Photography Video and Digital Imaging with Integrated Foundation Year

Photography, video and digital imaging together make up one of the most expansive creative fields of contemporary practice, encompassing still photography in all its forms, video production and moving image work, and the digital tools and workflows that now underpin almost all visual production. Studying these disciplines together means developing technical fluency across a wide range of hardware and software while also building a conceptual and critical understanding of the image, what it is, what it does and how it communicates in a world saturated with visual content.

At the University of Sunderland this four-year, full-time programme begins with an integrated foundation year, providing a smooth entry into degree-level study for those returning to education, those who did not quite meet standard entry requirements or those who simply want a supported and gradual introduction to university-level creative practice. You will develop skills in camera craft, lighting, image editing, video production, post-production workflows and digital imaging techniques across the full programme, building a versatile practice grounded in both artistic vision and technical competence. The degree also includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to engage with different photographic and image-making traditions in an international context.

Graduates work as commercial and editorial photographers, videographers, documentary filmmakers, digital imaging specialists, retouchers, photo editors, visual content creators, broadcast and production technicians, and freelance image-makers across a vast range of client sectors including advertising, journalism, fashion, music, social media, events and corporate communications. Some graduates build independent practices or go on to postgraduate study in photography, film or visual arts, while others move into education, arts management or the technical side of image production and visual effects.