Careers Brief - Applied Art & Design BA
Overview
This one-year full-time Top-up degree is designed for direct progression from your Foundation degree (or HND) to gain an Honours degree and offers you the opportunity of continuing onto a postgraduate degree programme or specialist training. Alternatively, you can complete with your Honours degree to go into the employed or self-employed sectors.
Many 2D and 3D designers are self-employed or freelance as designer makers and craft practitioners and will be managing their own business, selling directly or indirectly through exhibitions, galleries and shops. You need to be self-confident and a good communicator to promote yourself and be prepared to work long hours to meet deadlines. Knowledge of business and entrepreneurial skills are essential.
Related employed opportunities include: conservator and restorer; art valuer; arts administration; art exhibition organiser or programmer; arts education and development staff in arts centres and other venues; community arts worker; arts agent and promoter; art teacher and college lecturer; art therapist.
To consider a wider choice of careers matched to your interests, use Prospects Planner and other career planning sites identified in the Career Planning section of this Careers Guide.
Use the website links below to find out more.
Further Study
You could progress onto an appropriate higher level degree, usually with a good Honours (First or 2.1) degree, to attain a Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.
For information on all postgraduate courses and research, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy/ .
Resources
Creative Choices - online service supporting the individual and business in the creative industries and cultural sector.
Drop down sub-heading 'Knowledge' + go to sector side-headings.
Graduate Prospects is the careers website for higher education students in the UK:
- Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Options with your subject' for 'Your degree in... Art and design'
- Drop down 'Sectors' to click on 'Creative arts & culture'
- Drop down 'Jobs & work' to click on 'Explore types of jobs' for 'Creative arts & design'
- Drop down 'Jobs & work' to click on 'What jobs would suit me?' for Prospects Planner and other services
http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/
Careers Advice Service
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles' or Quick Search by typing in job title
The Artists Information Company supporting contemporary visual arts practice:
Go to 'Publications' for 'HE Publications' to click on 'Signpost' - 'the new graduates' guide to being an artist'.
The Arts Council England is the national development agency for the Arts in England:
Drop down sub-heading 'Publications' to 'Browse all information sheets' - click on side heading 'Careers and training' in the 'subject' section.
Cockpit Arts - creative business incubator for designer-makers
The Crafts Council is the UK's national organisation for the promotion of contemporary crafts
Design-Nation an educational resource for designers - go to 'Business start-up guide' at top left
www.arts.ac.uk/student/careers/
University of the Arts London - Creative Careers
Arts Jobs & News - a free service from the Arts Council England
Artjobster - free artworkers jobsite for the UK
Arts Professional - UK's leading arts management magazine
Training and Development Agency for Schools including 'Get into teaching'
The British Association of Art Therapists
Arts in Therapy Network
ArtsMatrix is the skills and enterprise development agency for creative professionals in the South West
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/
Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.
BBC careers site
Intute is a free online service providing a database and access to web resources for study and research. Browse 'Creative and performing arts'.
