Creative Arts Practice

The preliminary and intensive Integrated Foundation in Art and Design is designed to develop your ideas, skills and confidence in readiness for progressing to year one of your degree programme.

This year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.

On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement, for assessment.

Using a range of specialist workshops and technical support, gain a degree that empowers you with strong making skills.

As an aspiring artist-maker, you'll experience a solid grounding in a range of creative disciplines before selecting a focus in your first year. The course encourages and supports you to share ideas and collaborate across subject areas, and you'll gain the skills and confidence to combine practice and theory in radical and innovative ways.

Year one
In your first year the focus will be on upskilling, learning about different materials, and gaining the skills to work both independently and in collaboration.

You’ll investigate materials and methods of making, including ceramics, textiles, wood, metal, plastics and printing. You’ll spend time in the workshop with tutors and technicians, as well as on your own, to allow you to immerse yourself in the making processes. You’ll also broaden your knowledge of contemporary craft professionals working in the field. You'll begin to critically assess your work, and the work of others, through discussion and written tasks including critical studies essays.

During the year, you’ll choose which discipline you'd like to focus on for the remainder of your studies.

Year two
During your second year you’ll delve deeper into your chosen area of study, attending classes delivered by a range of tutors who are specialists in their field and current practitioners.

Visiting lecturers will share their knowledge of a range of career paths and experiences. Professional practice is a key component of study this year, where you'll gain industry experience aligned to your area of practice. There will also be opportunities to work collaboratively on live briefs, and across the University.

Year three
In your final year, you’ll hone your making skills to professional standards, and you’ll be actively marketing your work alongside your making.

You’ll set your own brief and be working independently, with support from your tutors, to create an ambitious body of work.

You’ll work on a dissertation, and participate in the degree show, which will provide a showcase and networking opportunities. Professional practice is closely aligned to your final exhibition, and focuses on supporting your career aspirations after University.

Your progress is evaluated regularly through assessments and feedback, and at the end of each semester through a mix of one-to-one sessions and group tutorials, exhibitions, live projects, verbal/visual presentations, sketchbooks and context folders. 

You’ll learn through lectures, talks, practical sessions, individual and group tutorials, and studio critiques and seminars.  

Lectures and seminars with visiting external professionals, designers and makers will help you determine where your current practice sits.

Technical Demonstrators, who manage our workshop facilities, provide teaching and support across a wide range of subject specialisms. 

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

You'll have the opportunity to undertake group study visits to London and major exhibitions in cities across the country. In recent years, overseas study trip destinations have included Venice, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona. where students have visited international artists and designers' studios.

Please note that study visits and overseas study may incur extra costs on top of your course fees.

There are opportunities for you to undertake work placements as part of the professional practice programme, and you can also take the Professional Placement Year between your second and final years of study.

The optional Professional Practice modules in your second and final years give you the opportunity to exhibit / perform / publish at a host of sites, both in and outside of the University. Our students have done so at the University Theatre, Walcot Chapel, 44AD Gallery, Royal United Hospital, Michael Tippet Centre, American Museum, Bath Artists’ Studios, Holburne Museum, Centerspace Bristol and Bargehouse London.

You’ll graduate with a broad portfolio of expertise to accompany specialist knowledge in your particular field(s).

Our graduates find employment in a range of relevant areas, from establishing their own creative practice/studio to working as freelance artists/makers/designers. Many now work in areas such as retail and display management, curation, creative production, galleries, project management, research, arts administration, heritage, education, critical writing, gallery and museum learning and teaching, teaching in Higher Education, and postgraduate research. 

Graduates can help progress their careers through our residency programmes at creative incubator EMERGE, and our city centre innovation hub, The Studio. 

You could also choose to go on to further study at any postgraduate level in Art and Design subjects. 

We’ll encourage you to participate in competitions such as the Porthleven Prize and Creative Bath Awards. You can also apply for graduate residence opportunities at EMERGE, Bristol Textile Quarter, 44AD, Bath Artists’ Studios, KARST and Spike Island. 

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

As a BA Creative Arts Practice student, you’ll study primarily at our Locksbrook Campus – a Grade II listed building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in 1976 which has been transformed into an innovative, open plan space. Redesigned to meet 21st century environmental standards, it offers technical workshops surrounded by flexible studio spaces and large social areas. 

You’ll have access to:  

• Our student service point at Locksbrook, where you can purchase subsidised art and design materials, hire equipment for free and collect Library resources 
• Specialist technical workshops across all of art and design 
• Inspiring studio space where you can work on projects and refine your practice. 

• Our Library offers a wealth of learning resources including books, journals, DVDs and an extensive range of electronic services. Our Subject Librarian for Art and Design provides subject-specific support, including help with research.
• ASk provides support for your academic work, including feedback on written drafts and other help with academic writing.
• Our Virtual Learning Environment provides online access to learning materials such as lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources. 
• The Careers team run networking events and advisory workshops that explore your future options and the essentials of the job application process. They help you get experience by assisting with your search for work placements and paid part-time jobs while you're studying. When you're ready to progress into your chosen career, they can help you secure graduate-level employment, freelance opportunities, and funding for your own business ideas. Career support continues for years after you graduate with the dedicated Grad Support Unit.
• You’ll have free access to thousands of business, design and tech courses online via LinkedIn Learning.
• If English isn't your first language, our English Language Unit can help you improve your English, reach your full potential and boost your confidence.
• Our Student Wellbeing Services are available to support you through your learning.