The only limit is your creativity
If you love using your original ideas to create something special, then working in the creative sector will be a fun and rewarding experience that enables you to demonstrate your artistic flair. It’s a competitive industry but one the UK currently excels in. Creative people are highly sought after by many employers, including large organisations and design companies.
You could be animating video games, designing your own line of clothes or seeing the artwork you've produced in a national publication. The only limit is your creativity.
Find a course
Why choose us?
We offer a range of Art & Design qualifications from introductory programmes right up to degree-level courses. The department also welcomes many visiting speakers and you can be sure that our courses will give you the opportunity to sample a range of art and design activities, build a portfolio of creative work and focus on your chosen specialist area.
You will be able to exhibit your work to the public in our end of year shows and have plenty of opportunities to enter competitions to showcase your talents, giving you the chance to see how others respond to your ideas and enabling you to network with professionals from the industry.
Industry opportunities
We have strong links within the creative industries through our membership of professional bodies such as D&AD, (Design & Art Direction) and the Design Business Association. You will have the chance to be involved in practical work experience projects as part of your course. Just a few of the organisations that our students have worked for recently include Bedford Borough Council who commissioned Fine Art students to design a graffiti mural for an underpass.
Our students have also worked with The Landmark Trust, local design company TigerLily, the Content Manager and Photographer at John Lewis, Fine Art engineer Alex Chinneck and Fine Artist Andy Holden, plus many more.
Expert tutors and top-class facilities
You will be taught by practising professionals who will strongly encourage individuality and creative flair, to equip you with the confidence and innovation to work independently after your course.
All of our campuses house impressive creative spaces with a range of cutting-edge industry-standard facilities, including 3D model-making equipment, screen and silk screen printing, dark rooms, drawing studios and graphic design studios with Apple Macs.
Student success
There are opportunities for entry on to our courses at all levels, with clear progression routes. This means you will always know what you are working towards and have a good chance to progress to a higher level.
Many of our Art & Design students go on to higher level study at their first choice university or art and design school. There are almost no restrictions on how you can express your artistic talent and you will leave us having had the opportunity to experiment with many different media and understanding what you would like to specialise in.
