BA (Hons) Photography

BA (Hons) How to apply Apply through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to us

UCAS Code

PW36

Start Date

September 2027

Location

Cardiff

Campus Code

UCAS Points

International students: £17,600*

UCAS Code

Start Date

September 2027

Location

Cardiff

Campus Code

UCAS Points

Course overview

The world needs people who can make an impact with images.

Our course helps you discover your passions, strengths, ideas and your own visual language as you work alongside industry experts. You’ll develop skills that make you valuable everywhere from the arts and advertising to medical photography and forensics.

Accreditations

Wales’ only Photography course accredited by the Association of Photographers

Why study this course?

Top accreditation

The only course in Wales to meet the strict quality criteria of the prestigious Association of Photographers.

Skills focus

Learn more than photo skills - develop visual literacy, technical expertise, and personal skills.

Cutting edge facilities

Explore our two studios and a variety of digital, analogue, lighting, fabrication, and print tools.

Immersed in creativity

Endless options for collaboration and exploration with all our creative industries teaching focussed in one place.

What you'll study

Explore key technical skills and ideas relevant to the contemporary photography industry through engaging and challenging practical projects.

Stimulating assignments and industry experiences will foster your creativity and help you understand and control the medium.

Gain camera and exposure skills as you explore photography’s relationship to truth, reality and the physical world.

Learn about photographic storytelling using key narrative tools such as image editing and sequencing.

Explore photography as make-believe, manipulating images through lighting and digital editing to create illusions.

Understand how photos shape memories, connect us with the past and inform our view of the present and future.

Investigate how photography shapes individual and cultural identities, creating images based on your own cares and concerns.

Showcase your emerging visual identity with a collaborative project on positive environmental and societal impact.

Part of this module can be studied through the medium of Welsh

Deepen your knowledge and learn how it applies to the contemporary photographic industry and various potential job roles that exist within it.

Further develop your skills and gain the confidence to build your unique visual identity.

Advance your technical skills as you create a commercial campaign that informs and educates a defined public audience.

Work directly with a notable industry figure to produce and evaluate a commercial photographic advertising campaign.

Use photography to explore the big questions of our time, initiating and researching ideas and developing subject matter.

Work with an industry pro as you initiate, develop and realise a personal project in response to a given site.

Dive into the industry as you explore career paths, engage with professionals, visit workplaces and get valuable feedback.

Part of this module can be studied through the medium of Welsh

Make decisions about the kind of work you want to make, themes you wish to explore, and the position your work occupies within the broader photography industry.

We will support you in building your confidence as an individual and preparing you for employment in the industry.

Develop an ambitious, relevant and contemporary body of work demonstrating your capabilities and individuality.

Choose one of two critical modules where you’ll develop an academic piece relevant to your ambitions.

Define and develop a visually creative catalogue pulling together contrasting imagery and ideas from existing artists.

Complete an essay exploring a subject relevant to your interests and supporting your practical photographic work.

Part of this module can be studied through the medium of Welsh

Publish your work to the highest possible standard in a specific area of the industry, and present yourself professionally, ready for employment.

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

After gaining the key technical and conceptual groundwork in year one, you’ll apply your skills and knowledge in various industry-relevant projects alongside established pros, finding your own visual identity in the process and creating a body of work that supports your career aspirations.

Learn through workshops, collaboration, lectures, seminars, tutorials, gallery visits, field trips and industry projects. Practical work sits at the heart of the course, helping you develop technical skills, creative confidence, idea generation and a deeper understanding of contemporary photography. You'll receive regular support from tutors and industry professionals while building independence and developing your own photographic practice.

Assessment is 100% coursework, with no exams. You'll complete practical projects, presentations, portfolios and industry-focused assignments that reflect professional photographic practice. This approach allows you to build a substantial body of work while developing the technical, creative and professional skills valued across the industry.

Build industry experience through live projects, placements, observation, discussion and collaborations with photographers, studios and wide a range of creative organisations. In your second year, you'll work directly with industry professionals, gaining insight into different areas of photography. You can also undertake a placement year, helping you expand your network and professional experience.

Work in professional photography studios and creative production spaces equipped with digital, analogue, lighting, print and fabrication facilities. You'll also have access to an extensive free camera loan service, with equipment from leading brands including Phase One, Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad and Sony.

Course Leader

Peter Bobby

Peter Bobby is Course Leader for BA (Hons) Photography. A leading advocate for creative education, he is recognised for his commitment to developing the next generation of photographic practitioners. Alongside his practice as a photographic artist, Peter helps students develop their creative skills and reach their full potential. His work explores photography, architecture, and the built environment, alongside broader interests in publishing, exhibitions, and photobooks.

Peter's international exhibition and publishing experience, together with his strong industry links, gives students opportunities to engage with leading organisations and gain valuable industry insight to support their creative careers.

Career prospects

You'll develop creative, technical and professional skills that support careers across photography and the wider creative industries. Graduates work as photographers, artists, curators, educators, publishers and marketing professionals, while others pursue specialist fields such as medical or forensic photography or continue to postgraduate study.

Your Future Career

Build a professional portfolio, industry connections and practical experience that prepare you for a wide range of careers across photography and the creative industries.

Potential career paths include:

Photographer (Advertising, Art, Fashion, Architecture, Events etc.)
Medical Photography and Forensic Imaging
Publishing
Curation
Photography or Studio Management

Industry partners

Benefit from connections with the Association of Photographers (AOP), Ffotogallery, G.F.Smith, Taylor Brothers and leading industry professionals throughout your studies.

“The course is very industry-oriented, with live projects like a commercial advertising brief for John Wyatt Clark.”

Rebecca Miles, Photography student

Learn more

Salary expectations

A Photography degree can open opportunities across Photography and the wider Art sector. Photography careers offer strong earning potential:

Median wage
UK: £36k per annum
Wales: £29.1k per annum

Total jobs in 2025
UK: 193,957
Wales: 6,984

Source: Lightcast Labour Market Data 2026

Build your own career

Your career doesn’t have to mean working for someone else. If you want to freelance, start a business or develop an idea, USW Enterprise can help with one-to-one mentoring, practical workshops and funding opportunities through the USW Enterprise Startup Fund.

You’ll also have access to Startup Stiwdio spaces in our Cardiff, Newport and Treforest campuses. After graduating, you can get free membership for up to three years, giving you workspace and a network of other founders.

Whether you choose employment, freelancing or starting a business, we’ll help you build the skills, confidence and connections to move forward.

USW Enterprise

Key skills

Technical skills (camera and lighting craft, moving image and editing)
Communication, presentation and networking
Creative and critical thinking
Problem-solving
Independent working

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

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application. If you do not meet the entry criteria, you may also be required to provide a portfolio of your work to help us assess your suitability for the course.

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 apply Contextual admissions policy Ask us a question

96 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 subject

Access to HE:
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points

T Level:
Pass (C and above)

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 students Pre-Sessional English

English 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

Fees and funding Scholarships and bursaries Cost of living support

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.

Photographic Materials
Printing Materials, Analogue Film, Processing, Props etc. dependent on nature of an individual student's photographic work.

Cost: £100-400 Per Annum

Local Trips
Course day trips to see photography and visit industry.

Cost: £20-40 Per Annum

Final Production
Year 3 cost of professionally publishing final year work - this cost is dependent on the nature of an individual's photographic work and their specific aims regarding career steps and future employment.

Cost: £50-500 Final Year Only

International Trips
Optional Year 1, 2 & 3 Annual International Trip e.g. Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona (All trips are subject to change and viability in relation to student numbers)

Cost: £300-500 Per Trip

Camera
Optional Digital SLR or Mirrorless Camera with interchangeable lens option – please note that we have a wide range of digital and analogue cameras available to Photography students to loan, following induction, from our excellent stores.

Cost: £250-£1000 One off purchase

International Full-Time Fee £ 17,600

per year

Fees and funding Scholarships and bursaries Cost of living support

Photographic Materials
Printing Materials, Analogue Film, Processing, Props etc. dependent on nature of an individual student's photographic work.

Cost: £100-400 Per Annum

Local Trips
Course day trips to see photography and visit industry.

Cost: £20-40 Per Annum

Cost: £50-500 Final Year Only

International Trips
Optional Year 1, 2 & 3 Annual International Trip e.g. Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona (All trips are subject to change and viability in relation to student numbers)

Cost: £300-500 Per Trip

Cost: £250-£1000 One off purchase

Top university in Wales and 24th out of 123 universities in the UK.

Guardian University Guide 2027

Three USW students walking outside of Cardiff Campus - Atrium

10 subjects ranked in the Guardian University Guide 2027 Top 10, including two at #1.

Three students studying in a pod in the library at Cardiff campus

Top in Wales for new business startups for the 6th consecutive year, and 7th in the UK. (HEBCIS)

Explore our facilities

Photography Studios

Work in professional photography studios and digital labs with access to industry-standard equipment and specialist technical support. You’ll develop your skills through hands-on practice in shooting, editing and producing visual work.

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).

Photography
- Full-time, 3 years
- September
- Cardiff
Apply direct
Photography
- Sandwich, 4 years
- September
- Cardiff
Apply direct

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.