Studio Practice (Visual Communication) (top-up) BA (Hons)

Location

Canterbury

Start date

Sept 2026, Sept 2027

Duration

1 year full-time

UCAS codes

Course: W407
Institution: C93

Entry requirements

Check qualifications

Tuition fees

Check fees and funding options

Studio Practice (Visual Communication) (top-up) at UCA

One year to sharpen your voice, find your medium, our Studio Practice top-up course in Visual Communication at UCA Canterbury will give you the chance to gain all the skills you need to progress to postgraduate study and boost your knowledge and experience.

Build on existing qualifications

Ideal for international students and also suitable to UK students looking to build upon existing qualifications, this course is aligned with the final year of our BA (Hons) Visual Communication degree, so you can progress to a Master's degree in a streamlined way.

A major project on your terms

The major project is the centrepiece of your year. It’s not a traditional dissertation and you won’t be writing 10,000 words. You define the brief, the medium, and the audience – it's complete creative freedom with professional accountability. A publication, a documentary, a podcast, a series of posts – you can choose it, but be ready to defend your choice.

Career-ready by design

The Career Catalyst module is built to give you the technical skills and creative confidence to find and pursue the career you want. You'll develop your professional identity, build your portfolio, and plan your next move – whether that's employment, freelance practice, or further study.

Canterbury's creative ecosystem

You'll work alongside students at Canterbury, from architecture, fine art, body art, and product design – in a school where interdisciplinary collaboration happens naturally. With access to high-end digital print, risograph, screen printing, letterpress, and traditional bookmaking, you'll produce work with the craft and production values that sets your portfolio apart.

The UCA Way

UCA courses are built around the things we know matter most to creative students:

Learn by making

Get practical and stuck in – spend most of your time in studios and workshops. Over 80% of our teaching spaces are studios, workshops, or labs.

See your place in the bigger picture

Understand history, culture and context to give your work depth. Our degrees were established by BAFTA and Oscar winners.

Find your people

Collaboration is built into the curriculum, where you’ll make friends and future creative partners. Our Shared modules link work from students from up to 15 courses. This module focuses on how you collaborate, not what you deliver. Setting you up for success in a creative community.

Gain career confidence for the long game

Build skills, resilience, and industry awareness that prepare you for a successful creative career. Our courses have been designed with industry, focussing on your professional pathway, you’ll learn about grant applications, self-employment, and how to nail creative job interviews.

Learn in a way that works for you

Inclusive assessment, synchronised deadlines, and a student experience built with real life in mind. Our courses are focussed on being inclusive. We listen to our students, and you learn and get feedback how you want it.

View our student work

We’re privileged to be able to share our graduates’ incredible work with the world, click on the work below to see more images and find out about the project.

Explore more student work

What you'll study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

Year one (equivalent in level to year 3 of BA course)

In your final year, you’ll undertake a self-directed research and design project and will create your final major project.

You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with your fellow students to present your work, preparing you for a career in industry.

Critical Research and Practice: 30 credits
This unit involves the research, development, and construction of a self-directed research project that informs, guides, motivates and drives subsequent professional and creative work in year 3. This project requires you to consolidate and articulate your knowledge, understanding, skills, and experience, alongside the interests that you have developed over the duration of the course.

Professional Practices: 30 credits
This unit helps you to explore contemporary and future definitions of creative practice leading to a professional career in the varied fields of Visual Communication (or related creative disciplines).

Major Project: 60 credits
This unit provides you with a framework within which to research, develop and realise a major self-initiated project of your own choosing. It enables you to develop a written project proposal that effectively and succinctly communicates the key elements of your conceptual, technical, aesthetic and theoretical concerns and intentions. It allows you to develop work that demonstrates a high level of maturity through its clarity and focus.

Expected learning hours

Year one (equivalent in level to year three of a standard BA degree)

Independent study: 71.3%
Scheduled teaching: 28.7%
Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 5.8%

Please note: these details are for 2026 entry and could be subject to change for other years of entry.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Upcoming webinars

We offer a range of webinars throughout the year that you may be interested in.

You can also view recordings of all previous sessions through the UCA webinar archive.

15 Apr 2026

A Guide to Student Finance & Budgeting at University

Want to know more about student finance and budgeting at university? We understand everyone’s financial situations are different, and at UCA we try to support you as much as possible throughout your time with us. Book now: A Guide to Student Finance & Budgeting at University

24 Apr 2026

Living at Home while at Uni

Want to know what its like to be a student who commutes? Join us on Friday 24th April to speak to our panel of commuter students, and find out how to still obtain the most from student life while having all the comforts of home. Book now: Living at Home while at Uni

27 Apr 2026

Putting together your Portfolio

At UCA, we offer a range of postgraduate options at both Master's and PhD level that will help you further your skills, ready for a career within the creative industries. Book now: Putting together your Portfolio

13 May 2026

Student Support & Life on Campus

Are you wondering what it’s like to be a student at UCA? We’re here to talk through everything you need to know about student support and life on campus. Book now: Student Support & Life on Campus

16 Jun 2026

Putting together your Portfolio

At UCA, we offer a range of postgraduate options at both Master's and PhD level that will help you further your skills, ready for a career within the creative industries. Book now: Putting together your Portfolio

6 Aug 2026

What is Clearing and How Does it Work?

What is Clearing? What courses are available? What does Clearing mean for you? There are so many questions to ask around Clearing and what it means for you. We're here to help answer all your questions, explain the process of Clearing and how you could join UCA this September. Book now: What is Clearing and How Does it Work?

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2026/27

BA (top-up) course: £9,790

Government guidance indicates that tuition‑fee caps will rise annually with inflation from 2026, subject to legislation, so tuition fees are likely to increase each year of study.

Tuition fees - 2026/27

BA (top-up) course: £9,790 (see fee discount information)

Government guidance indicates that tuition‑fee caps will rise annually with inflation from 2026, subject to legislation, so tuition fees are likely to increase each year of study.

Tuition fees - 2026/27

BA (top-up) course: £18,000

The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of the Course Information Document for more details of the costs you may incur.

Find out what's included in your tuition fees.

Visual Communication facilities & equipment

Visual Communication facilities include dedicated studios with space for both personal and group working; digital media suites with Macs running industry design software including Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro and Autodesk Maya. On campus we have photography studios and processing and printing darkrooms for black and white film-based photography and printmaking studios with access to lithography, screen-printing, etching and relief printing.

Visual Communications Studios, Rochester House, Canterbury

Visual Communication Studio

Print Workshop

Room: DO.11

This room contains several large printing presses, lino cutting, aqua tint and etching.

Print Workshop

Room: D1.02

This workshop contains four screen beds and a wash out area.

Print Processing Room

Room: D1.03

This room contains a UV exposure unit and a drying cabinet.

Print Bureau

Room: CO.17

Colour Processing Lab

Room: DO.04

This room contains two processors.

Black & White Darkroom

Room: DO.05

This room contains five B&W enlargers.

Launch the Virtual Tour

What’s it like being a student at UCA?

That’s a big question. Get some answers from people who are studying right here, right now.

Chat to a student

Entry & portfolio requirements

UK

BA (Hons) course (top-up)

The standard entry requirements* for this course are:

240 credits from a relevant degree (120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5), with a minimum of 55% overall
Foundation Degree in a relevant subject
Higher National Diploma in a relevant subject

And/or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)

In recognition that you may already have a relevant professional qualification, or appropriate working experience in the relevant industries, APEL may be accepted for entry on to the course. This will be based on the partnership articulations and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Other relevant and equivalent UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.

Portfolio requirements

For this courses, we’ll need to see your portfolio for review. We’ll invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person, meet the course team and learn more about your course. Further information will be provided once you have applied. View more portfolio requirements

*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.

International and EU

BA (Hons) course (top-up)

The entry requirements for these courses will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country:

Non-UK equivalent qualifications

Any additional entry requirements listed in the UK requirements section, e.g., subject requirements, work experience or professional qualifications, also apply to international applicants applying with equivalent qualifications.

Portfolio requirements

You will be required to submit an online portfolio for review. Further information on specific portfolio requirements and how to submit your portfolio will be sent to you after we have reviewed your application. View portfolio requirements

English language requirements

To study at UCA, you'll need to have a certain level of English language skill. And so, to make sure you meet the requirements of your course, we ask for evidence of your English language ability, please check the level of English language required: