STUDY

Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Photography

Camera lens
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: W601
Start date: September 2025
Duration: Three years full time, four and half to nine years part time.
Location: Ipswich
Typical Offer: 112 UCAS tariff points (or above), BBC (A-Level), DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level)
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: W601
Start date: September 2025
Duration: Three years full time, four and half to nine years part time.
Location: Ipswich
Typical Offer: 112 UCAS tariff points (or above), BBC (A-Level), DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level)

Overview

The Photography degree course at University of Suffolk offers students the opportunity to understand and explore in depth the practices, technologies and debates associated with the photographic image. Students will develop their ability to produce photographic work in a range of media, using techniques that are sensitive to the works context and audienceCentral to the philosophy of the course is an emphasis on individual identity and authorship over your own ideas in producing creative, expressive, and risk-taking work, which also engages with critical and theoretical approaches. 

In the first year, students will be introduced to historical, theoretical, cultural and political debates surrounding lens-based media, digital imagery and artificial intelligence. This study is directly linked to the use of all camera formats, as well as the specific qualities of analogue and digital photography and wider discussions around the role of imagery in contemporary society. 

In the second year students continue to develop technical and contextual skills. Students are encouraged to take risks with their work and start to develop their own individual practice. They are also trained in book making and book binding as they are asked to apply their creative vision and voice to hand made photobook. Specific contact points are developed with industry through placements, visiting lecturers, field trips and exhibition visits.

The third year enables students to develop their own visual imagery, theoretical engagement and professional practice and culminate their learning as a full competent and independent practitioner. 

The course team comprises experienced lecturers, practicing photographers, writers, and artists using photography. Their work has been recognised nationally and internationally through publication and exhibition. The course is supported by a full time subject specific technical team.  In addition to the experienced lecturers and practitioners on our teaching staff, the course is supported by visiting lecturers and guest speakers of the highest calibre who have included Martin Parr, Gareth McConnell, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Tom Hunter, Andreas Schmidt, Bettina Von Zwehl, Steve Macleod, Michael Collins and Eamonn McCabe. 

The course is proud to have a range of industry partnerships, including two awards with Metro Imaging, London.  Each year, a 2nd year student has the opportunity to be awarded the Ambassador Scheme which allows them to develop a body of work under the guidance of Metro Imaging. This award offers a yearlong bespoke mentoring scheme under the supervision of leading industry specialists with a view to resolving a body of work ready for exhibition and publication.  It offers extensive networking opportunities and £1000 towards the costs of producing the work. 

The University of Suffolk is world-class and committed to our region. We are proudly modern and innovative and we believe in transformative education. We are on the rise with a focus on student satisfaction, graduate prospects, spending on academic services and student facilities.

1st

in the UK for student satisfaction for Art and Design courses

(The Complete University Guide 2024)

6th

in the UK for spend on academic services

(The Complete University Guide 2024)

11th

in the UK for social inclusion

(The Good University Guide 2023)

Course Modules

Our undergraduate programmes are delivered as 'block and blend', more information can be found on Why Suffolk? You can also watch our Block and Blend video.   

Downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Record.  

The module will introduce you to the concepts of documentary photographic practice, the development of a visual body of work and a body of research and the historical and contemporary debates around this area of photography. Lectures, seminars, reading, research, and independent enquiry for this module should inform a body the photographic imagery that you produce. Regular critiques in a variety of formats will be instrumental in supporting the development of this work and the progression of your abilities. Your imagery can explore a range of divergent concepts, processes and techniques ranging from the traditional through to post-photography approaches, analogue, digital (including scanned imagery) and the found/appropriated image. 

This module is designed to introduce you to basic and more advanced technical skills involved in the production of photographic images (or equivalent). It will cover the analogue process: Black and White film exposure, processing and printing.

This module is designed to introduce you to basic and more advanced technical skills involved in the production of photographic images (or equivalent). It will cover digital process of capture, file management, post-production and output

This module is designed to introduce you to basic and more advanced technical skills involved in the production of photographic images (or equivalent). It will cover studio and location lighting.

This module is designed to introduce you to critical and theoretical viewpoints on photography and the wider visual culture to which photographic practice is integral. The module will offer a historical and critical perspectives on each of the core practical modules leading into an introduction of relevant contemporary issues and concepts. The vital association between developing a critical approach in this module alongside creative photographic work in other modules will be emphasised throughout. 

The module will introduce you to the concepts of location-based photographic practice, the development of a visual body of work and a body of research and the historical and contemporary debates around this area of photography. Lectures, seminars, reading, research, and independent enquiry for this module should inform a body the photographic imagery that you produce. Regular critiques in a variety of formats will be instrumental in supporting the development of this work and the progression of your abilities. Your imagery can explore a range of divergent concepts, processes and techniques ranging from the traditional through to post-photography approaches, analogue, digital (including scanned imagery) and the found/appropriated image. 

In this module you will reflect on your previous work and have both reappraised and extended your thinking around what you consider to be the key strategies for communication within contemporary photographic practice. You will be asked to learn and apply new professional skills and create a body of work that thinks critically around ideas you believe important and in need of consideration. Any format, technique or convention may be applied, but its application must be justified by its intended and stated context. This module encourages the student to produce work within a framework that draws closer to the professional activity of a fully competent and independent practitioner. 

This module will introduce you to a wide range of issues of importance to professional practitioners in the creative industries and aims to equip you with the skills to embark on their career in the sector. You will be introduced to the practical, investigative, and analytical skills to operate in the creative industries. 

This module is designed to build upon the Photographic Techniques module and introduce you to more advanced techniques and equipment technical skills involved in the production of photographic images (or equivalent). It will explore both analogue and digital elements incorporating various camera formats, file management, digital manipulation, and a range of printing outputs. 

In this module students are asked to extend their thinking around their own practice and what they consider to be the key strategies for publication, communication, and audience engagement within the genre of the photobook and the published image. Through a series of discussions and practical workshops, students will focus on understanding the process of subjective storytelling and explore ways to incorporate their personal experiences and artist voice into their work. Looking at the photobook as an object, each student will learn: to conceptualise ideas; the editing process; present their findings; the physical process of stitching/binding to create a photobook or publication. 

This module will introduce you to working in a collaborative manner, giving you the freedom to determine and research an appropriate and specific target audience for your project. This research will lead to the creation of a project proposal aimed at your chosen target audience. You will be encouraged to challenge conventions and take risks with the work. The resulting proposal could be anything from a community-based project to a short film. 

This year-long module will extend and augment key ideas introduced at level 4 in the module Critical Studies: Photography and Visual Culture. Critical knowledge and skills will be developed in ways which complement the concurrent practical photographic module, Individual Practice. Themes and Ideas provides a crucial part of level 5 studies in which your intellectual and creative capacities are enhanced, encouraging you to become more confident, better informed and more self-reflective as independent learners and practitioners. 

This module will allow students to develop, define and undertake a final major project. The methodology for this process has been defined at level 4 and 5. The work undertaken in the previous modules will form the basis for further investigation. You will develop an in-depth proposal that will guide you through the production of your project.

This module prepares each student for the professional sector.  It teaches students how to research and write funding applications and business plans in addition to examining a broad range of relevant professional practices.

Self-directed research is undertaken – under academic supervision - on a topic chosen by you.  The research leads to the production of an extended piece of academic writing which demonstrates sound research, advanced subject knowledge and a well-informed ability to think about and interpret visual images.

Waterfront Building reflecting in the marina

WHY SUFFOLK

2nd in the UK for Career Prospects

WUSCA 2024

3rd in the UK for spend on academic services

Complete University Guide 2025

4th in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction

Guardian University Guide 2024
Close-up of student viewing negatives
Photography Student
Close-up of student look through a camera
BA (Hons) Photography
A student looking at negatives
Photography Student
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Virtual Tour of Arts Building

Entry Requirements

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Career Opportunities

Career opportunities in photography include:

  • Editorial

  • Documentary

  • Portraiture

  • Advertising

  • Fashion

  • Music

  • Architecture

  • Newspaper

  • Medical

  • Wildlife

  • Police Photography

  • Reality Based Visualisation

  • Computer Generated Imaging

  • Publishing

 

Other areas graduates can move into are:

  • Fine Art Practice

  • Picture Research

  • Editing and Curatorial Posts

  • Gallery or Project Management

  • Technical Support

  • PR

 

Take a look at our student successes and what they have to say about studying Photography at the University of Suffolk.

Your Course Team

Geoff Buono

Geoff Buono has been involved in photography since he was 16, studying at Blackpool and the Fylde College, West Surrey College of Art in Farnham and L.C.C.

Geoff Buono staff profile photo

Noel Bowler

Noel joined as a full-time lecturer in 2015. His photography has been exhibited worldwide including New York Photofestivel and Les Recontres d’Arles.

Dr Mark Edwards

Dr. Mark Edwards is a renowned practitioner and academic with his work exhibited in major photographic collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

Mark Edwards staff profile photo

Dr Pat Hurrell

Pat has been a part-time lecturer in Critical and Cultural Studies on the BA (Hons) in Photography at the University of Suffolk since 2007.

Pat Hurrell staff profile photo

Steve Macleod

Steve is a practicing artist who has dedicated much of his career to education and professional practice in photography.

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Tuition Fee

£9,250

per year
International Full-time Tuition Fee

£15,690

per year

The decision to study a degree is an investment into your future, there are various means of support available to you in order to help fund your tuition fees and living costs. You can apply for funding from the Spring before your course starts.

UK Fees and Finance UK Bursaries and Scholarships International Fees and Scholarships

Ipswich Award

The University of Suffolk is offering a £1,000 Award for students joining the University of Suffolk’s Ipswich campus. The Award is based on specific eligibility criteria based on your year of entry.

More information
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How to Apply

To study this course on a full-time basis, you can apply through UCAS. As well as providing your academic qualifications, you’ll be able to showcase your skills, qualities and passion for the subject.

Apply Now Further Information on Applying
A silhouette of a student in their cap and gown

Ryan Harding, BA (Hons) Photography

"I chose to study at Suffolk as the course was well spoken of by people who had completed it and the work I had seen from previous years was of a very high quality."

read more
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