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Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Photography

Exhibition shot of framed photographs showing coloured fruit, within a white gallery space.
Zoe Tigner Haus, BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL.
College
London College of Communication
UCAS code
W640
Start date
September 2024
Course length
3 years

BA (Hons) Photography at London College of Communication is an innovative course that will encourage you to develop your own distinctive approach to the photographic.

Why choose this course at London College of Communication

  • You’ll develop an experimental and innovative photographic art practice.
  • Specialising in your field of interest, you’ll develop as a creative visual practitioner who can engage with contemporary issues.
  • You'll have access to analogue and digital facilities supported by expert technicians, with opportunities to gain accredited qualifications in Adobe Creative Suite.
  • Our industry connections provide opportunities and collaborations, and have included projects with Tate, Converse and OffPrint at Photo London.
  • Our graduates go on to enjoy successful careers, such as leading names Tom Hunter, Bettina von Zwehl, Juno Calypso, Francesca Allen, Dan Tobin Smith and Rankin. Many win prominent prizes, including Silvia Rosi (Jerwood Photography Award) and Tami Aftab (Creative Review’s Photography Annual; Women Photograph x Getty Images Scholarship).

Open Days

The next Open Day for this course will be announced soon.

Explore life at LCC with our interactive Virtual Open Day.

Course overview

BA (Hons) Photography is an ideas-driven, multi-genre photography course which combines practice, theory, professionalism and technical expertise. You’ll graduate as a critically engaged creative who is conceptually driven and professionally focused.

What to expect

Each year of study is divided into two 15-week blocks with individual units focused on Practice, Contextual Studies and Professional Practice to support and develop your knowledge and understanding. 

Professional practice and business skills are provided both within the course and by the award-winning UAL Student Enterprise and Employability service.  

Together these enable you to develop a distinctive and original voice as a photographer, and provide you with the conceptual, technical, and professional skills to underpin the highest level of practice and prepare you for your future career.  

Technical workshops covering a huge variety of techniques are delivered throughout the course, introducing you to many areas of photographic practice. 

Exposure to professional environments through visits, lectures and input from guest speakers’ broadens your vision on the possible career outcomes of a photography degree. 

We also encourage exploration of the wider resources at LCC such as the UAL archives and special collections, including the library’s Zine collection and the Stanley Kubrick archive, where possible.  

You are directed to resources that will assist you in utilising central London, which allows ready access to museums and galleries.  

The achievements of the staff team and the contacts they have with the larger world of photography help create a stimulating environment in which to work and learn. 

Work experience and opportunities

We are committed to enhancing your employability, and entrepreneurship. Success within the arts and media is about the integration of practice, skills and mindset that enable you to develop and sustain a rewarding working life. Our curriculum is designed to expand the possibilities of your own creativity by developing your unique subjectivity, career aspirations and professional awareness, whether for the creative and cultural sector or beyond. 

In Block 1 of Year 2 – Study Abroad 

Between Years 2 and 3 of the course, you will also have the opportunity to undertake the following additional UAL qualification:  

UAL Diploma in Creative Computing (Optional)    

Diploma in Creative Computing: An optional, year-long opportunity which allows you to develop the computational skills that are shaping the future of the digital creative industries. After successfully completing the Diploma and the final year of your undergraduate degree, you’ll graduate with an enhanced degree title: for example, BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography (with Creative Computing). 

Mode of study

BA (Hons) Photography is offered in full-time mode. It is divided into 3 stages over 3 academic years. Each stage consists of 31 teaching weeks. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study. 

Course units

We are committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework and are embedding UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice into this course.

In common with all courses at the University of the Arts London, this course is credit rated. The course is three years, levels 4-6. Each year requires you to achieve 120 credits. To be awarded the BA (Hons) Photography qualification, you need to accumulate a total of 360 credits. 

Year 1 

During the first year, through a series of specially designed theory and practice sessions, you will learn about historical and contemporary photography practices, and the key theoretical frameworks used to situate them. 

You’ll be introduced to specialist photographic skills and creative methodologies in a supportive environment, to develop your curiosity and creativity. 

Throughout the course, there will be a guest lectures from industry professionals, including professional photographers, artists, filmmakers, picture editors, curators, commissioners and more, giving insight into a range of photographic practices and providing a space to meet other photography students from across the programme at BA and MA levels. 

In your first year you will be introduced the wider resources of the university, including the Digital space where you can sign up to short courses offering Adobe accreditation in Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, or other software course.   

You’ll be supported through tutorials to develop and research your own photographic ideas in relation to project briefs and experiment with the technical skills to develop your personal position as a photographer. 

Introduction to Photography (20 Credits) 

This unit acts as an introduction to the course and to your subject specialism. Topics covered include effective learning and studentship at undergraduate level as well as introducing basic technical skills.  

Remix, Remake (20 Credits) 

This unit is designed to familiarise you with making practice-based work that is informed by experimentation, the development of critical, practical skills and peer-to-peer learning. Designed to assist in your exploration of the medium, the unit asks you to consider photography as a current visual practice and how it is used in wider visual culture.  

Histories in Context (20 Credits) 

This unit addresses some of the key debates concerning photographic representation today. Using appropriate cultural and critical methods, the unit encourages you to develop an awareness of how these debates have emerged. 

Photographic Fictions (40 Credits) 

Photographic Fictions is an opportunity for you to identify and develop photographic work with a particular focus on the book form. The unit specifically considers how work might address the potential of photographic mediations, formulating an expanded understanding of narrative which explores contemporary (as well as historic) concerns. 

Ideas in Practice (20 Credits) 

This unit works in conjunction with the Practice-Research unit Photographic fictions in addressing some of the key contemporary questions concerning photographic representation. However, in this unit you will be focused on how your work can be circulated to an audience Through collaborative working, and in discussion with your tutors, you will engage in the production of audio-visual material that deals with ideas considered to be important by your group. 

Year 2 

As you move into Year 2, you will expand on your skills and start to develop a more specific understanding of your work. You will be encouraged to question the contexts in which your work may be encountered and how your work is placed in relation to wider visual cultures. Year 2 builds on the foundations established in Year 1, introducing themes of practice, contextual studies, and professional development. 

Students work through considerations of the medium, usage, and institutional setting, to focus on two key themes of contemporary photography: society and culture. 

Towards the end of the year, the emphasis in contextual studies shifts towards preparation for your selection of a research topic that you will continue to explore in the third year.  

Expanded Practice (20 Credits) 

This unit encourages you to consider the photographic medium in an expanded sense. It will examine the production of work with a clearly identified context in mind, but also consider the conceptual underpinning and positionality of any visual artefact. The focus of the unit will be on how photography is expanding into and being accompanied by other forms of making, such as moving images, sculpture, and computation.  

Thinking Ecologies (20 Credits) 

This unit places emphasis on contemporary photographic issues and practices and builds on your developing understanding of historical and theoretical photographic knowledge. 
This unit develops essential skills in independent research and critical thinking, and provides critical insight into photographic practice. 

Professional Collaborations (Elective) (20 Credits) 

The Professional Collaborations (Elective) Unit provides you with the opportunity to choose from a number of available collaborative options. Through this process you will share skills and expertise with others and gain insight from working on projects that may fall outside of the usual opportunities provided within the course. 

Situating Practices (40 Credits) 

Situating Practices considers how visual work is created in relation to theories of site and location. The unit asks you to consider questions regarding how the meaning of your practical work may change depending on the context in which it is placed. You will be asked to consider the extent to which your work can be used to transform, subvert, enhance, or otherwise work in relation to a site or space of inquiry. This practice-based unit encourages you to think of yourself as a fieldworker and consider how image makers engage in a specific public sphere. To this end, documentation of the project will be presented on a website. The production and skills required to undertake this medium will be delivered in specific sessions to be included in the schedule. 

Culture Machines (20 Credits) 

This unit explores models of production and their consequence for meaning, identity and value. Culture Machines will contribute to your developing skills in independent research.

Year 3 

Year 3, the final stage of your degree, consolidates and develops your ability to direct and plan your own work. All final year units are designed to enable you to think about how you may be able to sustain your practice after graduation and find exciting career opportunities. 

Research Project (40 Credits) 

The Research Project is developed on a self-selected topic, chosen to complement your practice interests and provides you with the opportunity to develop a larger set of questions and ideas using skills, knowledge, and understanding acquired over the course. 

Major Project 1 (20 Credits) 

In this unit you will begin the exploratory process of researching and making visual work towards your final major project. You will begin to develop a written proposal, complete a risk assessment and begin to make work that will be further developed in the Major Project 2 unit.  

Major Project 2 (40 Credits) 

Major Project 2 builds on your interests and knowledge acquired from previous units to produce a significant body of practice based work. You will be supported in conducting in-depth research and technical / methodological experimentation, which will on completion will demonstrate sophisticated understanding and articulation of your own practice. 

Creative Futures (20 Credits) 

Creative Futures explores the future possibilities of photographic practice and scholarship open to graduates. 

The unit considers the ways that your practice can be situated in contemporary culture and focuses on personal professional planning, considering your career development outside of the undergraduate environment. 

 

Learning and teaching methods

  • Interactive lectures  
  • Seminars  
  • Guest talks  
  • Group project work  
  • Individual projects  
  • Workshops  
  • Individual tutorials  
  • Group tutorials  
  • Study visits  
  • Written and verbal feedback on work in progress  

Online Open Day

Course Leader, Peter Ainsworth gives an overview of studying BA (Hons) Photography.

Graduate Showcase 2021

Exhibition walk-through

A sample walk-through of BA (Hons) Photography's Notes for the Future Monument, 2021.

Graduate Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

  • Eternal Regrets
    Eternal Regrets, Narcisa Tirpoca, 2023 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Estamos Aquí
    Estamos Aquí, Janice Quiñonez, 2023 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • LIFE IS NOT BORING YOU ARE
    LIFE IS NOT BORING YOU ARE, Wika Wojcikiewicz, 2023 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Coming Home
    Coming Home, Slaven Orsolic, 2023 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose
    Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, Sonia Shi, 2023 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Just because we are women...
    Just because we are women..., Nicole Eberl, 2022 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • London College of Fried Egg
    London College of Fried Egg, Manyi Chan, 2023 BA (Hons) Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Black and white photograph of Silvia Rosi, holding a phone.
    Self Portrait as my Mother, The Phone Call by Silvia Rosi, 2016.

    Graduate wins Third Jerwood/Photoworks Award  

    BA (Hons) Photography graduate Silvia Rosi is the joint recipient of the Third Jerwood/Photoworks Awards. Selected from over 450 submissions, Silvia's work explores the concept of the family album and the idea of re-staging archival images through self-portrayal.

  • Photograph of graduate Francesca Allen giving a talk.

    Graduate speaks at It's Nice That's Nicer Tuesdays  

    BA (Hons) Photography graduate Francesca Allen talks to an audience at It's Nice That's Nicer Tuesdays about her career to date – from her graduation project Girls, Girls, Girls – which went on to be exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery a year later – through to her first book, Aya.

Student voices

Kairo Urovi

Kairo's work documents his journey back to Albania and their relationship with country, community and people in the face of their identity.

Lyssa Harakis-Parish

Lyssa's work is about documenting the process of building a home.

Mick O’Connell

Mick talks through building a set for his project, The American Dream, a visual representation of how this idea influenced him growing up in rural Ireland.

Millie Hardingham

Millie's series of self-portraiture, 'ANA' explores the stereotype of the housewife in Hollywood cinema.

Pepo Fernando

Student voices

Pepo's work features a non-binary sex worker and aims to challenge power structures.

Course stories

Facilities


  • Media Photography

    Photography students benefit from access to resources held in the Media Photography areas.

  • Red light indicating recording is taking place.
    Image © Vladimir Molico

    Lens-Based and Audio-Visual

    Find out about the workspaces and studios that support Lens-Based and Audio-Visual practice.

  • Student reading a book in between two bookshelves in the Library
    Students in the Digital Space. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Alys Tomlinson

    The Digital Space  

    The Digital Space is an open-plan, creative hub with computers set up with specialist software.

Staff

Associate Lecturers

Our Associate lecturers encompass a range of artistic and critical concerns connected with the Photographic, adding a diverse range of approaches and ideas to our teaching programme. Recent associate lecturers include:

Katja Mayer, Krasimira Butseva, Mahtab Hussain, Sheyi Bankale, Lalu Delbracio, John Briggs, Max Colson, Ana Escobar, Mandy Barker, Becky Warnock, Anthony Luvera, Richard Kolker, Max Ferguson, Magali Avezou, Atsuhide Ito, Ileana-Lucia Selejan, Parnian Ferdossi

Visiting practitioners

The course regularly invites a range of visiting practitioners for lectures, seminars and workshops, enabling BA (Hons) Photography to always keep abreast of conceptual, commercial, and artistic approaches and developments. Visitors include:

Fees and funding

Home fee

£9,250 per year

This fee is correct for entry in autumn 2024 and is subject to change for entry in autumn 2025.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570 per year

This fee is correct for entry in autumn 2024 and is subject to change for entry in autumn 2025.

Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course.

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 course team welcomes applicants from a broad range of backgrounds from all over the world. The course attracts students who apply direct from A-level (or equivalent) or from Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, or other art or design courses, as well as mature students who may have previously worked in the industry.

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

104 UCAS tariff points, which can be made up of one or a combination of the following accepted full level 3 qualifications:

  • A Levels at grade C or above (preferred subjects include: English; History; Media; Business; Art and Design, or other subjects within Social Sciences).
  • Distinction at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4).
  • Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma (preferred subjects: Art and Design, IT & Computing, Media).
  • Merit at UAL Extended Diploma.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma (preferred subject: Digital and Creative Media, Film and Production).
  • OR equivalent EU/International qualifications, such as International Baccalaureate Diploma at 24 points minimum 

And 5 GCSE passes at grade 4 or above (grade A*-C)

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

If you do not meet these entry requirements but your application demonstrates additional strengths and alternative relevant experience, you may still be considered. This could include:

  • 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. We cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

  • IELTS level 6.0 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

All classes are taught in English. If English isn’t your first language, you will need to show evidence of your English language ability when you enrol. For further guidance, please check our English language requirements.

Selection criteria

The portfolio, along with the details on your UCAS application (including the academic reference and your personal statement) will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • Demonstration of an appreciation of photography as a specialised discipline.
  • Technical skills and experimentation with visual creativity, demonstrated in your own photographic work.
  • Evidence of research and development of ideas through practice to achieve specific outcomes.
  • Quality of ideas and thought processes in the production of your work.

Apply now

Application deadline

31 January 2024 at 18:00 (UK time)

If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Apply to UAL

Home students can apply to this course through UCAS with the following codes:

University code:

U65

UCAS code:

W640

Start your application

Apply now

Application deadline

31 January 2024 at 18:00 (UK time)

If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Apply to UAL

International students can apply to this course through UCAS with the following codes:

University code:

U65

UCAS code:

W640

Start your application
or

Apply with a UAL Representative

Based across the world, our local UAL representatives can support you with your application from your home country. Check to see if there is a representative available in your country currently.

Find your representative

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.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 4,000 characters and cover the following:

  • Why have you chosen this course? What excites you about the subject?
  • How does your previous or current study relate to the course?
  • Have you got any work experience that might help you?
  • Have any life experiences influenced your decision to apply for this course?
  • What skills do you have that make you perfect for this course?
  • What plans and ambitions do you have for your future career?

Visit the UCAS advice page and our personal statement advice page for more support.

Step 2: Digital portfolio

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

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool.

Digital portfolio advice

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

It should:

  • be maximum 20 pages of your own original photographic work
  • include work in progress as well as the best examples of your completed projects
  • demonstrate your image-making skills and ability to develop your ideas from concept through to final outcomes
  • include original research notes, sketch books, process development, contact sheets etc.
  • be presented clearly and organised into a suitable narrative.

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.

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

You must apply in the year that you intend to start your course. If you are made an offer and your circumstances change, you can submit a deferral request to defer your place by 1 academic year. You must have met your conditions by 31 August 2024. If you need an English language test in order to meet the entry requirements, the test must be valid on the deferred start date of your course. If not, you will need to reapply. Requests are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Contextual Admissions

This course is part of the Contextual Admissions scheme.

This scheme helps us better understand your personal circumstances so that we can assess your application fairly and in context. This ensures that your individual merit and creative potential can shine through, no matter what opportunities and experiences you have received.

Careers

A huge variety of options are open to students after graduating from BA (Hons) Photography. The creative, research and professional skills gained on the course enable a broad range of careers possibilities, including:

  • Photographer (advertising, fashion, editorial, blogging, documentary and art photography)
  • Art buyers
  • Picture editors
  • Publishers
  • Curators
  • Archivists
  • Academics
  • Art directors
  • Entrepreneurs

Alumni achievements include:

Each year there are some graduates who go on to study MA Photography at LCC or other related MA courses.

Alumni include internationally renowned artists and photographers including: