student taking a picture with camera

Available with:

  • Foundation Year


Course Summary

The University of Chester’s Photography degree fosters a distinct approach to the craft of photography, encouraging independent practice and a critically reflective mindset.

As well as exploring key issues and debates shaping contemporary photography practices, you will also gain an understanding of the social and cultural dimensions of photography and its power to inspire and challenge.

Draw on your personal experience and curiosity to explore a diverse range of contexts and genres, from art and documentary, to editorial and fashion including sports and music photojournalism.

You will benefit from industry connections and expert guidance from our team of experienced researcher-practitioners, who can share their knowledge and insights of the art and photography industries, introducing you to nationally and internationally recognised photographers, curators and writers who are helping to shape photography today.

Connect with galleries, museums and employers in the North West and beyond, opening doors to exciting opportunities and collaborations.

Our Photography degree will equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to succeed as a photographer who has developed a distinctive personal practice and a portfolio to help you make your mark on the industry.

 

Why you'll Love it

What you'll Study

BA Photography consists of core modules that provide the basis for our course.

At Level 4, students are introduced to the fundamentals of photography practices in analogue (darkroom) and DSLR digital camera use. This also includes workshop induction in a lighting studio environment as well as in the use of portable lighting and flash units, and instruction in how these are used on location.

The practical workshop elements of the course are integrated with project assignment briefs, which introduce you to the key themes and debates that inform contemporary practice across a range of applications. This includes:

  • narrative and storytelling
  • moving image and publishing
  • collage and montage processes
  • and your own personal documentary experience.

You will also be introduced to socially engaged and community-based practices. You will also receive a grounding in research skills and contextual studies which places photography within a wider interdisciplinary context.

As you establish a more self-directed and confident approach in Level 5, you will build on the foundation laid in Level 4.

You will be presented with options to help shape the development of your practice and how it is informed by emerging contextual and research interests.

Collaborative practice for site-specific and public exhibition projects provides a dynamic introduction to group working. This encourages you to develop themed or socially engaged projects, that involve the participation of others, whether on a community or institutional basis.

Specialist practices will provide a knowledge base of practical and business skills related to industry protocols and employability.

In Level 6, your practice is self-directed, guided and supported by photography staff working alongside you.

A dedicated project supervisor is assigned for your final year project.

You will present a public-facing interim exhibition that provides a benchmark for your project development at this important staging point in the year.

Professional practice for your future practice and employability is also embedded; providing the opportunity to present your work to industry professionals who will engage with you and your practice on a one-to-one basis.

This will support the consolidation of your ideas and working practices in the lead up to the degree show exhibition, which marks the culmination of your studies.

The degree show is a showcase for a cross-section of students’ specialisms in its different forms and is an important platform to present your work to the public, alongside a portfolio of professional practice. This provides a step-off point for you to embark on your future career within the many pathways, which Photography enables. 

The University also offers module options with the opportunity to learn a language and study abroad.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How you'll Learn

The course is delivered across three, ten-week terms each term containing modules to the value of 40 credits. A student’s timetable will schedule in-person sessions each week amounting to between 6 to 12 hours of contact time, and students will be responsible for scheduling self-study time each week of approximately 30 to 34 hours.  

The course is structured around projects, which are introduced via lecture-based briefing sessions and practical sessions, on-site as well as on-location. This approach integrates induction in the use of different camera formats, and lighting equipment.

For each project, you will build a body of work in response to project briefs, which are short-run and long-form in duration. This is supported by one-to-one tutorial support and guidance towards the submission deadlines. The contextual and theoretical study of photography parallels the themes and subjects introduced in practical sessions. This is alongside introducing the key themes and debates that inform contemporary practice, for which you will research and write written outcomes in the form of reviews, essays, and presentations. 

Teaching is led by experienced photographers with a wide range of experience in both art, creative and industry contexts; including writing, publishing and curatorial practices. The Photography team at Chester has an excellent track record of research having exhibited nationally and internationally, as well as working on research projects in urban and landscape environments, with community and wellbeing-focused activities and workshops.  

The course team also has a depth of publishing and bookmaking experience, which forms the basis for assignments that introduce:

  • artist's books
  • photobooks
  • multiples
  • zines
  • ‘lookbooks’
  • and other forms of print publication.

Assignments will also get you to look at the way in which photography is disseminated online.

We also encourage the use of vernacular forms of photograph, found and collected images, and we ask you to consider how these are repurposed or reconfigured in relation to the work you make.

In this way, our teaching is research-informed and you are at the centre of your studies and practice in how this helps shape your development as an independent and confident photographer. This equips you to become a photographer who is ready to pursue your own practice, embark on a portfolio career, or enter into any of the exciting and varied roles that photography offers in its employability.

The course also helps you to develop transferrable skills via placement opportunities, which can take on a variety of forms to coincide with your future ambitions and aspirations. 

The course has an excellent track record of including nationally and internationally recognised guest and visiting lecturers that enhance the student's experience with their external perspective. 

Your response to project assignment briefs is based on the development of folio (portfolio) collections or series of photographs.

Your folio collections or series of photographs are the result of the week-to-week development of different approaches to practice, based on your personal, subject, or thematic response. Through this, you will be assessed by your problem-solving and experimentation in your response to a diverse range of assignment briefs. You will also engage with photography’s materiality; exploring the material presence of different types of fine printing, including printmaking. 

Your folio submissions are accompanied by a visual and contextual journal, which functions as:

  • a personal sketchbook
  • technical log
  • and diary of your working methods and practices.

This contains your practice through contact sheets produced for each shoot, and your choice of work in progress, which signposts each staging point of your project’s development.

A key part is the way in which you reflect upon the development of your practice and how you respond to tutorial input from your peers, as well as the staff who are supporting and working alongside you. Your journal importantly also includes the research of photography, art and industry contexts, artists and photographers as well as other phenomena, which provides a background and support to your emerging visual identity as a photographic practitioner. 

Writing and research-based assignments, which are aligned with and inform your practice will include:

  • essays
  • (poster) presentations
  • statements
  • reports
  • and ongoing critical reflection (which forms part of your journaling and sketchbook work). 

An ongoing dialogue with your peers alongside staff integrates formative, feedforward support and guidance, alongside more formal feedback methods by which you can gauge the development of your practice and research as part of a continuous and authentic process. This equates with how you will prepare for and promote your practice and employability following graduation.

BA Photography Students are provided with all the equipment needed to complete project assignments and workshop tasks. This equipment is housed in a dedicated camera store, is available for loan using your student card, and is looked after by our excellent team of technical support staff.

Students are responsible for consumables and material costs associated with any art and design study and these are subsidised as appropriate. The production costs associated with the individual preparation of final year project work are specific to your practice and requirements, but they are also supported by resources, facilities and materials that the School is able to facilitate.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Study a Common First Year

This course shares a common first year with students on the Fine Art course.

This means that you’ll learn alongside students studying a similar discipline, helping to broaden your knowledge and exposure to other concepts, perspectives and professions in the first year of your degree.

As you learn and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll not only widen your social and professional network but also learn new skills that will set you up for success in your industry.

In your second and third years, you will progress to studying more specialist modules within photography, developing your skills to become a World Ready graduate.

Creative Campus, Kingsway Tours

Study at our Creative Campus, Kingsway, home to some outstanding art, design and performance-based courses for the University’s School for the Creative Industries. Scroll through our 360 tours to explore our state-of-the-art facilities.

Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff

112 points

GCE A Level

Typical offer – BCC-BBC

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM

International Baccalaureate

28 points

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers: H3 H3 H3 H3 H4

Scottish Highers: BBBB

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above

T Level

Merit

OCR Cambridge Technicals

OCR Extended Diploma: DMM

Extra Information

Shortlisted applicants will be required to produce a portfolio and attend an interview.

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A Level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

  • IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
  • Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

UCAS Tariff

72 UCAS points 

GCE A level

72 points overall, including grade D in one of the following subjects: Art & Design, Fine Art or Textiles.

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma (Art and Design): MMP

International Baccalaureate

24 points including 4 in HL Visual Arts

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 including Art

Scottish Highers: CCDD including Art and Design

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma (Art and Design) – Pass overall

T Level

T Level (Craft and Design): Pass (D or E on the core)

Extra Information

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer.  We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree. 

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes. 

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships. 

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees and Finance section of our website.

Who you'll Learn from

Dr Cian Quayle

Associate Professor; Programme Leader: BA (Hons) Photography
Dr Cian Quayle

Dr Tracy Piper-Wright

Deputy Head, Art, Design and Innovation
Dr Tracy Piper-Wright

Lynne Connolly

Senior University Teaching Fellow; Senior Lecturer Photography
Lynne Connolly

Dr Tim Daly

Senior Lecturer Photography
Dr Tim Daly

Stephen Clarke

Lecturer in Fine Art, Graphic Design and Photography
Stephen Clarke

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

During the course, students have the opportunity to meet with practitioners, curators and writers, who provide invaluable advice and insights. These experiences help you to move into a diverse range of photography careers, including art practice, documentary and fashion, as well as specialist areas such as medical illustration and cinematography.

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study