City Lit’s Centre for Advanced Practice is where you can find advanced courses from across all subject areas in Visual Arts. In many cases, this means well established courses of a year or longer, with outstanding reputations for preparing students for study at Bachelors or Masters level. Equally, their quality and depth makes them a viable alternative, for many learners, to the conventional Higher Education route into careers as creative practitioners.
To continue to support learners from a range of backgrounds, with diverse requirements, we have several newly developed courses – with more appearing soon – that build on our long-standing fine art and contemporary craft provision, and bring traditional practices up to date, to ensure learners have the relevant skills for the contemporary creative industries. This is supported through increasing connections with external organisations and practitioners in many courses, for example through real-world project briefs, public exhibitions, and visits from industry professionals.
In the last couple of years, we have introduced new titles in contemporary media and communications-based creative practices, and new courses running across a range of patterns and modes (weekly, monthly, studio-based, online or blended), to ensure that our advanced provision remains accessible and manageable alongside learners’ existing commitments. Alongside these developments, we are progressively refreshing many of our well-established courses, with an increased emphasis on critical discourse, and contemporary cultural debate, in keeping with the advanced level of study and focus on increased confidence, independence and professionalism that are the common characteristics of all our advanced courses.
In addition to our expanding range of advanced long courses, a growing range of advanced one-day workshops is available, aimed at providing knowledge and insight required to support specific aspects of professional practice. These can be taken individually, according to need or interest, or as complementary components of your own pick-and-mix modular course. In common with our long courses, these will provide you with the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to take your advanced creative practice forward.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
- City Lit ceramics diploma: two-year course
Course start date: Thu 11 Sep 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Carina Ciscato, Chantal Condron, Brigit Connolly, Annie TurnerThe Ceramics diploma course is designed for people with previous experience in ceramics or other art related practice. This advanced ceramics course encourages your creative development through a sustained practice-based programme of in-depth ceramic study that covers the artistic, technical, theoretical, and historical contexts of ceramics. For your final exhibition you will have the opportunity to exhibit at an external venue and at the New Designers show at the Business Design Centre in Islington.
Once you have submitted an application for the course, your suitability for the course will be assessed by interview. You will need to bring a portfolio of 2D and 3D/clay work alongside your sketchbooks. During the interview you will be asked to write a short paragraph to demonstrate your writing skills and to show your understanding of the use of numbers. Interviews for this course will take place on dates to be confirmed.
NOTE: Course dates are: 11/09/25 - 25/06/27, Thursday and Friday 9.30am – 6.00pm, 36 weeks per year. The course fee indicated on this page covers both years of the course. Payment plans will be available, details of which are to be confirmed.Full fee £11,499.00 Senior fee £11,499.00 Concession £8,049.00 - Art and design portfolio projects Course start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rod JudkinsDevelop and realise your creative language in art and design through the development of a personal project. Through workshops and small projects you will be able to build a portfolio of work in 2D and 3D related to your own personal theme or interest.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Foundation diploma in art and design Course start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: MultipleThe UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at City Lit is an exciting and challenging multi-disciplinary art, design, craft and media programme. It is designed to give you the best possible introduction to a wide range of materials, techniques and processes, and to support you in identifying and developing your creative interests and thinking. 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.
The Free Courses for Jobs initiative is for Londoners aged 24 or over at the start of the course who are: on a low-income; or on certain benefits; or do not have a full level 3 qualification. For more information Click here
- City Lit basketry course: advanced Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lisa Atkin, Christiane Gunzi, John Page, Katie PriceFor learners experienced in a wide range of basketry techniques, this is a new course to build develop your skills. You will be introduced to some new techniques and emphasis will be placed on self directed study and developing a personal portfolio of work. This course is suitable for those experienced in a wide range of basketry techniques and who have completed the City Lit basketry course or have equivalent skills.Full fee £1,749.00 Senior fee £1,399.00 Concession £1,224.00 - City Lit pre-foundation course Course start date: Fri 26 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Marcus RichardsThis exciting and intensive course supports you to develop the key creative skills, methods and thinking in art and design, across 2D, 3D and critical studies required for entry to our UAL-validated Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design.Full fee £949.00 Senior fee £759.00 Concession £664.00 - Fine jewellery workshopCourse start date: Tue 30 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth Bone, Rae Duncan, Rebecca Ilett, Katrin SprangerWork independently on your own jewellery projects in our well equipped jewellery workshop. This is an opportunity for self-directed and untutored bench time, sharing the studio with the year long VV414 Advanced jewellery course.Full fee £899.00 Senior fee £719.00 Concession £629.00 - City Lit fine jewellery Course start date: Tue 30 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth Bone, Rae Duncan, Rebecca Ilett, Katrin SprangerThis advanced course will refine your existing jewellery making and design skills, through sessions in the workshop and guided independent study tasks. With an ethos of ‘idea to product', developing your personal research, design and making approach, there will be structured modules and projects encouraging you to build on your technical skills, presentation, and professional practice. We will explore material, finish and construction, alongside professional practice methodologies such as drawing, prototyping, outsourcing, pricing, and selling. The course culminates with working towards the production of a final body of work.
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