Fees and key information

Course type
Undergraduate
UCAS code
W641
Entry requirements
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Why study this course?

This innovative Photography BA degree is taught in the heart of London's art and media hub where you'll find inspiration all around you. You'll develop essential digital and analogue photography skills alongside moving image expertise, as well as learning about professional practice, exploring links with other art forms and discovering the history and aesthetics of photography through practice and theory. Visit londonmetarts.photography for a look at our students' work, exhibitions, publications and more.

Our Photography BA degree is accredited by the Association of Photographers (AOP) and was awarded Course of the Year 2022.

Our film production and photography courses are third in the UK for teaching quality and fourth in the UK for student satisfaction in the Guardian University Guide 2023.

This forward-looking and progressive Photography BA course will help you to develop an understanding of the diverse range of photographic practices and opportunities open to you. It is centred around each individual constructing a unique and personal creative
identity and understanding how to make the most of this within diverse professional
contexts.

As well as developing your individual creative practice and portfolio, you'll build up a wide array of professional and transferable skills needed for a career as a professional photographer or associated professions, ranging from being a curator, picture editor or art director to a photographer’s agent, producer or retoucher. The degree covers 35mm, medium format both digital and analogue photography as well as large format analogue practices, and is taught at one of the UK’s very few art schools equipped with both colour and black-and-white darkroom facilities.

The course not only enables you to build excellent industry standard photographic skills
and theoretical knowledge to support and extend your creative vision, but also helps you
apply these to moving image work as well as more adventurous and experimental outcomes on the margins of traditional practice.

You’ll be supported by our team of experienced tutors, all of whom are active practitioners carrying out commissions and or regularly showcasing their work nationally and internationally.

You could have the opportunity to take part in both national and international study visits, where you'll learn to apply knowledge to live briefs and other work-related scenarios. Alongside regular, publicly accessible university exhibitions of on-going work, you'll be encouraged to exhibit your own work with London based and national art groups, London Met has strong links with several art groups including Alternative Arts, Photomonth Festival, Four Corners Film and Photography, London Independent Photographers and the Uncertain States group.

You’ll also have access, and the chance to contribute, to the East End Photography
Archive at the School.

Accredited by the AOP

Our Photography BA degree is accredited by the Association of Photographers (AOP) and was awarded Course of the Year 2022

Learn from industry experts

You’ll be supported by our team of experienced tutors, all of whom are active practitioners carrying out commissions and or regularly showcasing their work nationally and internationally

First in London for learning opportunities

This course was ranked first in London for learning opportunities according to the National Student Survey 2024

Student reviews

Our real, honest student reviews come from our own students – we collect some of these ourselves, but many are also collected through university comparison websites and other nationwide surveys.

Course details

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

  • a minimum of grades BBC in three A levels in art or design subjects (or a minimum of 112 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma/Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Progression Diploma or Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits)
  • GCSE English at grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent)
  • portfolio interview

Applicants with relevant professional qualifications or extensive professional experience will also be considered on a case by case basis.

We encourage applications from international/EU students with equivalent qualifications. We also accept mature students with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Suitable applicants living in the UK will be invited to a portfolio interview. Applicants living outside the UK will be required to submit a portfolio of work via email.

If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Photography (including foundation year) BA (Hons) or Art and Design (including foundation year) BA (Hons) degree.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

There are no exams on this course. Instead, you'll be assessed through practical and written coursework at the end of each year and throughout the course you’ll be given valuable verbal and written feedback as your work progresses.

The Photography BA course course opens up a number of job roles in the photography and creative industries, enabling you to pursue a career in magazines or newspapers, editorial or freelance photography, archive work, photo libraries, education or local or national arts organisations.

Previous students have gone on to find work at a diverse range of companies and have taken up roles such as photographer, curator, photo journalist, web designer and videographer. Others have used the transferable skills they developed through this course to fulfil roles in local government, teaching and entrepreneurship.

Successful artists who have studied here include Paddy Jolley, Sam Taylor-Wood, Suky Best and Leticia Valverdes.

This degree is also excellent preparation for postgraduate study.

We currently have three locations in Holloway, Aldgate and Shoreditch. As we evolve as a University, we'll be reviewing the use of these spaces to ensure all our students have access to the facilities and study areas they need to succeed. This means the campus where this course is taught may change over time.

The experience of our students will always be our top priority and we'll notify applicants and students of any changes to their teaching location at the earliest opportunity.

If you study your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on a postgraduate course if you continue your studies with us.
* exclusions apply

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

Follow our School of Art, Architecture and Design on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with everything that's happening in our creative community.

Discover Uni – key statistics about this course

Discover Uni is an official source of information about university and college courses across the UK. The widget below draws data from the corresponding course on the Discover Uni website, which is compiled from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges. If a course is taught both full-time and part-time, information for each mode of study will be displayed here.

How to apply

If you're a UK applicant wanting to study full-time starting in September, you must apply via UCAS unless otherwise specified. If you're an international applicant wanting to study full-time, you can choose to apply via UCAS or directly to the University.

If you're applying for part-time study, you should apply directly to the University. If you require a Student visa, please be aware that you will not be able to study as a part-time student at undergraduate level.

When to apply

The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) accepts applications for full-time courses starting in September from one year before the start of the course. Our UCAS institution code is L68.

If you will be applying direct to the University you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only be able to consider your application if there are places available on the course.

To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.

Are you from outside the UK? Find out how to apply from your home country

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