FoundationDigital Arts Foundation Year
Why study a digital arts foundation year?
Explore your creativity and develop the core skills and knowledge to progress directly on to one of Solent's highly-regarded digital arts, animation, or CGI and VFX degrees.
- £0minvestment in our campus and industry-standard facilities
- 0stout of 130 institutions for assessment and feedback (NSS 2023)
- 0thin the top 20 best student cities (StudentCrowd, 2023)
- Gain a broad understanding of each of the digital art industries.
- Learn from an expert team with real-world industry knowledge.
- You'll have immediate access to specialist equipment.
- Students are encouraged to work in groups to help prepare for the collaborative working environment of the digital arts industry.
- Many of the academic team on the foundation year also teach on the degree-level courses.
Course overview
Taught by highly experienced industry professionals, the Digital Arts Foundation Year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress onto one of our related industry-focused undergraduate degrees.
You’ll cover essential subject areas and work on exciting practical projects designed to help you learn key digital design skills. You’ll also be supported in developing key transferable skills for your degree-level studies.
To aid your studies, you’ll have full access to Solent’s industry-standard facilities, including specialist labs and high-end dual computers equipped with industry software such as 3ds Max, Maya, Substance, Photoshop, Unreal Editor and Unity.
You'll be taught by passionate staff who are experts in their fields, with a wealth of real-world experience and knowledge. They'll be on hand to help you throughout your foundation year and then onto your chosen undergraduate degree.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂWho this course is for
Solent’s Digital Arts Foundation Year is intended for students without the required UCAS points for direct entry. This could be mature students returning to education, students without the required qualifications, or students looking to change career path after completing further education qualifications.
- Foundation years are designed to help prepare you for undergraduate study and are ideal for gaining an introduction into your chosen subject area.
- If you've been out of education for a while, a foundation year provides a supportive environment for returning to studying.
- Foundation year students have access to the same facilities, and academic and student support as students on undergraduate degrees.
What you'll study
Find your degree
Meet the team
The teaching team for the foundation year is made up of lecturers who also teach on the degree courses.
Entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- From A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP, a T-Level Pass (D or E), or equivalent.
- An optional online portfolio submission may be required as part of the selection process.
- We will consider mature students who have not recently undertaken a formal course of study at A-level, or equivalent, but can demonstrate relevant work or voluntary experience, that's indicative of their ability to complete the course successfully.
For international and EU students
- As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
- If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
- For further information about qualifications, please contact admissions.
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
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IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component, or equivalent.
Qualifications
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Find your degree
Our foundation years are designed to offer a broad range of academic skills alongside a taste of the wider industry before you start your chosen specialist undergraduate degree. Some degrees also include a year in industry, meaning you can gain valuable first-hand work experience with a year-long full-time work placement between the second and third years of your degree.
Applying is simple, just:
- 1
Find the undergraduate degree you’re interested in studying, and explore the course page – this is also where you’ll find the modules you will study throughout your degree.
- 2
Make sure you’ve selected a ‘foundation year’ (or foundation year and year in industry) variant; you’ll find this under ‘Course length’, near the top of the relevant course page.
- 3
Click the ‘Apply on UCAS’ button, and check the UCAS summary mentions ‘foundation year’ under ‘Study mode’.
And don’t worry if you discover a new skill or subject you love during your foundation year, it’s easy to switch to another linked degree!
