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Illustration BA (Hons)
Study level: Undergraduate
Turn your passion for art and creativity into an exciting professional career in illustration.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years sandwich
Course code
W225
Start date
September 2025
Course overview
This course is designed and taught by successful practicing illustrators, artists and designers, who all share a common desire to explore your personal interests in drawing and storytelling and push the boundaries of illustration.
The course has an inter-disciplinary and student-centred approach, enabling you to develop your individual creative practice and direct your portfolio towards a wide range of potential career paths.
- A programme of traditional and digital technology workshops.
- We aim to teach you transferable skills and how to use a wide range of tools to bring your ideas to life.
- On successful completion you should gain business and marketing skills, which aim to guide you through the steps you need to be industry ready for a successful career in illustration and other creative careers.
Rated Gold Overall
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2025Why you should study this course
- Professional practice and employability skills are taught and embedded into the course from day one and run as a strand throughout. You will be taught by staff who are active practitioners in the field of art and design and have relevant industry experience (staff may be subject to change).
- Industry standard software teaching and workshop skills are embedded into the course structure and its delivery.
- You will seek to develop your professional understanding of illustration and associated creative practices and develop a portfolio to target your career goals and aspirations.
- You will have the opportunity to work on live and real-world briefs to develop your confidence in working with and presenting to external clients2.
- Following the University’s recent major investment in Art and Design, Illustration is now located in the newly re-configured, state of the art, city centre development. It benefits from a vibrant array of advanced facilities, including state-of-the-art teaching spaces and technical workshops, multi-use, lens-based, immersive technology and hyper studios as well as a public gallery space4.
Art and Design Graduate Showcase 2024
The Coventry Degree Showcase is an annual event to celebrate and showcase our graduating students’ work.
What you'll study
This course has a common first year.
The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.
If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements
Common first year courses
- Fine Art BA (Hons)
- Illustration BA (Hons)
- Photography BA (Hons)
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
Teaching and learning on the course is student-centred and focuses on working with students to develop your individualised creative practice and professional goals. You will be taught through a range of methods including workshops, lectures, studio practice, software skills sessions, tutorials, and seminars. You will engage in team working, active learning and problem-solving.
Modules are practice based and revolve around working to specific briefs that focus on various aspects of developing a professional and job ready creative practice.
Additionally, you should be prepared to invest a proportion of your time exploring and self-directing your practice.
The School of Art and Design may provide opportunities to engage in external or collaborative activities such as competition/Industry briefs and speakers beyond your course studies2. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to support your learning journey.
Teaching contact hours
As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. A typical 20 credit module requires a total of 200 hours study. This is made up of teaching contact hours, guided and independent study.
Teaching hours:
Teaching hours vary each semester, year of study and due to module selection. During your first year you can expect 15-18 teaching hours each week. You will also have the option to attend optional sessions including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.
Guided and independent study:
Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You’ll be digging deeper into topics, review what you’ve learned and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you’ll spend more time in independent study.
Online learning:
As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.
Assessment
Your learning journey will be wide ranging, developing your work to have integrity, resilience and be authentic in its production and delivery. The learning that you will undertake will include sessions that are led by staff, group projects, guided learning and directed skill sessions.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which may vary depending upon the module concerned. Assessment methods may include:
- practical coursework
- essays/reports
- presentations
- individual assignments
- group work elements.
This course is predominantly assessed by coursework.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
Each year, when possible, we also offer study trips abroad2. For example, second- and third-year students will be provided with opportunities to voluntarily visit an international university as part of their studies.
Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability, and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements, and are therefore not guaranteed2.
Transform your natural creativity and passion for drawing and art into an exciting professional career in illustration. Our course is taught by successfully practising artists and illustrators who develop students’ individual skills and portfolios toward a wide range of potential future career paths.
Andrew Spackman, Assistant Professor and Course Director, BA (Hons) Illustration (2024)
Entry requirements
Typical entry requirements:
Fees and funding
| Student | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £9,535 per year | Not available |
| EU | £9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary** £19,850 per year without EU Support Bursary** |
Not available |
| International | £19,850 per year | Not available |
If you choose to study this course with a professional placement2 or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee3 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year. Students commencing their professional placement in the academic year 2027/28 will pay £1,500 if they are paying UK fees, or £1,800 if they are paying international fees.
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permits an increase in tuition fees, the university may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
If you choose to study this course with a professional placement, the University will charge the tuition fees stated above for those on a placement during Academic Year 2027/28. The University will review professional placement tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study, but such that it will be no more than 5% above inflation.
For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
*Irish student fees
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
**EU Support Bursary
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
Facilities
The course facilitates learning and production of innovative design solutions through access to specialist facilities4 including: PC and Mac suites running the latest industry standard software, traditional print-making and making workshops (etching, silk-screen printing, relief printing, woodwork, laser-cutting) as well as a generously stocked letterpress room.
You will be encouraged to use our spaces and facilities to explore multiple materials, techniques and equipment. Teaching and learning on the course incorporates these into module activity and project work enabling students to work toward developing these skills to the highest possible level and to industry standards.
You will be taught by dedicated software demonstrators on our up-to-date Apple Mac studios industry standard Adobe Creative Suite software.
You will have access to workshops such as print workshops, wood and metal workshops, 3D workshops, Print Bureau, and rapid prototyping and laser cutting.
You will have access to the media loan shop where you can hire out professional cameras, video and lighting equipment ( all equipment is subject to availability).
Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders4.
Careers and opportunities
On successful completion of this course, you will:
- Develop your understanding of illustration from a professional and historical standpoint
- Develop your ability to originate ideas that effectively communicate to specific audiences
- Be given the opportunity to experiment with both traditional making techniques and contemporary technology as means to innovate within the field of illustration
- Embed a philosophy of continued independent learning, critical reflection, and fluid engagement in multi-disciplinary activities, resulting in the acquisition of valuable transferable skills
- Produce a portfolio of professional work relevant to your chosen career aspirations
- Develop contacts and become part of a global community of practice
- Be equipped with the entrepreneurial skills and resilience to turn your passion into a sustainable career.
The university's Talent Team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. It aims to provide specialist careers information, advice and guidance to all our students from their first year through to final year and beyond graduation, helping them receive the opportunities to reach their desired career outcome.
The course offers a creative and exciting range of employability destinations in illustration, as well as underpinning many other creative professions. After studying, our students have gone on to work as freelance illustrators, comic book artists, graphic designers, games designers, children's book writers and illustrators, animators, marketing professionals, textile and homewares designers, printmakers, artists, as well as working in associated creative professions such as fashion editorial, advertising and marketing, tv and film production, arts management, self-publishing, teaching, and study at postgraduate level.
Where our graduates work
Previous graduates have gone onto post-graduate study, internships, freelance work and commissions, creative design and visualisation. These have included working for some prestigious employers, including:
- Codemasters Gaming, Warwickshire
- Design-by-Touch toy and app design agency, Leamington Spa
- Nettl Web Design, Birmingham
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
- McCann creative agency – Birmingham
- HanSpringett Ltd, Bucharest Romania
- Armstrong Wolfe, Cheltenham
- 22 Digital Ltd, UK
- Havas Design, London UK
- Uncrowd, Germany
- Hutch, UK
Our students have been shortlisted and won various National and Internationally recognised competitions including: D&AD, The Silent Book Prize, The House of Illustration, Macmillan Prize for Children’s Picture Book Illustration, Adobe Championships, the Creative Conscience Awards, and ‘The one to watch’ Award at New Designers.
Further study
You can choose to continue your studies at Coventry University with:
- Advertising and Marketing MA
- Brand Management MA
- Design Management MA
- Digital Marketing Management MSc
- Graphic Design MA
- Illustration and Animation MA
- International Marketing Management MSc
- International Marketing MBA
You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
Tutors do everything they can to give you an engaging and interesting course with all the help and support needed.
Georgia Baldassarra, BA (Hons) Illustration graduate and Digital Designer at TwentyTwoDigital Limited (Quoted 2023)
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