UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 10 AUGUST 2010
Birmingham may not have won the culture crown but creativity is being nurtured with more opportunities to study art and design in the city.
Birmingham City University’s Birmingham Institute of Art & Design (BIAD) is expanding its BA(Hons) Art & Design course. Forty additional part-time places have been created because the government has given the university additional funding due to its ongoing commitment to excellence in the arts and its work with employers. BIAD has built strong partnerships with companies such as Morgan Motor Cars, Cartier, Augur and JCB to ensure courses provide graduates with the skills and qualifications needed for today’s job market.
Students who enrol for the BA(hons) Art & Design will be taught by staff with backgrounds in different disciplines in order to explore the potential of different media, processes and ways of working. The course is very flexible, which enables it to offer a well-established and highly successful part-time mode. Part-time students study alongside full-time peers completing their course over six years. There is an emphasis on creating highly employable graduates and students are encouraged to develop networks, get practical experience and an understanding of the realities of a career in the creative industries before they leave university.
Students who have studied at BIAD have progressed to a variety of careers and some have even set up their own companies such as Devon McFarlane who whilst studying at the University co-founded the multi award-winning digital design company Clusta (www.clusta.com) as part of his professional practice module. He now heads the 3D modelling and animation division and recently to the course as a visiting tutor. Talking about course he said: “What really struck me was the intention to cultivate the skill needed to define my goals, breakdown the steps/stages to achieving goals and fulfil them.”
One third of the total number of students at Birmingham City University study on a part-time basis; the courses on offer range from criminal investigation to automotive technology to diagnostic radiotherapy. One of the main benefits of studying part-time is flexibility as part-time students often have other commitments such as a full-time job or a family. With this in mind, part-time courses may be offered in a variety of ways and at a variety of times, such as evenings, weekends and distance learning.
For more information about studying for part-time courses at Birmingham City University visit www.bcu.ac.uk/part-time or call Choices, the dedicated information and guidance centre for anyone who wants to find out about courses at Birmingham City University on 0121 331 5995.