Choosing a Course

Most art and design courses are in the new universities, but there are some in various "old" universities, higher education colleges and a few specialist art and design institutions. Check the entry level qualifications for the course, especially if you haven't done any work to foundation level - some will let you in on A-levels alone.

When making your choice, look long and hard at the facilities of the department - will you want a decent multimedia facility, f'or example, or access to good filming equipment? Look also at the city's galleries, museums, libraries and cultural life as these will provide invaluable research resources and, often, inspiration to your coursework. For those doing modules in museum studies, for example, there might also be valuable work placement schemes.

Study carefully the elements of the course you are taking. If you sign up for an illustration course expecting to crouch over a drawing hoard, pen and ink at the ready, you may be rather dismayed to find it actually has a high degree of digital work embedded in it. So don't just take the course name and assume the content is the same for every institution. See also who is teaching you. Such is the world of the professional in the arts that many work part-time as teachers, so it could be that you will be taught by a professional designer or an artist of international renown in your discipline who can bring the latest developments in the real world into your classroom.

For the more vocational courses - curatorship, for example - it is less important who teaches you than whether the course contains vocational elements that will help you achieve appropriate professional qualifications. These may range in type and delivery from simple business skills to specific subject-focused projects, which give direct experience and knowledge of the area you're heading for. Check what these elements might be on a course you are considering, and if you have a job destination in mind, whether they will get you there.

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