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BA (Hons) Digital Content Creation with foundation year

BA (Hons) Digital Content Creation with foundation year

Award

BA (Hons)

Start Date

To be confirmed

Duration

4 years

Mode

Full-time

Location

University of Bolton

UCAS Points

48

UCAS Code

W381

Our BA (Hons) Digital Content Creation with foundation year aims to prepare innovative and agile content creators for a career at the forefront of the vibrant and growing digital and creative economy. We'll support you to build your understanding and skills in media production, graphic design and digital storytelling so that you can develop engaging digital content for a range of platforms, now and in the future.

Apply Now Download Prospectus Programme Specification

Course Overview

The way we consume media is changing. Traditional broadcasters and production companies are evolving as audiences flock to new platforms, including social media. Businesses look to use innovative digital content in their marketing and communications to entice consumers to interact with products and services in new ways. Digital media professionals who can engage audiences in online and digital spaces creatively are in demand. The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Digital Content Creation with foundation year degree is a dynamic, forward-thinking course designed to prepare you for employment in the rapidly evolving digital and creative economy.

The foundation year allows you to experience the various specialisms offered by the School of the Arts at the University of Bolton. It aims to build your academic and creative skills and confidence so that you can make the leap to degree-level study smoothly. We’ll guide you as you explore a wide range of technical and creative areas drawn from across the School, helping you make an informed decision about your future career direction. At the end of the year, you’ll be able to choose between progressing with our BSc (Hons) Digital Content Creation or transferring to one of our other fantastic art and design courses.

Throughout this degree, we aim to future-proof your career in this exciting sector. We offer you up-to-date knowledge for today's creative industries, as well as the lifelong learning skills that will help you stay abreast of innovations and new technologies moving forward. Our expert team will guide you as you develop a secure grounding in media production, web and mobile media design, graphic design, pre and post-production, photography and copywriting. We'll encourage you to develop critical thinking skills and explore trends forecasting, branding and data analytics.

Live briefs, guest lectures and specialist modules will support you to gain experience in a range of creative technologies and develop the essential digital skills you'll need to create innovative and engaging digital content. Our goal is to equip you to design and produce digital content for a wide range of settings and to develop your own exciting and innovative work. We'll also support you to gain transferable skills such as resilience, adaptability and teamwork that are highly attractive to employers.

This practical, industry-focused, and design-led degree focuses on designing, writing, filming, editing and directing digital content. Our expert team will combine concepts, techniques and knowledge from the fields of media and film production, graphic design, web design and visual effects, helping you build the relevant skills to design and realise in-demand and innovative digital content.

Highlights

Key Features

Entry Requirements
  • 48 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
  • Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Subjects that support you in showcasing either creative OR technical skills relevant to the study of digital content creation are preferred. Creative subjects such as media, film, art and design, graphic design, photography or fine art are welcomed. Alternatively, technical subjects such as information technology, computing, digital production, design and development can be a great starting point for this degree. We accept qualifications from across the UCAS Tariff, so if you're unsure if the subjects you're studying are suitable or want help choosing appropriate subjects at Level 3, please get in touch. We'll be happy to advise you.
  • 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 appropriate work. Typically, portfolios centre on one of the following areas: art, design, media, sculpture, photography, video editing, film, web design, games, computing-based or technical projects. We'll also take any previous work or experience into account when we consider your application.
  • The quality of a portfolio will be judged alongside traditional UCAS point bearing qualifications to determine the success of an application. Therefore, we give special consideration 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.

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.

Career Opportunities

As the University of Bolton is well-established as a provider of education across the spectrum of design, media, and creative technologies, we're ideally placed to offer degree-level studies in digital content creation.

Entertainment and technology are co-evolving, with changes in one driving innovation in the other. The exponential growth in new media platforms, including social media, has led to changes in how media content is created and shared. Audiences demand high-quality, innovative digital content on phones, tablets, and audio formats such as podcasts. Our BA (Hons) Digital Content Creation with foundation year course offers you skills in digital storytelling, developed through a vibrant mix of training in traditional media production, graphics and user experience design. As a graduate of this forward-thinking degree, you'll be ready to create digital content for the myriad of public and private sector organisations looking to interact with clients and service users creatively through online and digital spaces.

During the course, you can also expect to develop a wide range of technical, professional and interpersonal skills, such as attention to detail, teamwork, communication, time management, problem-solving and lifelong learning. Overall, you'll be well-prepared for a career in the creative industries, working for an employer, on commission, as an independent artist producing your own work.

What can I do with this qualification?

Exciting opportunities are available with big brands, advertising agencies, and organisations of all sizes that need moving images for their websites, social media platforms and promotional adverts. They want people who can create engaging digital content using their excellent storytelling skills, sound knowledge of the production process and workflow, and deep understanding of design and graphics. As a graduate of this course, you'll possess impressive technical prowess in digital content creation, alongside the design and communication skills needed to get the message across to the intended audience.

After graduation, you'll be well placed to seek roles such as digital content creator, videographer, digital designer, digital copywriter, and creative director/producer. You'll likely also find opportunities in social media content creation and strategy, as well as in advertising, brand management and digital campaign management. Depending on your interests, you might also pursue roles in art direction and website design.

You'll also be ready to progress to postgraduate-level studies to develop your expertise and professional practice further. The University of Bolton offers a range of master's degrees in the arts, creative technologies and business fields that could enhance your career prospects and job satisfaction.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. They include:

  • Communications and marketing
  • Film production
  • Journalism
  • Theatre production skills
  • Creative design
  • Teaching
  • Publishing
  • Visual effects
  • Games design
  • Arts administration
  • Research and development
  • Public relations
Fees & Funding

Home/EU Fees

Year of study Total
Entry Year 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 2028/29
2024-25 £9,250 £9,250 £9,250 £9,250 - £37,000
2025-26 -

International Fees

Year of study Total
Entry Year 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 2028/29
2024-25 £15,950 £15,950 £15,950 £15,950 - £63,800
2025-26 -

Bursaries

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

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 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 for EU students web page 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.

How to apply

Home Applicants

If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS

You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.

The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.

You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:

  • Institution Code Name: BOLTN

  • Institution Code Number: B44

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com

If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.

A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:

  • Free of charge to apply

  • Secure, simple and streamlined

  • Contact us directly for any admissions queries

  • Regular updates on your application directly from the University

  • Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

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 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 inputted.

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

International Applicants

The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.

This course is not currently accepting international online applications.

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Partner Organisation Applicants

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
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.

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link 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.

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

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.

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 inputted.

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

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

Teaching & Assessment

Much of the work involved in this course centres on practical projects. You'll be expected to create different types of content, as well as write essays, presentations and pitches. Some online course activities are student-generated and controlled to resemble the creative industries’ practices you're likely to encounter.

We emphasise group work, activity-based assignments, workshops, demonstrations, projects and guided independent study. Some modules are delivered in a more conventional way through classes, lectures and presentations. You'll be taught by tutors who have extensive industry experience and by specialist guest lecturers.

You'll also be expected to devote a significant amount of time to independent study, and our online resources will assist you with this. Assignments will require time outside of lessons to complete. Work-based learning is a vital element of the course. The completion of industry briefs and professional quality work helps to ensure you are ready for employment when you graduate.

There are no examinations. All assessment is through coursework. You can expect formative evaluation to help you learn and develop your knowledge and skills and summative assessment on which you'll be graded. Your summative assessment briefs will contain tasks such as creating digitial content for a range of platforms and screen media, writing essays and reports, writing scripts and outlines, giving presentations and pitches, carrying out practical exercises and working on client-led projects/live briefs.

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.

  • Creative Responses
  • Information and Interpretation
  • Preparation and Progression
  • Specialist Project
  • Creating Content
  • Production Skills 1
  • Digital Cultures
  • Writing for Digital Media
  • Creating Impact
  • Production Skills 2
  • Digital Storytelling
  • Trends, Data, Strategy
  • Client Commission
  • New Directions in Digital Culture
  • Creative Technologies
  • Studio Practice
  • Major Project
  • Professional Portfolio

Assessment methods

Level Assessment method
Level 0 Coursework 93%
Practical exams 7%
Level 1 Coursework 73%
Practical exams 27%
Level 2 Coursework 92%
Practical exams 8%
Level 3 Coursework 57%
Practical exams 43%

Learning Activities

Level Activity
Level 0 Guided independent study 55%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 45%
Level 1 Guided independent study 66%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34%
Level 2 Guided independent study 70%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 30%
Level 3 Guided independent study 70%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 30%

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.

Postgraduate Options

Programme Contacts

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
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QQA Scheme Participant

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant