Coursework: 100%

Feedback summary

We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

Class sizes

To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 30-35 students and lecture sizes are normally the same. However this can vary by module and academic year.

Who teaches this course?

All our Photography staff are industry and academic professionals with a diverse set of experiences and skills who exhibit and publish their work to national and international acclaim.

In addition, as part of our professional photographers' series, you will meet visiting professional photographers in class and view their work, as well as engage with them on a personal level, gaining important first-hand insights and knowledge of the professional photography world.  

We have hosted and visited well-known photographers including: Nick Knight, Lauren Maccabee, Nadav Kander, Rosaline Shahnavaz, Franklyn Rodgers, Rhiannon Adam, Simon Roberts, Melanie Manchot, Guy Martin, Bridget Smith, Richard Boll, Sophie Harris-Taylor, Lewis Khan, Sarah Pickering, Natasha Caruana, Alexander Mourant, Ingrid Pollard, Almudena Romero and Marysa Dowling.

Facilities

You'll get to use a range of professional-grade facilities and equipment, from high-end digital capture, dedicated photography studios and darkrooms (analogue and digital).

Faculty workshops, supervised by qualified technical staff, support and enable further development and production of studio work across all areas of digital and analogue photography.

Fees for this course

2024/25 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2024/25 the fees for this course are:

 Fee category Amount
Home (UK students) £9,250*
International Year 1 (2024/25): £18,400
Year 2 (2025/26): £19,200
Year 3 (2026/27): £19,900

For courses with a sandwich year, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

2023/24 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2023/24 the fees for this course are:

 Fee category Amount
Home (UK students) £9,250*
International Year 1 (2023/24): £16,500
Year 2 (2024/25): £16,800
Year 3 (2025/26): £17,100

For courses with a sandwich year, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

Note for EU students: UK withdrawal from the European Union

The Government has recently announced that new students from the European Union and Swiss Nationals starting their course after August 2021 will no longer be eligible for a student loan in England for Undergraduate or Postgraduate studies from the 2021/22 academic year. This decision only applies to new EU students starting after 2021/22. If you are an existing/continuing EU student, you will continue to be funded until you graduate or withdraw from your course.

Need to know more?

Our undergraduate fees and funding section provides information and advice on money matters.

Additional costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs that are not covered by tuition fees which students will need to consider when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.

Textbooks

Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. You may prefer to buy your own copy of key textbooks, this can cost between £50 and £250 per year.

Computer equipment

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residences. Free WiFi is available on each of the campuses. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

Photocopying and printing

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

Travel

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston upon Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

Materials and equipment

In order to help you budget, the information below indicates the costs associated with materials and equipment that are not covered by your tuition fees. 

You will receive advice from tutors on sourcing any specialist equipment.

Please note that these are approximate costs which vary each year and with every student depending on the project:

  • Year 1: £100-£200
  • Year 2: £200-£400
  • Year 3: £100-£1,000*

*Academic performance is not determined by how much is spent on a final project.

Field trips

There may be optional local and international study visits and field trips which can range from £25-£200.

External shows and exhibitions

There may be costs for participating at external shows and exhibitions. You could incur travel costs which will vary according to the location.

After you graduate

Our graduates have progressed to roles in editorial, studio photography, fashion, documentary, picture editing, styling, archival and web management and roles within the film industry.

Examples of jobs:

  • Editorial, fashion, advertising photographer
  • Photojournalist
  • Artist
  • Curator
  • Photographic assistant / technician
  • Software trainer
  • Studio and gallery assistant
  • Stylist
  • Picture editor
  • Web designer
  • Art director
  • Art buyer

Key information set

The scrolling banner(s) below display some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.