What is an art foundation qualification?
If you are a creative person and fancy a career in art and design, an art foundation qualification can help you wet your feet in this industry. Historically, art foundation programmes were the traditional route to study art at an undergraduate level.
Currently, you can utilise an art foundation qualification as per your professional aspirations. It can be a stand-alone qualification to introduce you to the art world and is perfect for those who want to immediately start working after high school. Alternatively, you can view the programme as a trial course to see if they want to pursue a full time career in the art world.
You can also choose an art foundation programme if you want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the fine arts and want to work your way up for a full-time college degree.
Read ahead to get a detailed insight into what goes into an art foundation programme and why you should pursue it.
What does an art foundation programme involve?
Most art foundation programmes are year-long introductory courses to a wide range of art and design subjects. Completing an art foundation programme will give you the practical skills and the confidence to study an art discipline at an advanced level.
Depending on the programme curriculum, you will be exposed to many interesting subjects like art history, visual culture, art practices and artistic techniques. Studying these subjects can help you develop the essential skills required for artistic careers and art exploration.
Some art foundation courses also involve museum and gallery visits to expose their students to historical and contemporary artistic masterpieces. This can give them the inspiration to build and enhance their own portfolios.
What are the eligibility criteria for entering an art foundation programme?
In most countries, art foundation programmes take in students after their high school graduation. In the UK too, an art foundation course is a BTEC Level 3 and Level 4 vocational course.
Although the broad eligibility criteria may be similar for all foundation courses in the UK, the granular criteria might be different from programme to programme based on the university. In some cases, the applications can also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
What kind of education options can you pursue after an art foundation course?
Once you complete your foundation programme, you will be eligible for a wide range of undergraduate bachelor’s courses or diploma programmes in different art disciplines. Some commonly opted courses include
- Bachelor’s degree in graphic designing
- Bachelor’s degree in fine arts
- Bachelor’s degree in fashion designing
- Bachelor’s degree in fashion media and promotion
- Bachelor’s degree in illustration and drawing
What are the future career prospects of an art foundation programme?
An art foundation programme creates a life-long healthy respect for the art and design world. It also gives you the relevant transferable skills to become a successful artist.
Successful art foundation graduates have gone on to become art directors, movie producers, movie directors, app developers, comic book artists and broadcast designers. You should therefore invest in an appropriate art foundation programme today to get started in the global art industry.
