Photography BA (Hons)
Course Code
UCAS Code: W640
International Code: AHU014
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years sandwich
Start date
September 2022
Course overview
Study level: Undergraduate
Coventry is ranked 9th in the UK for Film Production and Photography (Guardian University Guide 2021) - it’s time for you to capture your moment with us.
- Our course aims to help you understand the complexities of visual communication and produce graduates who stand out for their creativity, professionalism and critical understanding of photography.
- Our continually evolving course is directly informed by input from the world’s leading photographers, editors and curators.
- Through a dynamic programme of study, we will work with you to develop your individual creative ability, technical skills, critical knowledge and professional experience, to establish a career using photography as a tool for creative expression and visual communication.

Global Ready
An international outlook, with global opportunities
Teaching excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field
Employability
Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeedWhy you should study this course
Our highly-esteemed Photography degree is designed to create ‘next generation’ photographers – independent, creative, critical, adaptable and professional. This course provides you with the following opportunities:
- We will work with you to help you to develop a high standard of technical and practical skills across a wide range of analogue and digital photography processes, and associated media equipment and platforms.
- All of our current staff are experienced practitioners, who work across the industries of photography. They draw upon their knowledge, expertise and experience of working with photography in a variety of professional contexts, as editorial photographers, curators, writers, researchers, picture editors, archivist, and educators for organisations such as the National Portrait Gallery, The Photographers’ Gallery, IC Visual Lab, Barbican Art Gallery, British Museum, Offprint, Photoworks, Artangel, Photofusion, Channel 4, Time Inc. and Conde Nast. (Please note that staff are subject to change).
- Using industry-standard equipment and software, you’ll be taught in open photography classes where you can take advantage of contributions from our network of photographic experts from across the globe. In the past, this has included workshops, lectures, collaborative projects and online international learning projects, for example, with the Universidad de Europa de Madrid, Spain and Universitatea Nationala De Arte, Bucharest.
- On UK and international industry fieldtrips (subject to availability and additional costs), we will seek to introduce you to publishers, agencies, studios, galleries and museums, such as Belfast Exposed Photography, Museo del Prado Madrid, Museum of Modern Art New York, Source, Rope Press, Self-Publish Be Happy, Museum of London, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Law Magazine, Aperture, Paris Photo, GRAIN and International Centre of Photography New York.
- We have excellent links within the industry, many of whom may provide employment, placements or professional guidance (subject to availability, application and additional costs), such as GRAIN, Photomonitor and Magnum Photos.
- We have a well-stocked Media Loan Shop so you can borrow an extensive range of specialist, professional equipment, including digital medium format camera equipment, large format cameras, Bowens lighting, Canon and Nikon full frame digital SLRs and a full range of film cameras.
- Our regular speakers programme features esteemed experts which in the past have included John Blakemore, Susan Bright, Pete Brook, Lewis Bush, Elinor Carruci, Bruno Ceschel, Emma Critchley, Elizabeth Edwards, Paul Gaffney, Patricia Holland, Tom Hunter, Lucy Levene, Sian Macfarlane, Rebecca McClelland, Kate McMillan, David Moore, Christiane Monarchi, Jennifer Pattinson, Martin Pover, Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman, and Simon Terrill. (Speaker programme is subject to availability)
in the UK for Film Production and Photography
Guardian University Guide, 2021
More than just a degree
The learning environment here is just fantastic, we have a whole area just for our course. Seeing first, second and third years all working on different projects is very moving. It's great to have a space where you can just come and unleash your creativity.

What you'll study
The course is designed to be highly motivating – the teaching and learning activities are conceived to have clear relevance to your future career. We will focus on the development of problem solving, reflective practice, critical thinking, technical and practical skills related to photographic practice.
From the outset, we will provide you with the opportunity to develop your technical skills and teach you to understand what it is to situate yourself within a professional photographic environment. We’ll introduce you to wider thematic questions and encourage critical thinking about the medium to help to better equip you to think as an informed image-maker. You will be encouraged develop your understanding of visual communications within the context of different industries, ranging from fashion photography through to fine art.
Together, we will question and explore the latest developments in photography – recently this has included data mining, geotagging, gif making, glitching, distributed authorship, archives, hypertext navigation, collaborative photographic practices and much more.
Throughout the course, we invite the international photography community into our classroom (subject to availability), enabling you to engage directly with the industry. You’ll work on projects on location and in the studio, developing high levels of competence using industry-standard cameras, lenses, lighting equipment and editing software in the digital darkrooms.
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
Our teaching places an emphasis on experimentation, critical research, versatility and technical expertise. It is informed by staff practice and research in areas such as photobook publishing; documentary photography; collaborative photographic practices; socially-engaged practice, photography education; digital appropriation and expanded photography practices; the representation of death in contemporary culture; art and anthropology; the ethics and aesthetics of participation; photography and time; photography and cinema; community photography; the pedagogical turn of contemporary art; and photography and the archive.
Students successfully completing the first two years of the course can opt to take a Professional or International Enhancement module, spending a year out between the second and third years on placement or study abroad (subject to availability, competitive application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs).
Your personal tutor, who will be a member of the photography team, will review and discuss your progress with you and will be available for advice.
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include practical or project work, coursework, essay, reports and presentations.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
Job ready
On successful completion, you will be equipped with the skills to:
- Demonstrate technical skills relating to a wide range of analogue and digital photography, and associated media equipment, platforms and processes.
- Apply your photography skills creatively to a brief to a high standard of aptitude, demonstrating the appropriate breadth and depth of conceptual development.
- Apply creative solutions to a brief, using technical means and appropriate application of materials, processes and technologies to develop a coherent body of work that reflects the particular characteristics of your own creative perspective.
- Communicate themes and ideas about lens-based media clearly, analytically and comprehensively in visual, oral and written forms.
- Apply critically informed knowledge of professional practice in photography, and the wider visual arts and media related fields.
- Effectively organise and manage independent and collaborative projects and apply entrepreneurial skills in dealing with audiences, clients, consumers, finances, markets, sources and/or users.
International experience opportunities
Our sandwich degree option allows a full-year placement, which can be taken abroad. In the past, photography students have studied abroad at places such as International Centre of Photography, New York, USA; Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain; Karlstad University, Sweden; Hanze University, Groningen, Netherlands; and Universidad Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. The University also runs a number of schemes to allow students short periods of overseas study, places include: China, USA, South America and parts of Europe.
Throughout the course, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects are facilitated in collaboration with universities overseas, enhancing your global experience and international networks. Recent OIL projects have taken place with partners in the Universidad de Europa de Madrid, Spain, and Universitatea Nationala De Arte, Bucharest.
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Studying photography at Coventry University was an amazing experience for me. With an incredible team of lecturers from a wide range of specialist fields, I really feel the course has prepared me for my future in the photographic field. The advice and knowledge I received not only benefited my coursework, but also my practice, and gave me insight into the professional world of photography. The course encourages students to produce their own work, not work that is a carbon copy of another. It pushes you to be a better photographer and to think outside the box, especially with the introduction of digital media modules, as being up-to-date with the latest technology is so important in photography today.

Entry requirements
Fees and funding
2022/23 Tuition fees
Student | Full time | Part time |
---|---|---|
UK | £9,250 per year | Not available |
International | £18,050 per year | Not available |
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.
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.
Facilities
Coventry University is home to superb facilities and our new Arts and Humanities building is set to open in 2022. We also have a well-stocked Media Loan Shop so you can borrow an extensive range of specialist, professional equipment, including digital medium format camera equipment, large format cameras, Bowens lighting, Canon and Nikon full frame digital SLRs and a full range of film cameras.

Television Studio
On select courses, you’ll have access to our on-campus TV studio The Tank, with its specialist TV studio equipment, including large cameras, mixing facilities and fibre-optic wiring throughout.

The Photography Suite
The photography suite is a superb facility that includes virtual drum scanning, photography studios, black and white print darkrooms, free black and white film processing, and a digital print bureau.

Media Loan Shop
As a student, you’ll have access to Coventry University’s specialist Media Loan Shop. This well-stocked facility offers an extensive range of specialist, professional photography and film equipment.
Careers and opportunities
Like all of our creative courses, Photography is very much practice-led and informed by research and critical thinking. Throughout your course, you will be encouraged to develop projects that enable you to determine which fields you wish to specialise in, while at the same time building a portfolio of work which will stand out from the crowd.
To celebrate your works of art, we produce a Degree Show exhibition every year. This is an important platform for graduates as professionals from across the industries of photography are invited to view the exhibition and receive copies of its accompanying catalogue. The Degree Show is also an important opportunity to host portfolio reviews with high profile industry experts, picture editors, curators, and commissioners. In the past, we have invited experts from a vast array of organisations, including: Magnum, Photofusion, 1000 Words, Victoria and Albert Museum, Photocaptionist and more.
Where our graduates work
Graduates from this course have gone on to work as freelance photographers, visual artists, picture editors, curators, archivists, researchers, writers, gallery and museum educators, art therapists, and teachers.
Further study
You can choose to continue your studies at Coventry University with the Photography MA. 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.
How to apply
-
UK Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS. Part-time students should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
-
International Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
You may also like

Media Production BA (Hons)

Media and Communications BA (Hons)
Discover Uni stats
-
Disclaimer
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2021/22 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
Tuition fees
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we 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. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
Facilities
Facilities mentioned on this page may not be relevant for every course. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Placements and study abroad opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Additional costs
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to), equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas).