Photography - UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Practice

The course gives you the opportunity to explore Photography in a supportive way, ensuring the information youre learning is current and will help you in your future career. The supportive approach to teaching will help you feel confident in your own ability, as we help you develop skills from beginner to a professional level over your time here.

You will learn to use the camera as a tool to express yourself and will learn the technical aspects of the camera to produce professional quality work.

We cover how to use black and white 35mm film camera, medium and large format cameras, Digital SLR and image manipulation with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. We also delve in to video making skills and using Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the videos we make. Related studies explore the subjects of visual communication, history of art, design and experimental techniques.

1st Year

• First term - Learning the basics. This first term covers a lot of information. How to use our large studio with fully equipped lighting rig and a variety of lighting equipment. Camera and editing techniques, creative theory which involves how to develop a concept and research effectively to express yourself or tell a story. You will present your work to the class or tutor on a weekly basis to develop confidence in your communication.
• Second term - There are several projects. This will be where you start to find out which direction your photography might take you. There is a video project, 35mm Film Portraiture project and a Packaging Design Project.
• Third term - Final major project where you put everything into practice producing work for your portfolio and start thinking about what youd like to do after College.

2nd Year

• First term - Portfolio development. Several rapid projects to push your creativity and help produce work for your portfolio. Music album cover, Applied photography (commercial) and Fine art photography (conceptual).
• Second Term - Intellectual push. This will be the most youve been pushed intellectually to produce a professional project. This project is about raising awareness or protesting an issue you are passionate about. This is for half the term, then there will be a live project with a local company.
• Third Term - THE FINAL MAJOR PROJECT. This is how you get your grade for the whole course, and you need to use everything youve learnt to go out with a bang.

Throughout both years there is regular tutorial support from tutors with professional experience. You will be required to continue with projects independently and it is expected that you work independently outside of sessions to practice and perfect your skills. Its a passion subject, most people choose photography as their hobby to relax and have fun, but you can make a career out of it, which means youll be enjoying every day! Cant get better than that!

You will need:

• 5 GCSEs at Grade 4 or higher, including English, Maths and a relevant creative-based subject

Or:

• A relevant Level 2 qualification at Merit or Distinction standard studied at CWA or another further education provider
• English and maths GCSEs at grade 4 or higher

Substantial Level 2 vocational qualifications in relevant subjects will be accepted as GCSE equivalent (with the exception of English and maths).

You will be invited to an informal interview to help ensure the course is right for you. You will need to bring a portfolio of your creative work for the course team to look at. This is to showcase your creative flair, visual research, ideas and technical skills and can consist of a range of work from different medias such as drawing, painting, photography or 3D design. We really like to see sketchbooks however work can also be presented through photographs.

How long is this course?

2 years

When does this course start?

01/09/2025

How many hours / days per week is this course?

Full-time courses at CWA are generally 3 - 4 days per week (though you may be in for an extra day if you are resitting English and / or Maths). The college day is typically longer than a day at school and students will need to plan their individual study in their free time (including individual study hours which are recorded at college in the Learning Resource Centre or other study areas). Work experience will be a key component of your course and most students will complete a minimum of 60 hours per academic year (on top of their college hours), depending on the course they are studying. CWA has a dedicated team of work placement co-ordinators to support you with this.

Age	Cost
16-18	Free*
19+	£8,550

* Some of our courses may have additional costs to cover trips, unform and equipment. These costs will be confirmed to you at enrolment.

Fee information

Though this course is free for those aged 16-18, there may be additional costs related to the programme, such as additional equipment and uniform, educational trips and work placement costs. Full details will be sent to applicants before enrolment.

Find all the information you need about course fees and financial help below.

Information on Fees and Financial Help

Adult (19+) learners

Depending on your age, course, educational history and personal circumstances, there may be options available for you to receive a course fully-funded by the government. Our fee calculator will help give you an idea on whether you'll be able to have your course fee waived or covered by an Advanced Learner Loan.

Complete our fee calculator

Learners with an active Education, Health & Care Plan

If you are aged 19 - 24 at the start of your course and have an active Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP), any course up to and including level 3 will be fully-funded by the government. This means you will not have a course fee to pay and any equipment considered essential to complete your course will be provided by the college.

What qualification will I achieve?

University of the Arts London (UAL) Diploma in Photography (Level 3)

This qualification is awarded by University of the Arts London (UAL), the only specialist creative arts awarding organisation in England.

This is a two-year programme and has two achievement points. You will work towards the Diploma qualification in the first year of the course and the Extended Diploma in the second year.

How is my course assessed?

The work on the course is project/assignment based, and assessment is continuous throughout the course. Some units will be subject to external assessment.

The units in the first two terms are assessed at Pass grade only. The final unit is awarded a grade of Pass, Merit or Distinction. This unit is achieved through a personal proposal and exhibition and decides the overall grade for the qualification.

How many UCAS points will I achieve on this course?

Our level 3 vocational courses qualify for UCAS tariff points to apply for university in the same way as A-Levels. This course is an UAL extended diploma which is delivered over two years and you could achieve up to 168 UCAS points (which is equivalent to three A* grades at A-Level).

UAL extended diplomas are graded as a pass, merit or distinction (with distinction being the highest grade).

The following table gives some examples on the amount of UCAS points you can achieve on a UAL extended diploma:

UAL grade	UCAS Points
D	168
M	120
P	72

You can find more details and examples on the UCAS tariff points calculator here.