BA (Hons) Cartoon and Comic Arts at University of Staffordshire

Programme overview

This BA (Hons) develops skills in visual and narrative communication for comics, graphic novels, editorial work, storyboarding and character design. Teaching takes place in a studio with visiting industry practitioners, and students can exhibit and sell work at comic conventions in the UK and abroad.

Duration: 3 years full-time (4 years with a placement year or a foundation year) | Intake: September 2027 | Location: Stoke-on-Trent, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Year 1 covers Comics in Context, the fundamentals of drawing comics and creative cultures. Year 2 includes Audiences and Narrative in Comics, Professional Comic Production and a Collaborative Creative Industries Project, plus optional modules. Year 3 includes Contextual and Critical Investigation, Professional Practice and a 60-credit Final Major Project.

Career pathways

Graduates leave with portfolios, exhibition experience and industry contacts, and have become professional comic artists; the course also prepares students for illustration, editorial design, storyboarding, character design, advertising and film roles.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Typical offer: 96 UCAS points; A-levels CCC; BTEC Extended Diploma MMM. All applicants are individually assessed via a portfolio review. Other UK qualifications accepted: Access to HE Diploma (Pass with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points), OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma (MMM), T Levels (minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer). Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers, the Irish Leaving Certificate and Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales are considered, with offers normally in line with the standard requirements and possibly with specific grades in relevant subjects. International applicants: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component is the University standard for most courses.

Domestic applicants: GBP 10,050 a year (2027/28). Full-time, September 2027 start Source

International applicants: GBP 17,285 a year (2027/28). Full-time, September 2027 start Source

Intake: September 2027

Duration: 3 years full-time (4 years with a placement year or a foundation year)

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