School of Art, Design and Architecture

BA (Hons) Creative Media with Foundation

UCAS tariff 32 - 48 Contextual offers
A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes personal circumstances that may affect grades into account.
UCAS course code W619
Institution code P60
Duration

4 years
Course type

Full-time
Study location Plymouth
Register for open day
Apply at UCAS.com

The foundation pathway provides students with non-standard entry points to progress onto the BA (Hons) Creative Media. You will have the opportunity to explore creative processes relevant to visual design, animation, illustration, print-making, fine art and photography within an engaging and vibrant studio setting. The foundation year allows you to develop skills across the range of media and introduces creative best practice in preparation for the first year of the undergraduate course.

Careers with this subject
The key to our course design is understanding what the creative industries value, what is attractive to employers and the diverse opportunities of creative media. Being a flexible media maker in a continually-evolving media landscape futureproofs your qualification.
Our graduates are multi-skilled, flexible practitioners fulfilling diverse roles in the global media ecosystem. We are proud of how we equip our students for an everchanging media landscape. You will graduate with:
  • confidence in the value of your creative voice
  • a fully developed professional profile and portfolio
  • industry contacts
  • experience working on collaborations beyond the University
  • experience pitching ideas, negotiating with clients, branding, marketing and promoting
  • experience designing and making for various contexts, from social media campaigns to live events
  • knowledge of the social and ethical impact of professional media
  • the ability to research and articulate ideas effectively.
Our graduates work as directors, producers, camera crew, editors and sound designers. They set up successful businesses. They become fashion and travel photographers, animators, book illustrators, web designers and curators. They are independent artists, marketing and advertising executives, media strategists, game makers and educators. Others continue into postgraduate study and become academics.
They can be found at the BBC, Disney and Radio One. Their work is found at the BAFTAs, in the National Portrait Gallery, on the cover of Vogue magazine and in the creative offices of Google and Facebook.

Key features
  • Study a range of media practices, including video, photography, sound, animation and digital media.
  • Enjoy the freedom to experiment: choose to focus on one medium, develop several or integrate across the range to find your creative voice.
  • Develop projects to suit your creative and career ambitions, open doors to your future career by showcasing your work to the public and developing a portfolio of work and enhance your professional profile further by engaging with our live briefs.
  • Advance your technical skills using our outstanding equipment and facilities, including a fully equipped cinema, moving image studio with green screen, photographic and sound studios, computer labs, animation rostrums and much more.
  • Learn from award-winning tutors from industry, arts practice and academic research. Benefit from strong links with the industry such as the BBC, ITV and Royal Television Society along with regional arts and community groups, giving you the opportunity to develop and realise creative collaborations beyond the University.
This course is an integrated part of the BA (Hons) Creative Media degree at the University of Plymouth. Successful completion of your foundation year (Year 0) will not lead to a separate award or qualification in its own right but provides progression onto Year 1 of
Or one of the following related degree programmes:

Course details

  • Foundation year

  • The foundation pathway provides students with non-standard entry points to progress onto the BA (Hons) course.
    The foundation year allows you to develop skills across a range of media and introduces creative best practice in preparation for the first year of the undergraduate programme. During the foundation year, you will have the opportunity to explore creative processes relevant to visual design, animation, illustration, print-making, fine art and photography. The course is designed to encourage visual exploration and creative discovery within an engaging and vibrant studio setting. Upon successful completion of the foundation course, you will join the undergraduate BA (Hons) programme equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully complete an undergraduate degree.

    Core modules

    ADA001
    Materials, Methods and Media 30 credits

    This module will introduce students to various techniques, materials and mediums through practise-based experiments, play and problem solving. You will be introduced to different creative processes and methods of working that will help you to develop your ideas and engage in critical and reflective practice.

    100% Coursework

    ADA002
    Image, Type and Narrative 30 credits

    Students will experiment with media, photography and typography to explore the relationship between image and word. This module enables students to gain knowledge within subject areas and explore the importance of developing an independent voice. Projects will become increasingly student driven as they develop their ability to propose ideas and solutions through self-directed inquiry, discovery and production.

    100% Coursework

    ADA003
    Risk and Resolution 30 credits

    Students will consolidate their skills, knowledge and understanding in initiating, researching, developing and presenting a final project and exhibition. This module will also enable students to continue to research and develop their strengths as an independent art and design practitioner and prepare them for their next stage of study.

    100% Coursework

    ADA004
    Critical Themes in Art & Design 20 credits

    This module introduces students to transformative phases within the historical and contemporary context of art, design, photography and media. Students will learn to ask critical questions and find answers through information gathering, reading and research. Through articulating responses, students will be introduced to academic conventions in preparation for progression to further Higher Education.

    100% Coursework

  • Year 1

  • You will explore what creative media means to you by making a series of short, critically framed, practical projects. You will investigate narrative expression and cultural context in disciplines including still and moving image, sound, interaction and animation. You will also work beyond the University on a live industry brief and public exhibition or screening that will introduce professional working methods and audience reception.

    Core modules

    MEDI411
    Creative Media Practice 20 credits

    This module will provide students with a set of challenges to promote understanding of contemporary Media Arts practices and the context in which these practices sit. It will explore how theory and practice interlink as well as giving the students a grounding in relevant methodology.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI412
    Narratives 40 credits

    This module will introduce to students the creative possibilities of working with ideas of narrative and meaning construction in creative media. This is a practice-led module which integrates and examines various theories of and approaches to narrative, storytelling and meaning construction.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI413
    Transmedia Branding 20 credits

    This module challenges students to produce a transmedia branding campaign in response to a live brief. Students will explore the techniques of this field and critical responses to the ‘culture industry’; underpin practical skills with creative and theoretical approaches; and be introduced to the roles and responsibilities associated with group working.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI414
    Situating Practice 40 credits

    In this module students will be required to critically evaluate the skills and experience gained in previous modules and develop strategies for the future. They will be introduced to key critical approaches to presenting work to the public and engage in practice which explores the dialogue between their work and wider contexts. This module includes group working.

    100% Coursework

  • Year 2

  • You will study advanced media practice and explore critical frameworks for your work. Experimentation and developing your creative voice are at the heart of this part of the course. You will collaborate with industry partners on a socially-engaged media project and gain professional confidence. Study of media theory will enhance your academic skills and media creation process. There is also opportunity to study abroad in stage 2.

    Core modules

    MEDI513
    Critical Dialogues 40 credits

    Critical Dialogues mixes contemporary debates and media histories in a lively lecture/seminar programme. The module provides exposure to seminal media arts theory / practice and facilitates students to engage critically with their own work, situated in the context of established practitioners.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI514
    Experiment 40 credits

    The module provides the framework for a student lo take creative risks, broaden their practical skills, enhance their confidence and to develop their own creative voice. It provides a framework in which to research and develop one or more large-scale projects built on a sense of personal practice by means of practical experiments, underpinned by workshops, contextual research and ongoing reflection.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI515
    Interactive and Immersive Media 20 credits

    Students will experiment with interactive and Immersive media through a range of approaches and software. Iterative project development will be a means to explore theoretical approaches, concepts and practices central to interactive and immersive media. Including: environmental storytelling, non-linear structures, user experiences, mechanics, multimodality, prototyping and playtesting.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI516
    Common Challenge: Social Context 20 credits

    This module offers an opportunity for students to work collaboratively on projects that will develop and enhance their professional and creative skills in working towards a collective outcome. It places creativity at the core of collaboration alongside the facilitation of new ideas and practices.

    100% Coursework

  • Final year

  • The final year is about your passions, interests and ambitions. You complete two major self-directed projects in independent practice and collaborative practice. Hone your research skills in a dissertation and prepare for your future career in our professional module. You have the opportunity to showcase your achievements in a substantial public exhibition. We also provide one-to-one mentoring by industry professionals and the opportunity to meet and network with potential employers.

    Core modules

    ADA600
    Common Dissertation: Critical Practices 20 credits

    The module engages students in situating practice through research, contextualisation and critical reflection, in relation to their final stage study and post University aspirations. Programmes can offer: a traditional dissertation; preparation for an extended dissertation; situating existing practice; or the construction of a new body of work as practice-based research.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI609
    Collaborative and Contextual Practice 40 credits

    In this module you will undertake a collaborative project, emphasis will be placed on working processes and methodologies, group interaction, the planning and completion of the project within a defined context. This module provides an important critical context arising from issues relating to collaborative practice, working from a research and development stage through to realisation in order to contribute new objects or forms of cultural production.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI611
    Independent Practice 40 credits

    Drawing on a growing sense of practice, underpinned by tutorial support, students will develop a large scale project through an application of practical and critical skills.

    100% Coursework

    MEDI612
    Media Futures 20 credits

    This module will support students in their aspirations beyond graduation. Students will identify career/ postgraduate aims and further develop their portfolios and professional profiles to effectively promote themselves and their practice in appropriate contexts.

    100% Coursework

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Entry requirements

UCAS tariff

32 - 48

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

Don’t have 32–48 UCAS tariff points? We will consider ‘non-standard’ applications on a case-by-case basis.
A levels
For Level 3 entry, the tariff points entry level will normally be 32–48 points from A level or equivalent. Non-standard applicants will normally be interviewed.
BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma
PPP
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Highers, H5 in five subjects equivalent to 32–48 points.
International Baccalaureate
24 overall.
T levels
Pass in any subject.
Proficiency in English
Students for whom English is an additional language will need to demonstrate ability in spoken and written English equivalent to an IELTS score of 6.0 and/or successfully complete the University’s special test before entering the foundation year.
English language requirements
We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications, please refer to our UCAS tariff .
We are looking for applicants with good potential, including with non-standard qualifications and backgrounds, so will consider every application on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions or concerns about meeting the entry requirements listed above, we encourage you to contact the Admissions team on +44 1752 585858 or email admissions@plymouth.ac.uk, and a member of the team will be able to offer you further advice.

Fees, costs and funding
New student 2024-2025 2025-2026 *
Home £9,250 £9,535
International £17,100 £17,600
Part time (Home) £770 £795
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 10 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

* UK Government announcement on tuition fees

On Monday 4 November 2024, the UK Government announced a proposal to increase tuition fees for home undergraduate students from £9,250 to £9,535 per annum from September 2025 onwards. The University of Plymouth intends to apply this new fee from September 2025. However, implementation of this increase will be subject to parliamentary procedure. This change applies to new students starting their studies in September 2025. For current and returning students, the University is reviewing fees and will update you as soon as possible.

Additional costs

This course is delivered by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business and more details of any additional costs associated with the faculty's courses are listed on the following page: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business additional costs .

How to apply
All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code.
To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates, please visit the UCAS website.
Support is also available to overseas students applying to the University from our International Office via our how to apply webpage or email admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Providing rewarding experiences

You’ll have opportunities to learn work-ready skills sought by employers.

Mattie Stainton Cure the Climate project 2022 in the Roland Levinsky Building Immersive Media Lab. Image credit: Ryan Cheetham Fotonow CIC

Experience real-life projects beyond the classroom
Our strong industry links with organisations such as the BBC and ITV give you the opportunity to work on real-life creative collaborations.

Virtual Reality / Immersive Media

Achieve your creative goals with our excellent facilities and resources
From green screens and broadcast studios to animation suites and darkrooms, you'll have access to a wide range of specialist facilities.

Media Arts Berlin Trip

We love Plymouth, but we also love to explore
We're part of the ISEP international exchange programme with bespoke exchange agreements across Europe and the USA.

Learn from experts in their field

Student voice

The latest news, student projects and graduate stories.

Creative media project lonely not alone - campaign image for news page.

BA (Hons) Creative Media and Media Arts news highlights
From live projects to award ceremonies, hear the latest news from our students, graduates and academics.

Image of an elephant from Rachel Singleton's Long Last Community exhibit, The Zoo

BA (Hons) Creative Media student projects
Have a look at some of the projects our students have been involved in.

Ana Lui Golebiewska

Our graduates
Get inspired by reading some stories of life after Plymouth.

Connect with our community on social media