Visual Culture
The BA in Visual Culture offers a unique opportunity to study the history and theory of modern and contemporary art and design practices in the setting of a leading art and design college.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | University College Dublin |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | University College Dublin | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 or 4 years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Minimum Requirements
Subjects* 6
Honours 2 x H5
Subjects must include:
Irish** O6/H7
English O6/H7
3rd Language/Art/DCG O6/H7
Restricted Entry: No
* Full details on minimum entry requirements (matriculation) and regulations concerning exemption from the subject Irish can be found at www.nui.ie
** Foundation Level Irish is not accepted.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
NCAD is a Recognised college of UCD, a Constituent University of the National University of Ireland (NUI). Matriculation requirements including information on obtaining an Irish language exemption are set out on the NUI website www.nui.ie.
Age at entry to NCAD
The minimum age for admission to NCAD is 17 years by 15 January the year following entry.
Leaving Certificate results may be combined.
Foundation Level Maths may be counted as one of Ordinary Level subject requirements.
Studio Based programmes requiring a Portfolio submission are restricted on the CAO system. Late applications will not be accepted.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Undergraduate Degree
Programmes First Year Entry 2024
FETAC Level 5 or 6
5 Distinctions
Full Award*
* AD215 BA Visual Culture
Places will be offered on a competitive basis to applicants holding a level 5 or 6 QQI/FETAC qualification with 5 distinctions in a linked or equivalent award.
Careers / Further progression
Opportunities after graduation
With the breadth and depth of understanding and experience offered by the degree, Visual Culture graduates have a wide range of local and international opportunities open to them. They include arts administration (in contemporary and heritage contexts); publishing, journalism, and critical writing; work in museums and private galleries; or art and design historical research and lecturing. Graduates are equipped to progress to further study at postgraduate level to further refine their creative and critical abilities. The School of Visual Culture also offers highly regarded masters programmes, MA Art in the Contemporary World and MA Design History and Material Culture, as well as PhD level study.
Further information
Mature applicants to AD215 Visual Culture should apply through the CAO by 1 February. On your CAO form you should include information on previous education as well as any relevant work or other experience that might support your application. Please send any supporting documentation such as transcripts or CVs to the CAO marked clearly with your CAO number. Mature applications will be reviewed and you may be invited to attend for interview. You will be informed of the outcome of your application in April/May.
20
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
The BA in Visual Culture offers a unique opportunity to study the history and theory of modern and contemporary art and design practices in the setting of a leading art and design college. Visual Culture embraces not only the output of celebrated artists and designers but also forms of anonymous design and popular culture in the modern world. The programme provides the tools for a deep analysis of the hold that images and things have on life today, as well as in earlier eras.
The programme has been designed for students who aspire to careers in the many professional sectors allied to the arts and to design, including arts management, publishing and the media, and museum and gallery curation. The programme is suitable for anyone with a broad interest in history, culture, and society. You do not need to have prior knowledge of the subject before starting. Study on the programme takes the form of lectures, seminars, one-to-one tutorials and small group workshops exploring current issues. Students have opportunities to select from a range of modules in specialist areas like fashion history and theory or film studies. Taught by some of Ireland’s leading art and design critics and historians, the programme offers a strong connection to Dublin’s thriving art and design scenes, as well as the city’s museums and galleries. There will also be opportunities to work with studio-based NCAD students: this engagement may take the form of critical/professional writing and publication projects, exhibition curation and event programming. Like all programmes at NCAD, we place a strong emphasis on professional practice and offer opportunities to undertake work placements. You will be educated to become a visually literate thinker, an expressive and articulate writer, and a skilled researcher. These are valuable skills that can be employed in many professional contexts in the arts and further afield. A portfolio submission is not required; places are allocated through the CAO on a competitive basis to students with Leaving Certificate or FETAC qualifications.
What will I study?
This degree uses theoretical and historical approaches to Visual Culture to help understand the place of art and design in the world today. This includes examination of not only the production of art and design but also their representation in the media, film and in the gallery and their effects on our lives.
Year 1
Introduction to Key Concepts in Art & Design; Histories of Visual & Material Culture; Introduction to Techniques, Materials and Practices of Making; Technologies of Visual Culture; Professional Practice - Mediation (with a focus on the dissemination of Visual Culture); specialist ‘electives’ on a wide range of themes from fashion history to systems art.
Year 2
Professional Practice - Institutions (focusing on institutions like galleries, archives and museums); Histories of Art & Design II; Professional Practice - exhibition-making; Understanding Digital Culture; specialist ‘electives’ on a wide range of themes from fashion history to systems art.
Year 3: Studio+ & International
The Studio+ year is open to undergraduate students in Design, Fine Art and Visual Culture (Visual Culture+). It is an exciting opportunity to combine accredited work and/or study placements to build a bespoke learning experience in line with your particular skills and ambitions. Immersed in real-world work environments you will learn the skills and expertise to engage creatively with community and civic society and develop your practice across a range of commercial, cultural and social settings
Accredited work and study programmes can be undertaken locally, including within NCAD design labs and micro studios, or with industry and educational partners internationally. Your tutors will guide you through the range of modules and options available and will help you in your decision.
How it works
During the course of your second year you will be asked to choose from a selection of modules over the course of two semesters to make up 60 credits in total for the Studio+ year.
Final Year
Professional Practice – Placement; Collaborative Practices; Economies of Visual Culture; Situations of Visual Culture (on art and design in Dublin since the 1990s); Research Practices (a major student-led research project); specialist ‘electives’ on a wide range of themes from fashion history to systems art.
How will I be assessed?
Assessed coursework may include essays, presentations, curatorial and event-based projects, and forms of self-publishing.
Degree awarded
BA Visual Culture/BA Visual Culture (International)
Admissions Office,
National College of Art & Design
100 Thomas Street
Dublin D08 K521
Ireland
Tel: 353 (0)1 636 4200
admissions@ncad.ie