Plymouth College of Art

Plymouth College of Art is a specialist art college with a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the areas of art, design and media. The college opened in 1856 and is based in Tavistock Road in Plymouth, South West England.

Students benefit from industry standard workshops and studios, state of the art equipment and small class sizes for students studying Painting, Drawing and Printmaking, Photography, Film, Graphic Design, Games, Illustration, Fashion, and more.

The college is proud of its commitment to both traditional and digital arts courses. In demonstrating their commitment to this, their £8 million specialist art, craft and digital design centre opened in 2014 with cutting-edge ceramics, glass and digital design workshops, including a range of facilities situated in Fab Lab Plymouth, such as 3D printing and laser cutting.

The college was awarded a Bronze in the 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework, and in 2017 was also awarded the Social Enterprise Gold Mark by Social Enterprise Mark CIC.

The college aims to support students who want to work in the creative industries. To do this, they give careers advice to students for up to three years after graduation, as well as providing work placements and internships. The college also offers workshops and guest lectures aiming to help students learn from those who have succeeded in the creative industries, while the job wall offers a range of paid jobs and commissions.

The college also enjoys a good relationship with the arts world, with a thriving programme of visiting artists, exhibitions and partnership activities.

The independent art school offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses across the disciplines of Art, Design and Media.

Many of the college lecturers are creative practitioners, experienced in industry. As artists, they know how important it is to trial ideas and share expertise. They understand what it takes to develop a portfolio or prepare for an exhibition. They also know it’s essential to be able to think practically as well as creatively.

Academic staff at the college also arrange for industry to set and assess real-life briefs, helping students to understand how to succeed in business – without compromising creativity or integrity.

The college also offers a number of level 3 UAL Extended Diplomas which are equivalent to three A Levels and enable students to progress to Higher Education.

There is also the option to study a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, validated by the University of the Arts London, and available to students with a level 3 qualification.

Plymouth College of Art’s three-year honours degree is validated by their partner, the Open University. Programmes blend practical creative work with critically underpinned practice.

All students have access to lynda.com - a definitive catalogue of professional video tutorials - from how to use PhotoShop, to getting to grips with InDesign. Lynda.com can help students learn more about business, design, web, programming, photography, video, 3D and animation, audio, education and CAD.

The SU looks after student interests and provides services including events and networking opportunities. They also manage the college clubs and societies. All student union officers work voluntarily, with the exception of the SU president, who works full-time. The team are elected twice a year by the college’s students.

When you choose Plymouth College of Art you also get the opportunity to choose from a variety of dedicated Halls and Houses. All of their rooms are designed to suit your taste and budget with no deposit, no bills and no additional fees. Their properties are ideally located around the campus and surrounding area, so you’ll only ever have a short walk to get to college – great if you have an early start.

Plymouth College of Art Accommodation Service is provided in association with Clever Student Lets.

• Fab Lab Plymouth: for use by all students, it offers the latest in digital design technology including a 3D scanner, 3D printer, CNC milling machine, laser cutter and more.
   
• £8 million Craft, Design and Fabrication Workshops: these include jewellery studios, printed textile design workshops, glass-blowing house, ceramics space and Fab Lab Plymouth.
   
• The Equipment Resource Centre (ERC), a library of equipment (over 6,500 items and counting) available to loan to students including digital kit and classic analogue devices.
   
• The Print Lab is a professional printing service open to all staff and students that houses three wide format 44" inkjet Epson printers.
   
• Library with over 20,000 specialist books.

Unspoilt coastline and countryside. Or top clubs, arts venues and historic sites. Whatever you’re into, there’s something close to Plymouth College of Art for you to enjoy.

With affordable accommodation and a safe, friendly environment to offer too, it’s not surprising that more than 40,000 students have chosen to make Devon’s biggest city - Britain's Ocean City - their home.

There are 16 clubs and societies for students to join including netball, debating, film, hula hooping and games. These are all run and overseen by the SU.

The Student Hub is your first port of call for access to support including mentoring, student counselling, health services, referrals and wellbeing workshops. Student hub counsellors can help with issues including depression, bullying and bereavement.

UK students:  £9,250 per year*

International students:  £13000 per year*

*2018/19 fees, subject to change always check the college’s website.

The colleges provide all home and EU undergraduate students with a bursary – money given to students from the college which does not need to be paid back. The bursary is a contribution to help students with course related costs, for example, materials that may be required for a project or the cost of an educational trip. Visit the college website for more information.

Plymouth College of Art offers a range of Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Pre-Degree study across Art, Design and Digital Media. The college is known for combining over 160 years of history with up-to-the-minute thinking and cutting-edge facilities. The college’s two city centre campuses are also home to Fab Lab Plymouth and The Gallery at Plymouth College of Art, a public-facing gallery which has shown work by Martin Parr and Matt Stokes, as well as hosting the British Art Show 7.

Fab Lab Plymouth is unique within a network of over 550 FabLabs worldwide because it is centred in a broader industrial context of design and manufacturing facilities including a large jewellery workshop, extensive textile print studios and a glasshouse – the perfect setting for the fusion of traditional art practices with cutting-edge digital technologies.

Plymouth College of Art is a Founding Associate of Tate Exchange, a UK Advisory Council Member of the Creative Industries Federation, a Member of the Crafts Council Advisory Group and a Steering Group Member of the Cultural Learning Alliance. In 2009 the college founded Making Futures, biennial international research conference exploring contemporary craft and maker movements as ‘change agents’ in 21st century society.

The college offers places to students who have a GCSE profile of at least five GCSEs, grades A* - C or minimum Grade 4, including English Language. Applicants also need a portfolio and a minimum of 96 UCAS points earned through: an Art & Design Foundation Diploma, A-levels, BTEC Extended Diploma MMM grade, Access to HE Art & Design, Irish/Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers, the International Baccalaureate, or other international qualifications.