— Main points
- The Foundation Art & Design diploma at City Lit is validated by the University of the Arts London Awarding Body.
- A multi-disciplinary course to help you discover and hone your strengths.
- Perfect for students preparing for further education or practitioners wishing to explore other mediums.
Your guide to the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at City Lit
City Lit’s Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design is an exciting and challenging multi-disciplinary art, design, craft and media course validated by the University of the Arts London Awarding Body.
It is an internationally recognised qualification with a UCAS tariff that enables you to apply directly to university, art school and further education.
Suitable for students and practitioners
The technical, conceptual and creative skills you gain on a Foundation Diploma course like this are critical and will undoubtedly prepare you for further study. The diploma allows you to prepare an impressive, multi-disciplinary application portfolio to show off your skills.
On completion, the majority of our students go on to study at university at undergraduate or – in some cases – postgraduate level, or progress onto advanced level courses within our own Centre for Advanced Practice.
It is, equally, designed to prepare you for work in the creative industries or as an independent practitioner, if you do not aspire to progress to degree level. Previous students from our Foundation Diploma course have established their own studios, set up small businesses, gained employment in galleries and studios, participated in artist residencies, or shown and sold work in exhibitions and events nationally and internationally.
In-depth study and transformation
On the course, you build on your prior experience, linking skills with ideas and challenges, expanding your creative thinking, your contextual knowledge and your critical independence. Through engaging with a range of core and practical skills and associated critical thinking, you will discover the specialist disciplines in which your particular strengths lie and learn how to develop your individual creative practice and identity within them.
The specialist disciplines on our Foundation include:
- Fine art,
- Sculpture and 3D,
- Printmaking,
- Digital media and filmmaking,
- Visual communications,
- Graphic design and illustration,
- Ceramics and contemporary textiles.
This range of practices and disciplines makes the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design the ideal course if your ambition is to
- explore your art and design practice in greater depth and to a more advanced level,
- change to a career in the creative arts,
- to apply to higher education, or to
- establish yourself as a professional artist, designer or maker.
It is a challenging and stimulating course which explores and questions contemporary creative practices and debates. It’s perfect if you want to develop your capacity to analyse and reflect on your progress and position within the context of art and design, together with building a body of personal work which identifies your own creative interests and ideas.
Course structure
The Foundation Diploma course comprises 3 units:
Diagnostic Investigation into Creative Practice
This unit will allow you to explore and experiment, and research a broad range of different disciplines and their professional relevance to understand both possibilities and limitations, giving you an informed idea of where you want to specialise and what creative pathway you would like to take.
Unit 2: Developing Specialist Practice
This unit will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on the knowledge, skills and practices you have developed in Unit 1 and define your creative ambitions within a chosen specialist practice.
Unit 3: Consolidating Practice
In this unit you will initiate research and complete a Final Major Project within your chosen professional context, and work towards a professional exhibition in a public gallery.
How we deliver the Foundation course
If you study the Foundation Diploma with us, you will be taught by a staff team comprising practicing artists, designers, theorists and experienced qualified teachers, using a wide range of methods, including demonstrations in our fully equipped specialist studios, expert tuition from leading practitioners, tutor-led discussions, group work and practical exercises, practical workshops, individual research projects and studio-based creative assignments. There is also a range of critical studies lectures, seminars and workshops, and museum and gallery visits. Individual learning support is also available for those with specific learning difficulties.
The majority of materials you will require are provided, although you will need to provide your own sketchbooks, and, possibly, specialist materials, depending on the type of work you wish to develop as you progress towards completion of the course and your Final Major Project.
Getting on the course: how to apply
A portfolio interview is required to obtain an offer of a place on the Foundation Diploma course. During the interview, we’ll ask you to present evidence of your technical skills, creative skills, and importantly, your ability to explore and develop ideas.
If you do not yet have an application portfolio, or you require more basic training in advance, we offer the City Lit Pre-Foundation course. After taking this course, you will be able to progress onto the validated Foundation Diploma course.
Start this September
If you wish to apply, there are a few places remaining for a September start. You can apply via our Foundation Course webpage here, or alternatively, you can start an application immediately, by completing this form.
If you would like to speak to a member of the course team for more information first, please contact visualarts@citylit.ac.uk
So why join the Foundation course?
Because Foundation is regularly described by artists and designers as the most exciting period of growth and discovery in their entire lives and careers. It can be a genuinely life-changing experience.
To find out more, and see what it might do for you, take a look at our course page, or get in touch with us. To see the work of the last graduating cohort, look for @citylitfad2021 on Instagram.
