Hereford College of Arts - National Diploma in Art & Design: Media Arts

Level: Further Education [level III]
Study Mode: Full-time
Duration: 2 years
Minimum Age: 16 years
Entry Requirements: 4 GCSEs grade C or above, or completion of a First Diploma
How to Apply: Direct to College

The Art, Design & Media industries include an incredibly wide variety of different subjects and opportunities for employment. Without enough knowledge or experience of these different areas it can be very difficult deciding which area is most appropriate to your interests and skills. The National Diploma in Art and Design courses aim to introduce you to a wide variety of different areas and support you in making an informed decision about which area you should specialise in.

Media Arts is a broad area and covers a wide range of fast developing industries. Career pathways include; graphic design, photography, animation, film and video, web design, interactive and 3D design and illustration. By studying across a multidisciplinary area students will develop a broad skills-based portfolio that will equip them to progress onto a variety of higher education courses. The Course is worth the equivalent of 3 A Levels.

All pathways start with a common first year when you can gain experience of all the different areas before choosing which subject you want to specialise in. By the end of the first year students will have the opportunity to develop their work in one of the following specialist areas:

Graphic Design involves the visual communication of ideas and information through a combination of words and images. Students are encouraged to develop ideas in response to a wide range of situations and projects and use industry standard software in order to produce designs for magazines, books, editorial designs, advertising, music industry artwork, information graphics and packaging.

Multimedia is a relatively new area to the communication industries as it uses new and emerging digital technologies in order to combine words, images, movement and sound. Students are encouraged to develop ideas in response to a wide range of situations and projects, across a variety of new media formats, using industry standard software in order to produce designs for websites, digital videos, animations, short films, and editorial designs.

Photography is concerned with ideas and themes using both traditional and digital photographic techniques. Students are encouraged to develop ideas in response to a wide range of situations and projects, using black and white, colour and digital formats. Students will explore areas such as documentary photography, studio photography, photojournalism, fashion imaging, and creative photography for advertising and for use on the web.

Year 1
Term 1 provides students with a grounding in the skills they will need to be successful on the courses such as generating ideas, drawing, problem solving, IT, and digital image making. It also introduces students to a wide range of new skills in such as printmaking, video making, ceramics, photography, textiles techniques, animation, and working with different materials such as wood, metal, plastics and glass.

In terms 2 and 3 students use these skills by producing project work within a broad specialist area. These projects provide an opportunity for you to use your creativity to experiment within a subject area in order for you to decide where your passions and skills really lie. On each project, every student will be able to chose between either an Art & Design or Media Arts subject area. By the end of the first year students have the opportunity and guidance chose their own discipline area and will continue to do so into the 2nd year, offering a unique opportunity to tailor your work to your future aspirations, creating a portfolio and course that is personal to you.

Art & Design (click here)
or Media Arts (read on)

Year 2
Students specialising mostly in the areas of Media Arts will combine the general skills developed during Year 1 whilst being introduced to new specialist processes such as our industry standard software in order to a produce designs for websites, digital videos, animations, short films, game character design and editorial designs. Students will also continue to develop skills in Photography and Graphic Design to enable them to create a balanced portfolio. During the second year students will experience working both individually and as a member of a team.

Students who successfully complete this course are qualified to progress directly on to the undergraduate courses at Hereford College of Arts which will train the students to meet the demands of professional design and media industries. Please click here for further details

Students are also qualified to progress on to other Higher Education at Universities and Colleges throughout the country, or to potentially gain entry to employment within the design industries at a junior level.

Any student successfully completing this course and is recommended for a full-time degree course at Hereford College of Arts by their tutor, and is offered a place will be guaranteed a generous bursary in their first year of study with a further financial benefits in each subsequent year. This bursary is not means-tested and does not affect a student’s eligibility for applying for maintenance grants or loans. Click here for more details

Please click on the blue link A - Z Creative Careers