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Postgraduate

MA Illustration

Illustration of a girl with a lollipop and a fish bowl with fish swimming outside the bowl and spacemen swimming in the bowl by Wei Guo - MA Illustration.
Wei Guo.,
MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
College
Camberwell College of Arts
Start date
September 2024
Course length
15 months (full time)

MA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts is a broad, inclusive and experimental course that enables individual practitioners to develop sustainable creative models that respond and contribute to the expanding field of contemporary illustration.

Subject to re-approval

This course is undergoing re-approval. This is the process by which we ensure the course continues to provide a high-quality academic experience. During re-approval there may be some changes to the course content displayed on this page. Please contact us if you have any questions about the course.

Applying for more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3. Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Course overview

MA Illustration enables you to build on your visual practice in a variety of conventional and non-conventional contexts. You’ll develop your visual thinking, research and storytelling abilities.

You’ll be working on ambitious projects alongside students from diverse creative and cultural backgrounds. This will help you to extend the range of your practice to adapt to a rapidly changing professional landscape.

What to expect  

  • Dynamic learning: Build a deep understanding of the practice of illustration through active workshops, discussion groups and one-to-one tutorials.
  • Research community: Become part of a critical mass of around 450 illustration students and staff who actively cultivate knowledge and critical discourse in the discipline.
  • Expert speakers: Learn from creative practitioners from a wide range of disciplines with our lecture programme, practitioner visits and seminars. 
  • Creative facilities: Access to Camberwell's shared workshops, including printmaking, photography, film, moving image, digital, plastic, ceramics, wood and metalwork. View the Camberwell facilities

Industry experience and opportunities

Our London location means we can attract some of the most high-profile practitioners to work with our MA Illustration students, whether on a regular basis or for one-off projects. 

You’ll benefit from the experience of visiting practitioners from many different disciplines, such as illustration, graphic design, craft practices, journalism, anthropology, animation and UX design.

Mode of study  

MA Illustration is offered in full-time mode and runs for 45 weeks over 15 months. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study
 

Course units

Unit 1 - Locate, identify and position  

This unit is an introduction to your course, the College and the University. You’ll identify, map and develop your methods as an illustrator. You’ll expand your visual approaches by exploring a range of materials and media. Your written work will articulate your position as an illustrator. You’ll have an introduction to enquiry and practice methods and a programme of critical and theoretical study. 

Unit 2 - Intersect, converge, focus, trajectory 

You will focus on your own enquiry and consider how to build sustainable momentum in your practice. You’ll work with a group of peers to create a collective publication on a topic that is of shared importance . Contemporary practice will be explored through a visiting speakers programme. Seminars, tutorials and workshops will deepen your knowledge of illustration.  

Unit 3 - Realisations 

The final unit of the course will focus on the production of your major project. You’ll take part in professional development and practice workshops, seminars and a series of lectures and visiting practitioner talks.

Note: 120 Credits must be passed before the final unit is undertaken.

Learning and teaching methods

  • Group seminars, critiques and individual tutorials
  • Guided process workshops
  • Lectures and visiting practitioner talks
  • Progressive and inclusive assessment model
  • Reflection and self-evaluation
  • Student led community of enquiry meetings
  • Studio based teaching

MA Illustration

Open day recording

Course Leader Sinead Evans gives an overview of MA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts.

Student work

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

  • Seeing is Believing
    Seeing is Believing, Yujia Liu, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • This Moment is Already Over
    This Moment is Already Over, Toby Duncan, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Tsukiji Stories
    Tsukiji Stories, Yo Hosoyamada, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Don't tell people who I am
    Don't tell people who I am, Yang Wang, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Time in D3
    Time in D3, Errin Quinn, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Exploring Gender
    Exploring Gender, Thararin Jirajakkavan, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Ouch
    Ouch, Qian Yin, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Interference
    Interference, Jialin Wei, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • WooHoo
    WooHoo, Rui Pu, 2021 MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL

Film

MA Illustration

Graduate Showcase

Staff

Fees and funding

Home fee

£13,330

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:

  • BA (Hons) degree or equivalent academic qualifications
  • Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio of work

Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and personal statement.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • A combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

All classes are taught in English. If English isn't your first language you must provide evidence at enrolment of the following:

Selection criteria

We look for:

  • An interest and involvement in visual arts
  • Demonstrable skills in your existing practice
  • The ability and capacity for self-reflection
  • Ambition and research interest
  • Aspiration for a higher level of practice
  • Quality of work

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

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How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement and CV.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Choose 1 project from your portfolio and explain how it challenged you and your understanding of illustration.
  • Tell us how this experience inspired you to apply to MA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 30 pages, including your video task
  • include a range of work that best illustrates your creative practice and diverse skillset
  • include work in progress and examples of your research and development as well as finished pieces
  • be clearly annotated with explanations to give context to your work, including indications of the size and media used. If you include any group projects, please explain your role.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3 courses. You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer. UAL doesn't accept repeat applications to the same course in the same academic year.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. This means that we may request your portfolio and/or video task before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 equal consideration deadlines to ensure fairness for all our applicants. If you apply ahead of either of these deadlines, your application will be considered on an equal basis with all other applications in that round. If there are places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

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