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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
The information on this page is for 2024-25 entry and should be used as guidance for 2025-26 entry. Please keep checking back on this course page to see our latest updates.
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 clients.
- 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 space.
Memberships
The course and students benefit from membership to the AOI (Association of Illustrators).
School of Art and Design Showcase
Engage with and explore the talents and achievements of our art and design Foundation Year course and final-year students.
Find out more
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
- Illustration BA (Hons)
- Fine Art 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
The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 15 to 18 hours per week in the 1st year, 12 to 15 hours per week in 2nd year and 10 hours per week in the final year as you become a more independent learner.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study each week of approximately 15 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online sessions/ tutorials.
Part of university life is undertaking self-directed learning. During a typical week you will have time that allows you to work independently to apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt in taught or facilitated sessions to your projects or assignment briefs. This self-directed learning allows you to use your research skills, consolidate your knowledge or undertake collaborative group work.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
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 include practical coursework, essays/reports, presentations, individual assignments and/or 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.
Students can also engage in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects with participating institutions and other international universities around the world.
I know that working within the field of creative illustration opens possibilities and is a hugely rewarding creative career. We teach students professional skills and knowledge to be industry ready and able to pursue their passion with confidence.
Joy Monkhouse, Senior Lecturer in Illustration (2022)
Entry requirements
Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.
Fees and funding
| Student | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £9,250 per year |
Not available |
| EU | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £9,250 per year with EU Support Bursary** 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £19,850 per year without EU Support Bursary** |
Not available |
| International | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £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 of £1,250 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year.
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.
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.
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).
Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
*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.
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
Graduate destinations include: Post-graduate study, internships, freelance work and commissions, creative design and visualisation roles 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
How to apply
UK students
International students
Disclaimers
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