Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £9,535 per year
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
3 / 4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
W640
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Engage with a medium that allows you to see, think and communicate differently.
- Thrive in an environment which cultivates your skills, confidence and risk taking.
- Shape your innovative, flexible practice while challenging photography conventions.
- Experiment with image making, its presentation and global dissemination.
- Collaborate to shape an ethical, responsible and sustainable future.
Our BA Hons Photography course advances your skills, business acumen and critical understanding as an independent photographer. You’ll work towards your creative and professional goals while harnessing your curiosity and creativity across a wide range of professional contexts – enabling you to fulfil your potential in the exciting and expansive world of photography.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
Based in our bespoke studios, workshops and digital spaces, you’ll join a dynamic and collaborative learning community. With their support, you’ll undertake creative adventures, explore possibilities and challenge conventions.
We’ll unfold your potential to contribute as a creative thinker and doer, applying your knowledge to industry, culture, society and life systems. You’ll gain industry-standard photographic/imaging techniques and skills – such as analogue/darkroom practice, high-end digital capture and workflow, moving image, studio and location lighting, scanning, post-production and print outputs. You’ll use a diverse range of technologies, software, media, materials and processes. You’ll also learn research methods to advance your contemporary photographic practice, as well as how to communicate the intellectual orientation of your work.
We’ll nurture your independence as a creative, ethical and sustainable maker, embracing new ideas and innovative approaches to project development and realisation. You’re encouraged to experiment with the form and presentation of photographic work in response to a variety of global contexts, audiences, platforms and real-world opportunities. You’ll also explore photographic professional contexts, including exhibitions and live projects with external partners.
You learn through:
- studio practice
- workshops
- technical demonstrations
- group and individual tutorials
- critical review
- lectures
- guest lectures
- external visits and field trips
- an external group exhibition project
Key themes
You’ll start by experimenting creatively and applying photographic skills. In workshops we’ll introduce photographic making and thinking, exploring approaches to image production and presentation across both analogue and digital technologies. You’ll then learn about key professional contexts and pathways, considering client and audience requirements while exploring diverse cultural, social and critical perspectives in relation to real-world opportunities and challenges.
In your second year you’ll explore further multidisciplinary skills and concepts relevant to the expansive field of photographic practice and image culture. You’ll undertake a collaborative sustainability project while developing your knowledge of the various sites, spaces, platforms and communities in which photographic work is made and shown.
In your final year you’ll define a self-initiated practice-based research project. You’ll deepen your exploration of the connections between intention, process, outcome and context. You’ll consolidate knowledge, technical skills, creative and intellectual abilities to produce a significant body of exhibition-ready photographic work, of a high professional standard.
Course support
We take a holistic and person-centred approach to assessment, supporting your creative growth while respecting the diverse ways people learn.
We’re a dedicated, qualified and highly experienced team of teaching staff with world-leading research and recognised, professional creative reputations. We take the time to get to know you, encouraging divergent ideas, histories and practices to thrive in an inclusive and equitable studio environment.
Course leaders and tutors
Applied learning
Work experience
You’re encouraged and supported to undertake a full-time work placement between the second and third year of your course. This gives you valuable additional work experience to prepare you for your future career – as well as an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
Your course has been designed to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to be successful. We’ll develop your expertise in collaboration with various industry, commercial and creative practitioners, clients and organisations. We aim to provide a diverse range of work experience interactions throughout your time with us.
You’ll gain knowledge, skills and professional behaviours for your future career. You’ll become more confident, resilient and practised in professional interactions, better preparing you to succeed when you graduate.
Live projects
You’ll take part in live projects where you work with external partners or clients to respond to real-world challenges and opportunities, applying your skills in a professional setting and gaining valuable feedback.
Previous students have worked on projects such as Future Now, South Yorkshire Listening and Chaplaincy, and Heeley City Farm.
There may be photography opportunities for British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) – and you could also volunteer at Sheffield events such as Doc Fest, Off The Shelf and the Festival of the Mind.
Network opportunities
You’ll be able to attend industry events, such as the Royal Photographic Society’s Research Symposium, the Association of Historical and previous students have had opportunities to visit the Fine Art Photographers conference. We encourage students to submit their work to the Source Graduate Online annual showcase, where it will be showcased to industry professionals.
You’ll be able to hear from guest speakers to gain further insights into the industry.
Previous speakers have included Sophy Ricketts, David Bate, Alana Lake, Gareth McConnel, Simon Norfolk, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Tom Lovelace, Güler Ates, Edgar Martins, Jonny Briggs, Dominic Hawgood and Village Books.
Field trips
You’ll have chances to visit museums and galleries, which previously have included Tim Flak studio, Net-A-Porter studio, David Short studio, and The Print Space professional printing lab. Previous students have taken field trips to the Peak District, Manchester, Derby Format Photography Festival, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Liverpool Biennale, London, Paris Photo, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bilbao, Switzerland, Malta and Nepal.
Competitions
We’ll encourage you to enter national and international photography competitions and open calls.
View our students' work
View our gallery of student work and learn more about the exciting projects they've been working on this year.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a photography career in fine art, documentary, portraiture, fashion, editorial, advertising, commercial, photojournalism, music, sports, medical and clinical roles, including:
- photography art direction
- studio operation
- production and editing
- picture research
- public relations and marketing
- community arts
- education
- arts administration
- curation
- gallery management
- social media/content creation
- film making
- post-production
- arts festival coordination
- writing and publishing
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- S1 Artspace
- Webber Agency
- Gill Turner Photo Agency
- The Lowry
- Wex Photo Video
- Ilford Photo
- Apple
- Salt-Street Productions
- American Golf
- Pinkbike
- Alpkit
- Regatta
- JD Official
- Size Official
- Boohoo
- Flannels
- THG Studios
- NHS England
- Mission Foodservice
- My-Furniture.com
- Frasers Group
- Northern Fix
- McCann Manchester
- AVIT Media
Many graduates work as freelancers and entrepreneurs, have established their own business, work as art and photography teachers, or have gone on to further postgraduate study.
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
You'll have access to a wide variety of facilities across the university campuses – including a 24-hour learning centre, Students’ Union, cafes and eateries, lecture theatres, exhibition spaces and more.
You'll be based in a fully equipped and purpose-designed studio, with state-of-the-art facilities, including:
- industry-standard computer hardware and software
- a dedicated creative media centre with a range of photographic equipment
- two fully equipped photography studios with Profoto lighting
- black and white darkroom
- colour darkrooms
- specialist print facilities
- fully colour-calibrated digital printing
- screen-printing and risograph
- textile, etching and 3D printing
- wood, plastics, metal, mixed media, casting and ceramic workshops
- CNC equipment, including laser cutters
360 tour - City Campus
Media Gallery
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 112-120
This must include at least two A levels or equivalent BTEC National qualifications, including points in a relevant* subject. For example:
- BBC-BBB at A Level including a grade C in a relevant subject.
- DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject.
- Merit overall from a T Level Qualification
- A combination of qualifications which must include a relevant subject and may include AS levels, EPQ and general studies.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4
• Access - an Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 18 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above, in a media-related programme from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
* Relevant subjects are
- photography
- art
- design
- visual communication
- film and media studies
- digital media
Portfolio Review
If your application is successful, you will receive an email inviting, you to submit a link to your portfolio.
The portfolio helps us understand whether we are able to offer you a place on the course you’ve applied for. Your UCAS statement and portfolio provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your creative experience, potential ability and enthusiasm for the course you’ve applied for. Visit our portfolio review guidance.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Photographic Making: Introduction To Materials, Processes And Presentation
Photographic Practice: Introduction To Professional Contexts And Pathways
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Future Now: Collaboration In Action
Photographic Display: Exhibition, Sites And Audiences
Photographic Possibilities: The Expanded Field
Elective modules
Study Abroad - Creative Industries
Year 3
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Photographic Realisation: Independent Practice
Photographic Research: Deepening Creative Investigations
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 268.6KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
