The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography allows you to explore, capture and inform society through a combination of news gathering, storytelling and technical photography skills. Our expert team will support you to gain the critical understanding and practical know-how you’ll need to create still and moving images and stories for publication by today’s mixed-media outlets.

Key information

Award:

BA (Hons)

Mode of Study:

Part-time

Duration:

54 months

Location:

University of Bolton

UCAS points:

UCAS code:

W750

Start date:

To be confirmed

Course Details

There are many incredible stories in our world that demand to be told. From the local hero to international disasters, from an unforgettable music gig to the Champions League final, photography can capture the moments that define our lives. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, photojournalists and documentary photographers were classed as key workers in the UK, feeding images of our empty high streets and full hospitals to the nation, providing a valuable service for news agencies and online sources. These photographers offered a window into hidden worlds, playing an essential role in communicating the crisis and its human cost. Our BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography degree will focus on developing your abilities to create engaging visual stories.

Bolton has a rich heritage of documentary photography, thanks particularly to the Mass Observation Work Town project documenting and observing the community in the 1930s. More recently, our MA in Visual Journalism lecturer DJ Clark has had notable success with his immersive 360 film, Battleground PolyU, which won a series of awards, including World Press Photo Interactive of the Year and a Webby nomination.

Our BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography degree will develop your technical skills and bring you to the cutting edge of the industry. Scheduled visits, placements, and guest lectures from key industry professionals will help you start to build your network and deliver live briefs. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to work on producing an annual magazine and undertake our organised UK and overseas trips (additional costs may apply).

We’ll help you build a professional photographic portfolio and offer opportunities to exhibit your work in galleries and online. In addition, our final-year career development module aims to prepare you for the transition from graduation to full-time work and a successful start to your photography career.

Visit https://www.instagram.com/photoboltonuni/ to see examples of work from our students and graduates.

Highlights

The Guardian University Guide 2022 ranks our Film Production and Photography courses as fourth in the UK for student-to-staff ratio, so you can be assured that we offer you excellent access to individual tutor support and small group teaching.
You can expect regular external engagements, such as UK visits, exhibitions, portfolio review, professional placements and competitions. Some of these will form part of your modules, and others will be additional opportunities designed to enhance your development over and above your studies.
You’ll have opportunities to participate in international travel and engage with the global photographic community (additional costs may apply).
We offer access to cutting edge ideas and debates around industry developments.
We foster a friendly and engaged photographic community that supports all learners, encouraging and promoting critical friendships where students help and develop each other’s practice.
We offer hands-on teaching from dedicated tutors who deliver practice, theory and research.
You’ll benefit from extra support from our photographically-trained, expert technical team with out-of-module learning opportunities for all.

Key Features

Our academics have an open-door policy, and we pride ourselves on offering support and going that extra mile for you.
Our custom-built state-of-the-art photographic resources offer industry-standard technology and up-to-date software.
We prefer to keep our teaching groups smaller, allowing us to offer support you can identify with and rely on.
You’ll also be expected to complete a fully assessed work placement. Our final year career development module is designed to prepare you for the transition from graduation to full-time work.

96 UCAS points. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points.
Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Relevant creative and art and design-related subjects are preferred.
You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
You’ll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of recent photographic or image-related (or video) work. A basic working knowledge of photography through either creative application, digital or traditional process (or combinations of the three) is expected and assessed at interview.
The quality of the portfolio/interview is the primary basis on which applicants are selected; therefore special consideration will be given to applicants without the above qualifications who have a strong portfolio.
If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
If you don’t meet the entry requirements for this course, please consider our BA (Hons) Photography with foundation year course.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

As a graduate of our BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, you’ll be able to work in a wide spectrum of media industries, from large corporations to hyperlocal news blogs. Entrepreneurial photojournalism is an important aspect of the course, and we’ll encourage you to consider how your ideas and projects can be monetised. The media industry is rapidly changing, giving new opportunities for emerging talented multi-skilled journalists who adapt quickly to innovations. Good storytelling remains at the heart of what you’ll learn but being able to creatively use a variety of skills to deliver the story on multiple platforms will give you an edge in this very competitive marketplace.

Course fees

Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £6,000 for the academic year 2022/23.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2022-2023 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2022-2023 policy on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2022-2023 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2022-2023 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:

You should have to hand:

Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions@bolton.ac.uk

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
University Collegiate School
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University of Bolton

For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.

By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.

When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or UGadmissions@bolton.ac.uk

We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!

Learning and teaching methods are varied, and we use a blended style, meaning you'll attend face-to-face sessions and take part in online learning. You can expect lectures, seminars, tutorials and critiques, self-directed learning, e-learning and workshop sessions. You'll also have opportunities to engage with employer facing and work-related activities.

You'll gain practical skills through technical introduction and support, workshop sessions, demonstrations and activity-based assignments. Live briefs and personal projects will promote active learning. Your learning will also be enhanced by research in libraries, art galleries, museums and other educational visits (where relevant).

You'll benefit from opportunities to attend guest lecture events. These feed directly into our teaching and offer relevant and up-to-date photographic industry information. Group critiques and tutorials will allow you to discuss and consider your work in progress, either in individual tutorials, interim reviews, or small groups. Our lecture programmes, visiting speakers and access to the latest research all feed into your learning experience.

Assessment is carried out at key points during the modules. We may ask for various types of assessment evidence, for example, portfolios, practical projects, presentations, examinations and written pieces. We'll use formative assessment methods to help you learn and develop your knowledge and skills. You'll also undertake summative assessment on which you'll be graded.

Formative assessment (face-to-face and online) will be offered during each module. You'll also receive written feedback, and feed-forward will be provided following summative assessment. Assessment tasks are linked to the learning outcomes of each module and are normally completed by the end of each module.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Digital Imaging
Pre, Present, Post Photography
On Assignment
Editorial Photography
Sports and Action Photography
Video Documentary
The Photo Story
Evidence
Professional Photojournalism
Concepts and Practice
Employment, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship
Consolidation and Display

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 100%
Level two	Coursework 90%, Practical exams 3%, Written exams 4%
Level three	Coursework 47%, Practical exams 53%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 66%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34%
Level two	Guided independent study 69%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 31%
Level three	Guided independent study 76%, Placement/study abroad 5%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 19%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.