Illustration
Turn your passion for visual storytelling, image-making and creative expression into a career in illustration.
How to apply Apply through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to us/filters:format(webp)/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/design/ba-illustration-masthead.PNG)
UCAS Code
W220
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
96
International students: £17,600*
Course Overview
Develop your own creative voice through studio practice, experimentation and industry-informed projects, working on live briefs and building professional skills needed for creative careers across illustration, publishing, animation, design and freelance practice.
Through studio-based learning, research and industry-informed projects, you'll build the skills and confidence to create ambitious work and develop a professional portfolio.
Member of
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Association of Illustrators (AOI)
Why study this course?
What you'll study
Get a thorough grounding in how your illustration skills can make an impact in the real world, finding your own visual language through immersive workshops.
Learn the fundamental theory that underpins your practical development and get to grips with key academic skills.
Explore how colour theory and colour psychology help you communicate your ideas and enhance your visual storytelling.
Spend time in the studio developing your own drawing style, visual language and storytelling style, experimenting with a wide range of media and mark-making techniques and drawing styles.
Examine how illustration is applied within the industry of visual communication and illustration, while also considering your visual language, target audience and markets.
Research key artistic and design movements from the past, that inspire your own art practice, while developing skills in critical research, analysis and academic writing.
Apply your craft in more advanced ways.
Develop a commercial understanding of a range of industries where you can make an impact as an illustrator.
Examine the relationship between illustrator, client and agent, exploring illustration for literature, editorial illustration, and illustration that can information the audience.
Investigate how illustration can persuade or attract new audiences with relation to places, products and brands as you respond to a brief aligned to industry.
Learn how to elevate your visuals with movement, exploring the illustrator’s role in the production of animation and moving images, exploring character design, animation fundamentals, gif making and augmented reality.
Develop an advanced understanding of illustration contexts, their purpose and their applications, with an emphasis on social media and trends in the creative industries.
Prepare to enter the industry as you take part in live briefs and projects tailored to your aspirations.
You’ll undertake an industry placement, build up your portfolio, and develop your own branding and identity alongside the professional skills required to launch your illustration career.
Link academic research and creative practice as you undertake a sustained research project in a field relating to illustration and/or design.
Develop a self-directed project, or a professional body of work based on your strengths, interests and career aspirations, presenting your work to a professional level.
Undertake a 70-hour work-based industry placement or complete a live project brief provided by an industry partner, demonstrating your industry readiness.
Build essential skills in the business of freelance illustration. Master self-promotion with a website and social media to boost your employability.
Another chance to grow your professional expertise and get lots of eyes on your work. Our students regularly see success in many national prizes and competitions.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and Assessment
This hands-on course combines practical studio learning with industry engagement to support your development as a creative professional. Through workshops, tutorials, live projects and independent study, you will build a strong portfolio and gain valuable experience. Assessment is primarily focused on the creative work and projects you produce.
You’ll learn through a mix of studio practice, live briefs, workshops, lectures and industry-led projects. A significant proportion of your time is spent developing practical skills in the studio, where you will build creative confidence, refine your visual style and develop a professional portfolio while responding to real-world challenges and collaborative projects.
Assessment is entirely coursework-based, with no traditional exams. You'll be assessed through portfolios, practical projects, presentations, written assignments and live client briefs, giving you the opportunity to showcase your creativity, technical skills and professional development throughout the course.
Build industry connections through live projects, studio visits, placements and networking opportunities with creative organisations across illustration, publishing, design, animation, museums and galleries.
You will gain real-world insight, develop professional skills and build a network for your future career.
Throughout the course, you will work on industry-led projects and live briefs. In Year Three, you will focus on international competition briefs, supported placements where possible, and a major final project informed by professional practice.
Previous students have worked with New York art galleries, taught art through the Welsh language in Patagonia and contributed to USW’s award-winning Immersed Festival.
You'll have access to industry-standard facilities at our Cardiff campus, including professional studio spaces, Mac suites with drawing tablets and Adobe software, and specialist equipment such as Risograph printers, 3D printers and laser cutters.
To support your studies, our free Media Loans service provides access to cameras, lighting, sound equipment and recording tools for use on projects and assignments.
You'll also benefit from dedicated technical support, helping you develop practical skills and gain hands-on experience with the tools and technologies used across the creative industries.
Course Leader
Matthew Morgan
Matthew Morgan is the Course Leader for BA Illustration and an experienced illustrator, animator and creative director. Having worked with leading organisations including the BBC, Aardman Animations, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network, he brings valuable industry insight to the course. Matthew's hands-on approach helps students develop their creative practice, build professional confidence and prepare for careers in the creative industries.
“I’ve had incredible industry opportunities, including a project with Music Declares Emergency, Cardiff Council, and sustainable studios.”
Meg Kingsbury, Illustration student
Entry Requirements
Additional requirements include:
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question96 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
CCC to include a relevant art and design subject
Welsh BACC:
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level with a relevant art and design subject
BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Merit Merit in a relevant art and design subject
Access to HE:
Pass the Access to HE Diploma in a relevant art and design subject with a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points
T Level:
P in a relevant Art and Design subject
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
International studentsPre-Sessional EnglishEnglish language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Fees and Funding
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Material (per year)*
USW provides a variety of basic materials, but we encourage you to have your own preferred materials to use for directed work.
Cost: Up to £150
Printing and Exhibition costs*
On occasion you may be required to print illustrated outcomes for specific modules, live briefs, client presentations or assessment. Costs are subject to individual requirements.
Cost: Up to £100
Field Trips
Field trips that are part of core learning will be paid for by the course. Additional visits are occasionally arranged which are optional and students may be asked to share the costs. These optional trips will range from £20 for local trips to £500 for international trips.
Cost: Up to £500
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Material (per year)*
USW provides a variety of basic materials, but we encourage you to have your own preferred materials to use for directed work.
Cost: Up to £150
Printing and Exhibition costs*
On occasion you may be required to print illustrated outcomes for specific modules, live briefs, client presentations or assessment. Costs are subject to individual requirements.
Cost: Up to £100
Field Trips
Field trips that are part of core learning will be paid for by the course. Additional visits are occasionally arranged which are optional and students may be asked to share the costs. These optional trips will range from £20 for local trips to £500 for international trips.
Cost: Up to £500
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Explore our facilities
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Media Loans
Access industry-standard cameras, lighting, sound and recording gear, supported by free Media Loans and experienced technicians. We have everything you need to help you experiment, refine and bring your work to life with confidence.
How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS
You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
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Apply direct
Illustration
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Cardiff
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If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
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