Art & Design

Art and Design is one of the most varied disciplines out there. Everyone has the power to be creative. After all, creativity has no rules, just a lot of different tools, techniques and approaches.

Course areas

+ Art & Photography

+ 3D Design

+ Design for Stage & Screen

+ Fashion & Textiles

+ Visual Communication & Design

With a history of delivering expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career.

The School of Art, Design and Performance covers many key areas of the creative world. You’ll discover excellent workshop facilities, experienced lecturers, and a diverse range of courses. With our wealth of strong industry contacts, you’ll get direct access to guest lectures, live project briefs, masterclasses, and plenty of networking opportunities. With vast industry connections, our School also has a long history of graduates excelling in the creative industries.

Whatever your subject interest, you will be joining a supportive and close-knit creative community. You will have ongoing opportunities for collaboration with peers across subjects within the School, and also beyond. We recognise that your future life in industry will require you to work alongside other creatives, so your journey begins here.

You’ll blend academic study with realworld experiences, helping you to develop a sophisticated methodology for creative projects, including live industry challenges. Some courses have opportunities for workbased learning and placement opportunities.

You’ll be working on your career the moment you begin your course. In fact, many of our students find a role within their chosen field before they’ve even graduated.

So, if you’ve got a curious mind and your head is bursting with creative thoughts, then discover our courses to unlock your imaginative world.

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Our innovative fine art and Association of Photographers (AOP) accredited photography courses are crafted to help you turn your passion into a future career. Inspire others with your ideas and creations, change how we see the world, and help mould the future through your artistic practice.

We’ve invested in industry-standard equipment and a full range of traditional and digital resources for you to enhance your creative skills. From Adobe Creative Suite, well-equipped lighting studios and wet darkroom for Photography, to VR kit and 3D design workshops where you can experiment with mixed media, ceramics, metalwork and woodwork for fine art. Our specialist equipment gives you everything you need to excel on your course.

During your time with us, you’ll engage with our dynamic programme of visiting lectures and will benefit from live project briefs, masterclasses, and plenty of networking opportunities. And with London only a short journey away, you’ll be able to visit endless museums, galleries and landscapes for inspiration.

Relying on a dynamic and diverse approach to the subject, the BA (Hons) Photography course offers students opportunities to engage with the photographic medium in a variety of ways. Via the broad spectrum of expertise from tutors, students study photography via varied platforms from CGI, moving image, wet print and digital processes, exhibition installation and page design – the course enables individual thinking, innovative image-making and professional enterprise.

ALEXANDRA MURPHY COURSE LEADER

3d Design

If you’re interested in the design and transformation of products, physical spaces and environments, take a look at our 3D design courses. Turn your concepts into 3D models with CAD software, and 3D prototyping tools. Focus on the development of actual product manufacturing skills and develop your eye for design.

You will get the opportunity to work on projects with real life applications such as competitions and internships and engage with emerging discourses around sustainability and green living.

You’ll also have access to a range of industry-standard software such as AutoCAD, Rhino and Photoshop. You can experiment in our professional workshops using various materials such as wood, metal, plastic and ceramics. Here you’ll be supported by our specialist technicians as you build your skills towards your future career.

Our furniture design, interior and spatial design, and sustainable product design courses are taught at our High Wycombe Campus. You’ll get the opportunity to build up your skills whilst studying in one of the most renowned furniture making towns of the UK.

VISUAL COMMUNICATION & DESIGN

We believe people learn better when trying to solve real problems. That means you’ll learn to tackle briefs with your skills and creativity to make effective decisions under tight deadlines.

You’ll also discover what it takes to apply creative problem solving to a huge variety of briefs as you invent targeted and innovative communications. You’ll learn how to turn a thought into an idea, an idea into a concept, and then a concept into a campaign or finished product.

As you’d expect from the creative world, every year is different, but the strong professional relationships stay the same. That way, we can stay ahead of the industry’s evolving needs and challenges.

Take advantage of our links with big name agencies, publishers and companies, like BBH, Mother, Saatchi & Saatchi, Faber Publishing, Mind Design and Creative Review. You can also benefit from showcasing your work at several industry events around London, and at our annual art and design show, which gives the public access to our High Wycombe Campus.

FASHION & TEXTILES

Our Fashion and Textiles courses are crafted to help you bring to life your visions and ideas.

Our professional workshops are equipped with the industry-standard technology and machines you need to develop your practice.

You could be using anything from a sewing or knitting machine to a top of the range 3D scanner in our fabrication laboratory, known as FabLab. In our workshops, you’ll receive one-to-one teaching, working closely with our experienced lecturers and specialist technicians.

Throughout your course you could have the opportunity to take part in industry workshops and international competitions, including British Fashion Council reviews, exhibitions and the BNU Summer Show.

Our Fashion And Textiles Programmes Are Ranked

3 RD BEST IN THE UK

With a focus on craftsmanship and innovation, our Fashion & Textiles students are encouraged to develop hands-on making and technical skills through the use of our state-of-the-art facilities. These courses enable our students to build a portfolio of industry standard, professional skills to launch themselves into a successful creative career.

POPPY M c KINNON-EVANS COURSE LEADER

DESIGN FOR STAGE & SCREEN

Students on some of our design for stage and screen courses spend their time split between our High Wycombe Campus and our teaching base at the iconic Pinewood Studios. This means you’ll have the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge you need for your future, all whilst studying right in the heart of this famous creative hub.

You’ll develop a strong portfolio of work that showcases your creativity to employers and learn from industry experts in top teaching facilities. With our strong links with the industry, you’ll get direct access to guest lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, masterclasses, and plenty of networking opportunities.

All in all, you’ll get to enjoy a friendly, supportive and stimulating learning environment, experiencing our ‘hands-on’ approach to learning. It means you can focus on perfecting your specialism, while developing your creativity and confidence.

Become part of the crucial team that works behind the scenes to bring to life stories for audiences around the world.