Drawing
Drawing

Drawing BA(Hons)

Push your drawing practice into the professional realm.

Key details
Location
Falmouth Campus
Course duration
3 years / 4 years
Attendance
Full-time / Professional Placement
UCAS code
W110 / FY10 / PY18

Course overview

Explore the versatility of drawing on this stimulating studio-based course. By investigating material, digital, spatial and conceptual processes and approaches, you’ll become an independent and ambitious critical thinker, identifying a wide variety of social, public and professional contexts for your work. 

You’ll be supported to experiment freely and take creative risks as you generate innovative visions, proposals and concepts to self-initiated projects and live briefs. You’ll graduate as an entrepreneurial, resilient and resourceful practitioner with a unique portfolio and equipped with the technical and transferrable skills needed to forge an exciting career in the creative industries and beyond.  

Why study this course at Falmouth?

  • Develop your practice and collaborate with peers in Falmouth’s renowned School of Art studios and facilities. 
  • Work on exciting projects with a wide range of partners such as Trelissick House, Wheal Martyn Clay Works, Gallery Tresco, R.K. Burt Paper Gallery, and ShelterBox Truro. 
  • Enhance your practice and research through inspiring off-site visits.  
  • Produce a distinctive body of work and stage it in a public exhibition curated alongside the work of your peers. 

Course details

BA(Hons) Drawing course video

On this Drawing degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or the option to study Drawing BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year and/or a professional placement. 

You’ll be supported by expert practitioners and researchers to test and refine your drawing practice, building technical skills and a critical understanding of your work. 

Working individually and collaboratively, you’ll consider the world around you and develop presentations, shows and portfolios that showcase an ethical and boundary-pushing approach to drawing and the wide array of future real-world applications for your practice.   

Working in our dynamic studio environment you'll take on a series of projects to develop drawing-specific skills and concepts within a range of contemporary arts contexts. You’ll start to develop rigorous research skills too, understanding where your own practice sits within the 21st century cultural landscape. You'll also have opportunities to show your work in the studios and engage with peers across all three years. 

Modules

Practice in Context 1

This module introduces key contemporary and historical art contexts, developments, and debates, helping you to extend the scope of what subject-specific practice is and can be. You’ll be introduced to the vocabulary, concepts, and contexts to be able to analyse artistic practice. You will also be introduced to academic writing and research conventions appropriate to a range of arts contexts. 

Press Play

Through technical workshops and inductions, you’ll be supported to kick-start approaches to your artistic practice and establishing ambitious lines of inquiry: testing boundaries, taking risks and experimenting. This module will also establish the ways that theory and practice are in dialogue with each other and will introduce you to a range of contemporary and historical art practices, cultural and theoretical issues, debates, and contexts such as socio-political, economic, and environmental dimensions of art in the 21st century. 

Practice in Context 2

You will be introduced to a range of themes and trends that have shaped contemporary artistic practices, reinforcing the connections between critical and contextual knowledge and your developing studio practice. You will start to consider possible ways to situate your own work and make connections between research, your own practice, and contemporary industry. You will also engage with academic source material and develop strategies for analysing, researching, and writing about art.  

Initiating Practice 

This module will strengthen your understanding of what it means to have and maintain an independent and ethical artistic practice and will support you to further explore methods for practice-based research. The module will also provide opportunities to explore different modes of display and consider audience experience, interaction, and participation as you work with your peers to construct a group exhibition. 

In the second year of your Drawing degree, you'll delve deeper into your own practice, developing your technical prowess whilst learning how to articulate and present your work in a broad range of professional and public contexts.  

Modules

Sustained Personal Enquiry 1

This module will support you to develop skills of critical analysis in relation to the language of drawing. You will be encouraged to explore new research territories to complement the evolution of your studio practice, as well as developing presentation skills as a tool for creative professionals, delivering a visual contextual presentation to an audience of peers and staff. 

Situating Practice: Studio  

Taking place in the studio and technical workshops, you will develop a new body of work focusing on process, material investigation and technical experimentation. This will help you to identify themes and contexts that emerge from thinking through making and how you ‘tell the story’ of your practice and research, situated in real-world contexts. 

Sustained Personal Enquiry 2 

This module will support you to generate a portfolio of research. You will be introduced to core research methodologies and then apply methods for planning and organising your research. In addition, you will explore a range of strategies for undertaking critical reading and experimental modes of writing. 

Testing Ground: Collaboration 

This module will focus on expanding your knowledge of public arts platforms, including arts festivals and how they operate. Working in exhibition planning groups, you will identify and work towards a live context for your current practice. Each group will contribute to planning and preparing a public facing arts festival and the group curation of your practice. 

Testing Ground: Studio  

During this module, you will challenge and test established conventions within your practice. The emphasis will be on experimentation and risk-taking through the practical business of making. Through a combination of seminars, tutorials and peer review you will articulate and receive critical feedback on your work. You will curate a body of work into an organised portfolio with a supporting artist statement. 

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. 

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

The modules in your final year give you the opportunity to demonstrate originality, skills and professionalism in producing a distinctive body of work and showcasing your ideas. You'll work on a project reflecting and building on your personal discoveries and ambitions. You'll also work on a major negotiated project, which will culminate in a public exhibition. 

Modules

Entrepreneurial Practices: Agencies and Audiences 

In this module, you will build an entrepreneurial skillset by engaging with public contexts and devising strategies for employment. You will identify the relevant audiences, platforms, and tools for the dissemination of your practice and research in relation to your career goals. The module will culminate in you working either independently or collaboratively with other students to showcase your work in a public-facing context. 

Practice as Research 

This module will develop your ability to identify, apply and position your research concerns as an artist working in the 21st century. Through challenge and exploration, you will create a set of outputs distinctive to your own critical concerns through one of three pathways: 

  • Practical submission and critical essay 
  • Written submission 
  • Art writing submission 

Public Platforms 

This module provides a platform for you to showcase the depth of your ambition through a distinctive body of work, to be staged in a public exhibition. 

Together with your peers, you will curate, exhibit, and present your project to high standards to an audience in a public context within and beyond the academic community and identify relevant professional online networks for its dissemination.

Realisation  

This module is a culmination of the skills, knowledge, and understanding you have developed during your time on the course. You will challenge and finesse your practice so that your Degree Show exhibition showcases your accomplishments to a wider audience.  

Liaising with your cohort you will collectively organise, curate, and promote an exciting exhibition demonstrating a confident and comprehensive understanding of your own artistic practice that is innovative, professional and clearly underpinned by detailed knowledge of the subject and industry. 

Why study an Integrated Foundation Year route?

If you’re taking on a new subject that you haven’t studied in depth before, have been out of education for a while or have a non-standard educational background then an Integrated Foundation Year degree may be the right choice for you. It is a four-year degree with an Integrated Foundation Year to start, which allows you to explore the primary elements of your subject before progressing on to the remaining three years of the BA(Hons) degree.

What you'll learn

If you choose this pathway, you'll study five core modules in your Foundation year. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your subject. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

Modules

Explore

You'll begin your foundation year by working collaboratively with others to explore themes of the future. You'll take risks, experiment through play and be supported to break through barriers.

Technique

You'll take subject-specific workshops and develop essential technical and practical skills in your area of study. You'll also enhance your analytical and organisational abilities.

Apply

You'll work with your peer group to think beyond discipline by addressing a societal or global issue. You'll then showcase your work to your peers and deliver an accompanying evaluation of your process.

Industry

You'll enhance your creative and practical skills in your subject specialism by responding to typical industry briefs, underpinned by focused research and experiments. You'll also gain industry insights through guest lectures and workshops.

Launch

You'll develop your unique identity in your specialism through the production of a self-initiated body of work. Your final project will be the bridge to your next year, fully supported by evaluative reviews and critical analysis of the work you have created.

After the Foundation year, you progress into Year One of the full three-year degree, equipped with a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, and develop a practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen subject.

 

If you apply for and enrol onto a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year, you’ll have the option to switch onto a five-year version including a placement year. That means you’ll complete the first three years of your course before completing a placement in industry in your fourth year and returning to Falmouth for the fifth year of your programme. 

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course as you progress from the integrated foundation year, which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly. 

Drawing students drawing together
Drawing students drawing together

How you'll learn & be assessed

This studio-based Drawing degree brings together practical approaches, structured learning, dedicated tutor support, and opportunities for national and international placements, along with optional visits to museums, galleries and other artistic locations. As you progress, you'll take greater ownership of your work through self-directed projects and through collaborative group work. 

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

100% of your assessment will be coursework. 

Assessment methods

  • Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework based
  • Continuous monitoring
  • Twice-yearly studio practice
  • Written assignments
  • Self-evaluation
  • Final-year dissertation, project and exhibition
Drawing student sketching skull
Drawing student sketching skull
Drawing students working together
Drawing students working together

Drawing graduates Caroline Blythe and Hannah Davies will see their work toured nationally having been shortlisted for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.

Graduates shortlisted for iconic award

Stories from our community

Explore student projects, graduate successes, staff news and industry insights

Pencil sketch of St Paul's Cathedral
Sketch of St Pauls by Katie Hewson

Artwork by Katie Hewson

Graduate shortlisted for Drawing of the Year competition

04 July 2023

Drawing graduate shortlisted for Archisource’s prestigious Drawing of the Year award.

Graduate shortlisted for Drawing of the Year competition
Trinity Buoy
Trinity Buoy

Falmouth graduates compete for a share of £27,000 at prestigious Drawing Award

22 October 2021

The Falmouth School of Art is celebrating a double success at the 2021 Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Pr...

Falmouth graduates compete for a share of £27,000 at prestigious Drawing Award
Drawing by student Anna Claypole
Blast Shelter by Anna Claypole
Blast Shelter by Anna Claypole

Student Work Selected for China Clay Exhibition

12 February 2020

Work by two Drawing students has been selected to go on display at Wheal Martin. The exhibition...

Student Work Selected for China Clay Exhibition
Drawing by graduate Julia Watson
Julia Watson Royal Society of British Artists

Graduate's Success in Major National Art Exhibition

03 February 2020

Drawing graduate Julia Watson has had her work selected for the Royal Society of British Artists (RB...

Graduate's Success in Major National Art Exhibition
Drawing by student Katherine Jackson
Web story - Katherine Jackson art win

Student Wins Art Prize

04 September 2019

Drawing student Katherine Jackson has been awarded the Pegasus Young Artist Prize in the Sunday Time...

Student Wins Art Prize
Venice (stock image)

Fine Art Student Selected for Venice Fellowship

01 June 2019

Every year the Falmouth School of Art funds one outstanding final year student from BA(Hons) Fine Ar...

Fine Art Student Selected for Venice Fellowship
art work model
Tate Partnership Commences with Peer Leader Training - web story

Tate Partnership Commences with Peer Leader Training

11 February 2019

First year Fine Art, Drawing and Illustration students have just spent four days working with artist...

Tate Partnership Commences with Peer Leader Training
Students drawing Isles of Scilly

Students Work with Artist Peter Matthews

11 December 2018

Students from BA(Hons) Drawing have enjoyed several inspiring trips and workshops this yea...

Students Work with Artist Peter Matthews
drawn_02

Students Collaborate to Create Art Workshop

12 June 2018

Artistic talent can be found in a myriad of places and people, and the ability to sense these creati...

Students Collaborate to Create Art Workshop
News: Theo main
Theo Crutchley-Mack

From Falmouth to Falklands

23 May 2018

Drawing graduate Theo Crutchley-Mack has undertaken a six-month residency in the Falkland Islan...

From Falmouth to Falklands

Facilities

  • Dedicated individual studio space.
  • Digital imaging suites, photography studios and equipment.
  • Printmaking equipment and technical workshops.
  • Life drawing studio.
  • Extensive archives and library resources.
Student working in metal work studio
Art Facilities_01

Art & Design Facilities

Primarily located at the Falmouth Campus in a subtropical garden, our studios and workshop facilitie...

Art & Design Facilities
View of Falmouth University library with blue chairs and bookcases
Falmouth campus library blue chairs

Library Facilities

Offering extensive collections, our two libraries provide a wealth of digital resources, magazines, ...

Library Facilities
Falmouth University Sports Centre building exterior with blue sky and a path
Sports Centre - Outside
Sports Centre

Sports Centre

Our Sports Centre, on Penryn Campus, includes a spacious gym with up to 90 of the latest, new statio...

Sports Centre

Staff

Our team of academics, practicing artists and researchers, and award-winning practitioners have showcased their work internationally through practice-based research projects, commissions and residencies that engage drawing through dance, sculpture, painting, performance, ceramics and printmaking.

Dr Tom Baugh

Head of Art

Thomas is the Head of Art at Falmouth University. Thomas situates his artistic research ac...

Dr Tom Baugh
Rossella Emanuele picture

Rossella Emanuele

Course Leader, Drawing BA(Hons)

Sitting at the intersection of idea, material and process, Emanuele’s practice departs from the tr...

Rossella Emanuele
Dr David Paton headshot

Dr David Paton

Senior Lecturer MA Fine Art and BA(Hons) Drawing

David is Senior Lecturer for MA Fine Art based at Woodlane Campus, and 1st Year Lead for BA(Hons) Dr...

Dr David Paton
Charlie Duck staff image

Charlie Duck

Module Leader and Senior Lecturer, Drawing BA(Hons)

Working across painting, drawing, printmaking and ceramics, Charlie's practice is dedicated to exper...

Charlie Duck
Tabatha Andrews staff image

Tabatha Andrews

Associate Lecturer

Tabatha Andrews makes sculpture and installation that visualises memory and the energy of sound, exp...

Tabatha Andrews

John Howard

Associate Lecturer: BA(Hons) Drawing

An award-winning painter and printmaker, John has exhibited regularly for over 25 years and has won ...

John Howard
Joanna headshot

Dr Joanna Griffin

Associate Lecturer, Drawing BA(Hons) & Fine Art MA (Online)

I am an artist and educator from the UK with a research interest in the experiential dimension of sp...

Dr Joanna Griffin
Karen Abadie headshot

Karen Abadie

Associate Lecturer, Drawing BA(Hons)

Dr Karen Abadie is an installation and moving image artist working with video, analogue film and sou...

Karen Abadie
Elizabeth Tomos headshot

Elizabeth Tomos

Lecturer, Fine Art BA(Hons)

Elizabeth Tomos has been working in Higher Education since 2010 and is currently working as a Lectur...

Elizabeth Tomos

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Careers

The BA Drawing course will equip you with a broad range of technical and transferrable skills, setting you up for an exciting career. Our graduates have worked in the following areas: 

  • Artists in professional fields, including botanical illustration, medical drawings, surface and pattern design, fashion and textiles, theatre and set design.  
  • Commercial/industry-based visual practice: plans and diagrams, elevations, and surveys. 
  • Design processes: 2D or 3D visualisation, planning, landscape, interiors and product engineering. 
  • Gallery and exhibition management, curatorial practice and arts consultancy. 
  • Community arts work and project organisation. 
  • Freelance practitioners in reportage, design, illustration, concept art, and visualisation. 
  • Educators in primary, secondary, further and higher education, as well as in museums and community settings. 
  • Researchers, lecturing and fellowships. 

What can you do with a drawing degree?

A drawing, art or design degree will teach you skills that are relevant for multiple industries so you can follow a career path that is truly fulfilling for a lifetime. 

Explore career prospects

How to apply

Ready to apply for 2025?

You can apply for our undergraduate degrees via UCAS. You'll need our university UCAS code (F33) as well as your course code (which you'll find on your course page) for your application.

Apply via UCAS

Course route UCAS code
Drawing BA(Hons) three year degree W110
Drawing BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year FY10
Drawing BA(Hons) with professional placement PY18

For starting your studies in 2025

UK applications: 29 January 2025 (for equal consideration)

Applications after the 29 January will be considered on a first-come, first-served as long as there are places available. Apply for this course now.

International fee payers

International fee payers can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.

We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential. We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field. Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course. We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.  

BA/BSc(Hons) three year degree: 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with professional placement: 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with Integrated Foundation Year: 80 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

Check the title of your course to see if it's a BA or BSc award. UCAS Tariff points will primarily be from Level 3 qualifications such as but not limited to A-levels, T Levels, a BTEC/UAL Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma. 

Check how many points your qualifications are worth

For applicants whose first language is English we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent. 

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the same standard which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of in country equivalencies and approved tests.  

If you need a student visa to study in the UK, you may need to take a recognised language test. You can read our English Language Requirements for more information.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

Annual tuition fee Student
£9,535 per year Full-time UK
£17,950 per year Full-time EU/international
£1,905 per professional placement year Full-time UK and EU/international
£9,535 per Integrated Foundation Year Full-time UK
£17,950 per Integrated Foundation Year Full-time EU/international
Annual tuition fee Student
£9,250 per year Full-time UK
£17,950 per year Full-time EU/international
£1,850 per professional placement year Full-time UK and EU/international
£9,250 per Integrated Foundation Year Full-time UK
£17,950 per Integrated Foundation Year Full-time EU/international

Tuition fees for September 2026 will be confirmed in summer 2025.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

  • £250 - Recurring annual costs (materials and local study visits etc)

If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.

Additional typical course costs for Integrated Foundation Year pathway

  • £250 for materials
  • A laptop/desktop computer
  • Adobe Creative Suite

To engage in the digital learning activity, although you will be able to access IT suites on campus, you will benefit from a laptop to access the platforms and tools we use. Depending on your subject, you may need a specific type of computer. If you're unsure about what you might need, please contact our course advisors.

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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