Art and Design and Creative Industries Foundation Year

A route into Undergraduate degrees in Animation, Art and Design, Fashion, Film and Media Production, and Music and Sound.

About the Foundation Year

This Level 3 programme is your launchpad into higher education and the creative industries.  Designed to build confidence and capability, it gives you the time and space to grow as a creative practitioner before continuing into specialist degree-level study. 

Through hands-on projects, critical thinking and collaboration, you'll explore how creativity connects to culture, society and industry.  We’ll help you to develop the essential skills in making, researching and communicating ideas that underpin every creative career. 

You'll join the degree pathway you're most interested in from the start, while having the freedom to explore other creative disciplines across the department.  If your interests shift, you'll have the flexibility to switch pathways before progressing to Level 4, so you arrive at your degree knowing exactly where you belong.

A proven alternative to the traditional Art and Design Foundation Year

Built on the success of our L3 Art and Design Foundation Year provision, this programme has expanded into the wider creative industries, giving students a broader, more flexible entry point into creative higher education.  It also means you can explore which degree speciality most closely meets your interests, passions and goals.  You’ll then go on to study the main degree programme that fits you perfectly. 

Who is this course for?

This course is for you if you:  

  • Are still deciding on a specialist creative area and want time to explore before choosing
  • Need to build or further develop a portfolio ready for degree-level study
  • Have had a break from formal education and want a supported return
  • Want to experiment across creative disciplines before committing to a degree
  • Were looking to complete a Foundation Year in Art and Design but would like to try out disciplines in the wider creative industries, alongside Art and Design
  • Feel nervous about starting university and would benefit from a confidence-building introduction to higher education 

You don't need to have everything figured out. That’s why this foundation year is for you.

University of the year

Academic Employability Awards 2026, Graduate Futures Institute

university in the UK

National Student Survey 2026

for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2026

in the UK for Games Education

Rookies Games Design and Development 2023, 2025

TIGA Best Games Institution 2024, 2025

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021