Bird’s-eye view of an art student looking down and illustrating in her notebook filled with sketches, surrounded by a desk full of art supplies.

Illustration BA (Hons)

Design your dream career with a creative arts degree from Falmouth University. Cultivate your illustrative skills online and enhance your visual storytelling abilities with full- or part-time study options.

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Time investment: 2-3 years

Location: Online

Cost: Up to £20,805

Language: English

About this degree

Expand your career canvas with an illustration degree

Push your creative limits in this intensive illustration degree from Falmouth University, designed to encourage bold exploration of illustration techniques and diverse audience engagement.

You’ll learn from experienced academics and guest speakers, developing skills to become a powerful visual communicator and in-demand illustrator. As you explore career pathways and gain professional experience, you’ll join a vibrant community of illustrators, opening doors to future collaborative opportunities.

Draw up inspiration with visual storytelling frameworks

This online degree is broken up into three stages. The first will introduce you to a range of creative processes across different mediums, refining your critical thinking and practical skills through workshops, case studies, independent research, collaborative projects, and engaging lectures.

You’ll explore the ins and outs of visual storytelling and apply these insights to what you find inspiring around you. You’ll also come to understand the value of visual communication in the editorial illustration industry and capturing audiences.

Start building your art portfolio with a distinct visual language style

Next, you’ll experiment with a range of media, mark-making techniques, and drawing styles, by embarking on a creative project of your own.

You’ll discover what visual tools you prefer by trying out wet and dry media, life drawing, print-making processes, collage and 3D assemblage, colour and compositional theory on various skill-building workshops.

Learn to draw through narrative illustration

You’ll analyse the components of narrative illustration, such as character development, and apply them in various publishing contexts, and innovatively challenge these conventions as you begin to create your own projects and collaborations.

As you progress through these projects, you’ll continue to shape your visual identity while considering editorial themes, persuasion and identity, narrative fiction, non-fiction, and publication routes.

Gain real-world insights into the illustration industry

The illustration industry is broad, thus, at this point in your learning, you’ll discover how to apply your creative skills and art tools to different contexts, including product and packaging, digital and site-specific platforms, and more.

To ensure you’re job-ready, you’ll ‘challenge briefs,’ which reflect the kinds of assignments you might encounter while working in the industry. These practical assignments will refine your technical and soft skills.

Launch your illustration career

By the final stage of this course, you’ll demonstrate your technical, creative, and self-reflective skills to clients, peers, and prospective employers, through self-guided practice projects, building out your digital portfolio.

Having gained insights into creative industries and self-promotion strategies, you’ll feel confident showing your work to a body of international art directors, publishers, designers, and agencies.

Where you’ll be studying

Studying at Falmouth University

Creativity is not just confined to campus. Falmouth University has been a leading creative institution for over 100 years and a pioneer in online study since 2016.

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Learning outcomes

Find fresh ways to research, solve problems, and bring your ideas to life in illustrations that speak to your audience.

Try out different tools and techniques, discover what suits you best, and build a style that feels truly yours.

Use your critical thinking skills to dive deeper into your work and refine your approach with each project.

Learn to present your ideas in a way that grabs attention and makes an impact on diverse audiences, including industry pros.

Get ready for the real world by mastering industry expectations and self-promotion, so you can confidently step into the creative field.

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Additional information

Falmouth University considers all applications on their merit and potential. Thus, they invite learners of all backgrounds to apply for this accelerated degree.

Applicants should ideally have 104-120 UCAS Tariff points from Level 3 qualifications, such as A-levels, T-levels, a BTEC/UAL extended diploma, or a foundation diploma. If you don’t have UCAS Tariff points, you may still apply if you have formal or ‘certified’ learning (like non-university training courses) or significant work experience.

Once you apply, you’ll be invited to an online interview where you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your motivations in the field and walk through your creative portfolio.

If English is not your first language, you’ll need to demonstrate an English language level equivalent to IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 5.5 for writing, reading and listening, and 6.0 for speaking.

You’ll be assessed through a range of formative and summative assessments that support your writing development and gauge your progress. You’ll receive ongoing feedback, participate in peer exchanges, and complete a variety of assignments (portfolios, pitches, presentations, journals, case studies, competition analysis, and a final major project) that put your writing, critical thinking, and reflective skills to the test.

You’ll learn from a blend of lectures, video and audio resources, interactive activities, writing exercises, and creative practice, via Falmouth University’s cutting-edge virtual learning environment.

As a graduate with a BA degree, you’ll be equipped with a robust portfolio, refined illustration style, and the technical, practical, and theoretical skills needed to turn your passion for drawing into a career.

From editorial illustration to product packaging design, there are many visual communication roles and creative industries you’ll be able to explore with your BA, including: