HND Contemporary Art Practice Foundation degree at UHI
HND Contemporary Art Practice at UHI. You'll combine practical studio experience, painting, sculpture, digital media, installation and other forms, with rigorous investigation of theory, research methods and the art world itself.
About this course
HND Contemporary Art Practice is a Foundation degree (HND) at UHI, based in UHI Inverness,UHI North West Hebrides,UHI Perth. It runs 2 years, studied full-time.
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 Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2021-23. Continuation 60% (2021-23; 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 2 14 modules
- Contemporary art practice: project
- Contemporary art: professional practice
- Exhibition of contemporary artform
- Contemporary art practice: graded unit 2
- Site specific artwork: developmentOptional
- Site specific artwork: productionOptional
- Mixed media developmentOptional
- Mixed media productionOptional
- Art and design context: personal investigationOptional
- Community arts: visual arts workshopOptional
- Contemporary art practice: digital media developmentOptional
- Contemporary art practice: digital media productionOptional
- Observational drawing portfolioOptional
- Philosophical aesthetics: an introductionOptional
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
This two-year HND in Contemporary Art Practice builds your visual language and professional practice from foundational craft through to a self-directed final project. You'll usually start with Visual Studies & Design Principles, Materials and Processes, and Contextual Studies, exploring colour, composition, making techniques across media, and the art history that informs contemporary work. A course like this normally moves into sustained studio practice in Year 2, where you develop a personal direction alongside Digital & Emerging Media and live client briefs. In your second year, you'll deepen your focus through specialist studio pathways such as graphic design, illustration, fine art, fashion & textiles, or UX & digital, before culminating in a major project and degree show. Throughout, you'll balance technical skill-building with critical thinking and professional positioning.
Who it's for
You're drawn to making and thinking about art. You work well with your hands and intellectually, equally comfortable in the studio and the seminar room. You're curious about how contemporary art functions within galleries, institutions and the wider world, and you want to understand your own practice in that context. This course suits you if you're prepared to experiment, to have your ideas challenged, and to articulate why your work matters. You'll be among peers equally committed to developing as an artist, whether your interests lie in traditional media, digital forms, performance or hybrid approaches.
Careers & job market
Across Art & Design courses nationally, 87% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months. Starting salaries for this group range from £22,000 to £27,000; after five years, the range is £20,825 to £29,400. About 55% of working graduates move into highly skilled roles or further postgraduate study. Many pursue studio practice, teaching, curatorial work, arts management or creative industries roles. Some move directly to postgraduate study in fine art, design or related disciplines.
University & format
This course is delivered full-time over 2 years by the University of the Highlands and Islands, a UK degree-awarding body whose qualifications are nationally recognised. Study takes place at UHI Inverness, UHI North West Hebrides, or UHI Perth. Instruction is in English. As a Foundation degree (HND), this qualification sits between A-level and full honours, and can lead to further study at degree level.
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 | 80% |
| another higher-education qualification | 10% |
| Other | 10% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
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. 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
UHI publishes tuition by domicile, award level, study mode and delivery. Use the individual course page for the exact year-by-year fee.
Published UHI fee framework
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years after | £15,000 | £11,500 – £18,500 | 70 |
| 5 years after | £19,500 | £14,000 – £24,500 | 90 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Published threshold met. Sample size is not included in this snapshot.
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.
continued or completed
continued into the next year or completed their qualification
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Published threshold met. Sample size is not included in this snapshot. 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.
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.
Fees and funding
UHI publishes tuition by domicile, award level, study mode and delivery. Use the individual course page for the exact year-by-year fee.
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 6.0 out of 10: continued 60%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of the Highlands and Islands
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
Related courses
More at UHI
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates earn?
What will it cost me?
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