Foundation Diploma in Art & Design

In the first 6-8 weeks, you will explore a range of exciting projects and tasters, working with a multi-disciplinary approach to extend your creative practice in experimental and innovative ways. 

Projects will help you develop high levels of critical thinking and creative interpretation and gain an understanding of how to work with creatives across all disciplines. 

Throughout the course you’ll follow an intensive programme of drawing and creative image making, including life drawing.  

You will develop your understanding of the  design cycle and be challenged to think laterally and you will you’ll learn to reflect on your own work and the work of others and to evaluate your ideas and progress.

You will enjoy longer projects with the freedom to develop your ideas whilst continuing to explore a range of process workshops opportunities. You will develop your skills and creative identity across a range of multi-disciplinary activities, producing work to pursue your creative progression goals. 

At this point in the course, your personal tutor will also support you through the UCAS application and/or interview process to achieve your aims.

This is an opportunity to combine all your thinking and practice in initiating and developing a final major project within the area of your choice at Level 4 (the equivalent of first-year degree level work).  

With confidence in the skills that you have learned, you will write and then realise a personal project over a series of 10 weeks working towards a personal goal of experimental or ‘finished’ work which will be showcased in a major public exhibition.  

Our College Road Campus and our Folly Lane Campus will be your learning environments where you will be taught through studio-based tasks as well as within workshop environments, including our digital skills centre. 

Teaching and learning is a two-way process involving whole group activities such as life drawing, mid-group sized workshops and lectures, small peer group critiques and regular one-2-one tutorial sessions with course tutors. There are also external visiting lecturers and alumni alongside a carousel of HCA degree lecturer input within projects.

Being open-minded and curious are the key ingredients to the development of any skills and creative risk-taking without fear of failure is encouraged. The whole of HCA is a supportive community where you are continually encouraged to seek out your creative voice through activities varied in their content and  timespan, building confidence to be the best version of yourself.

Hereford College of Arts has a diverse mix of students, including people with different learning styles and needs. We have a positive, inclusive atmosphere where all of our students are able to access support for their studies. 

Our experienced teaching staff are dedicated to supporting your learning, but you will also have access to the full range of HCA's extensive support services.

For additional academic support, our Study Skills team run drop-in session or provide individual support for any students who need it. They will also work closely with your course team to ensure your learning needs are met, and you are in the best possible position to succeed and thrive on the course

For wellbeing support, you can book sessions with one our our in-house Wellbeing Mentors. As an HCA student you will also have 24/7 access to a phone support for any Wellbeing issues with a industry-leading mental health partner. 

Find out HCA's support services more here.

The Foundation studios at College Road will enable you to have your own workspace across the length of the course. You also have access to the facilities and technical staff used by our degree and MA students. 

This includes industry-standard workshops of ceramics, print, 3D and textiles workshops, and photography and videography facilities - including a Media Store where you can loan out cameras, lighting and lenses for your projects.

College Road Campus is also home to HCA's new £1m Digital Skills Centre. Here you will have access to our digital demonstrators teaching across professional-level software packages from the Adobe suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier Pro etc) to 3D design tools like Blender. 

Our specialist library runs an open access policy ensuring access to a collection of more than 30,000 books, magazines and digital resources. Dedicated arts librarians are on-hand to support your research if required.

The Foundation Diploma is a year of opportunity, a chance to meet new people, explore new ways of working and allow yourself to be immersed in creative life at a specialist Arts college. 

Traditionally, the Foundation Diploma has been the ‘golden route’ for progression to undergraduate study in the creative Arts, you will work closely on your own creative practice, with others in seminars and group learning sessions, and receive expect tuition and guidance from an experienced and passionate teaching team. 

If you are already confident in your area of expertise, then this will give you an additional year to meet like-minded people, work in your own studio space and extend your knowledge and skills.

The ‘extra year’ also gives you time and space to fully consider your options, refine ideas and make decisions before you consolidate a creative specialism or explore further academic study or employment.  It can help you avoid costly mistakes by enabling you to be absolutely sure of your subject choice at degree level.

If you want the chance to create well-developed creative outcomes and get your portfolio noticed by top UK universities, the Foundation diploma gives you the chance to work produce work assessed to Level 4 (first-year degree). This has real impact when making UCAS applications.

You will be based in HCA's dedicatedFoundation diploma studios in the chapel wing of our historic College Road Campus, working alongside our undergraduate and postgraduate students.

HCA is one of the UK's historic art schools, tracing its history back 170 years.

You can find out information about course fees and funding by clicking here.

If you have any follow-up questions, you can email finance@hca.ac.uk.

Yes, all students aged over-18 at the start of the course are eligible for student accommodation. Many Foundation students choose to commute in from home, while others rent closer to campus or stay in student accommodation.

HCA's student accommodation is provided by a third-party provider in partnership with the college. Designed and built to meet the needs of contemporary art and design students, it is located within 15 minute's walk of campus and provides a perfect starting point for those moving away from home for the first time. 

You can find out more about student accommodation options here.

You can apply to study on our Foundation course at any point during the year. You apply directly to HCA using our online portal.

We receive a high number of applications every year areas so we recommend that you make your application as early as possible. Find out more here. 

• One A-Level/A2 or Extended Diploma, preferably in a creative subject.
• Five GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 4/C or above.
• For our portfolio course we have a minimum age of 21 years, with no upper age limit.

Our Foundation and Portfolio courses attract students from a wide range of backgrounds, and with a range of qualifications. If you have any questions about your qualifications and whether they fit, please contact our Registry team on 01432 273359 or email registry@hca.ac.uk.