BA (Hons) Illustration Bachelor's degree at Westminster
BA (Hons) Illustration at Westminster. Illustration at Westminster invites you to develop visual narratives across media and contexts.
About this course
BA (Hons) Illustration is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at Westminster, based in Harrow Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Creative arts and design graduates from this provider, 84% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 65% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £25,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 40; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 84% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 87% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 9 modules
- Documentary IllustrationCore
Module details
Expand your image making skills, developing greater appreciation of illustration as a tool to document, observe, inform, provoke, educate in responses that originate in real world situations and events. Take the role of a visual journalist, a commentator or even an activist, exploring various approaches to recording and visually interpreting political events, social issues and action, and lived experience.
- Drawing ExplorationsCore
Module details
Designed to open up speculative enquiry and creative exploring of drawing approaches. Learning is transferable and interdisciplinary offering a range of practical workshops and projects to widen the potential of possibilities in drawing practice and deepen your understanding of visual design and image-making.
- Industry SkillsCore
Module details
Develop your industry skills in conversation with critical studies, preparing you to transform and lead the creative industries. Build your industry knowledge, develop practical and digital skills, and explore creative production technologies within your specific discipline. Learn to deconstruct and interpret client-led instructions, as well as an introduction to the basics of researching and presenting information as a group.
- Illustration CulturesCore
Module details
Gain a good understanding of the changing contexts and cultures of illustration and visual communication. Consider different forms of media, the social sectors you aim to address, the ways you are distributed, and how such factors have an impact on the kinds of images and messages that are produced. In the studio develop your own lines of visual inquiry to apply and explore selected contexts and cultures of image-making.
- Illustration MethodsCore
Module details
Invites exploration of a range of methods of creating imagery and visual meaning. Supports you to gain an understanding in visual communication and develop your skills in drawing and image-making. Projects are designed to set simple constraints and creative challenges that ask you to test your image-making ability and aptitudes as well as develop your knowledge of visual literacies. Have the freedom to choose to work with a range of processes that may include mixed media, analogue and digital, t
- 2D Computer AnimationOptional
Module details
An introduction to working with 2D animation software. Gives you an overview of the various applications of 2D modelling and animation, as well as an understanding of 2D aesthetics. A series of workshops will introduce you to the skills needed to create your own 2D assets, and you will practice animating a 2D rig. These workshops will be the building blocks you need to develop your own concept for a 2D asset or animation.
- 2D Game CreationOptional
Module details
Introduces you to the practice and production of 2-dimensional (2D) game development. Consider some of the principles used to develop 2D games. Look at the concepts and methods used to create 2D assets to match a games design brief, including those used to create retro styles such as pixel art.
- Concept ArtOptional
Module details
Introduces you to the creative and professional practice of concept art across games, film, and related creative industries. Develop your ability to communicate visual ideas through a range of traditional and digital techniques while exploring the role of research, iteration, and presentation in visual storytelling. Investigate how historical, cultural, and global perspectives shape visual languages and production contexts, and how awareness of inclusion, representation, and audience can inform
- Typography as ImageOptional
Module details
Aims to introduce you to the joy of typography. Introduces the concepts, approaches, cultural and technological developments relating to typography. Explore issues including type as visual message, contemporary contexts and perspectives, and the role of typography in digital media. Workshops and projects give you an understanding of how to employ typographical structures to present the written word.
Year 2 8 modules
- Client and CommunityCore
Module details
Designed to prepare you for life after graduation, which includes building a sustainable career in the creative industries. Through a combination of theoretical learning and practical application, delve into the professional aspects of the creative industries, including industry standards, client relationships, project management, and ethical considerations. Equips you with the knowledge and professionalism required to thrive in your future career, including developing CVs and career portfolios.
- Illustration ImpactCore
Module details
Explores the impact of illustration practice as image and meaning production. As a future illustrator, engage with diverse, evolving cultures and visual practices, so you need to understand multifaceted contexts and impacts. With guidance and support, produce illustration work while examining its impact within broader visual and cultural frameworks. Through documented practice and research, develop your passions and inquiries, ultimately creating meaningful and informed illustration outcomes.
- Image-making SystemsCore
Module details
Highlights the importance of mastering digital techniques while also engaging you in ranging methods to foster creativity towards producing distinctive images as an expert Illustrator. After initial practical workshops and lectures you will plan and direct your own critical themes for study and image-making production with tutor guidance.
- Visual StorytellingCore
Module details
Explore key principles and theories of narrative. Discuss a range of traditional and contemporary applications for visual narrative. Through practical projects, examine basic narrative structure, the role of character, environment, action, time, technology, culture and audience interaction in the storytelling process.
- Branding and IdentityOptional
Module details
Visual Identity and branding are key areas of engagement for visual designers. Branding employs design solutions to bring recognition to a wide range of companies, organisations, products, services and causes. Consider some of the principles and methods behind visual Identity and branding. Explore the dual sides of branding as both a generator of potent narratives and the impetus behind problematic consumerism, evoking related social contexts and the responsibility of the designer's role in this
- Character and Creature CreationOptional
Module details
Develops your creative and technical understanding of character and creature design within the context of games and related creative industries. Explore how anatomy, form, silhouette, and visual style contribute to personality, narrative, and gameplay. Through research, sketching, and iterative design, generate ideas that can be taken from concept art to a resolved visual piece. Working with both traditional and digital techniques, develop awareness of cultural influences, representation, and in
- Designing for User Experience (UX)Optional
Module details
Enables you to create a modern piece of interactive media in the form of a website, while also expanding your knowledge of the theories and practices common to the production of interactive media. Through definition and research, develop an exciting and unique website project concept, using creative technologies to produce a final professional product. The final prototype website will be developed using current industry digital tools.
- Extended Reality for CreativesOptional
Module details
Through immersive technologies, creatives have new opportunities to create interactive and immersive experiences, exhibit work at any scale and bridge distances between audiences and artistic experiences. Focus on the different aspects of designing for extended reality, while learning about the development of immersive arts as a medium and exploring the ways in which emerging technologies are being utilised by contemporary artists. Explore a range of emerging technologies suited for producing im
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
You'll develop a visual practice grounded in design principles, materials and conceptual thinking. In your first year, you'll typically study colour, composition and form across media, explore making through workshops in print, textiles and digital fabrication, and examine art and design history. Year 2 moves into sustained studio practice where you develop your personal direction, engage with digital and emerging media tools, and undertake live briefs with real briefs and deadlines. In your final year, you'll specialise deeply, focusing on areas such as graphic design, illustration, fine art, fashion and textiles, or UX and digital practice, whilst building your professional portfolio and completing a self-directed major project for exhibition at the degree show.
Who it's for
You're drawn to storytelling through image. You have a strong visual eye, patience for detail, and genuine curiosity about how illustration communicates, whether that's through editorial work, publishing, animation, advertising, or cultural institutions. You enjoy the rigour of observational drawing alongside experimental digital practice. You're keen to understand both the craft and the thinking behind visual work, and you want to graduate with a portfolio and professional readiness. This course suits you if you thrive in structured critique, collaborate well with peers, and are willing to test ideas repeatedly until they work.
University & format
This is a 3-year full-time Bachelor's degree (BA Hons) taught at The University of Westminster, a public university based at its Harrow Campus. Instruction is in English. The degree is awarded by a recognised UK degree-awarding body and holds Silver status in the Office for Students' Teaching Excellence Framework (2023).
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 89% |
| another higher-education qualification | 10% |
| a foundation course | 2% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code W220). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at Westminster →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £25,000 | £21,000 – £28,500 | 40 |
| 3 years after | £22,000 | £16,000 – £27,500 | 295 |
| 5 years after | £27,500 | £20,500 – £34,500 | 300 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 40; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 40; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 19% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 11% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 295; response rate: 51%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Is BA (Hons) Illustration worth it?
Weigh it carefully. On these figures graduates of BA (Hons) Illustration earn close to non-graduate pay, so on cost alone the course is slow to pay off.
Cumulative earnings vs. going straight to work at 18, counting tuition and 3 years of wages given up while studying. The line clears zero around year 34.7. This is a simplified gross-earnings comparison, not a forecast of cash loan repayments.
Model: this course’s own median graduate earnings (Graduate Outcomes / LEO) above the £24,000 non-graduate baseline (ONS), net of £9,790/yr over 3 years (published course home fee). Eligible England-domiciled students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan; repayments are 9% only on income above the threshold, with anything left written off after 40 years. That makes the cash flow different from conventional commercial debt. Opportunity cost assumes £18,000 gross earnings forgone in each study year; figures are nominal and exclude tax, living costs, investment returns and loan interest. A simplified estimate. Earnings and actual fees vary by graduate, provider, fee status and UK nation.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
Published home tuition is £9,790/year for this course. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
84% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £25,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.5 out of 10: NSS 83.7% · in work or study 84% · continued 87%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Westminster
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Harrow Campus
1,632 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Westminster from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Westminster; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Westminster’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Westminster and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Westminster
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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