Program Overview

University Foundation in Art and Design Stage1 at Hertfordshire International College (HIC) is designed to prepare you for entry to university-level program. During Stage 1 you will complete a range of modules relevant to your chosen degree, as well as modules concentrating on the skills that are vital for University level education such as Critical Thinking.

A Foundation pathway is available for students who:

• Don’t meet the entry requirements to enter university level study directly (but hold GCSE level qualifications)
• Feel that additional support at the start of university studies will help them stand a better chance of success
• Have been away from studies for a period of time
• Come from a different academic environment to that of the UK
• Require additional English language training

If you fall into any of the above categories, choosing an undergraduate pathway at Hertfordshire International College (HIC) is the right decision. Depending on your academic needs here at Hertfordshire International College (HIC).

Progressing from Foundation

Stage 1 will be the first stage in the 4 stage process. Meaning that on successful completion of stage 1 you will seamlessly progress to stage 2, which is the first year of a bachelor’s degree. There is no need to reapply, you will simply just progress between each stage until you reach the final stage and graduate with a degree from Hertfordshire International College (HIC).

BA (Hons) Design Crafts (Ceramics and Glass)

• Contemporary Design Crafts Ceramics and Glass degree encourages fresh ideas, inventive use of materials and techniques, and awareness of contemporary markets.
• You establish and refine your interests in the field of ceramics and glass to reach the high level of skills demanded by the professional marketplace.
• Placements develop a versatile understanding of the workplace, establishing our graduates as contemporaries in a competitive professional market.

What's the course about?

• This degree involves a practical workshop programme, establishing and refining your understanding of the tactile qualities and properties of materials and how they can be manipulated to express your ideas. In the First Year you’ll learn approaches to designing and making across a range of 2D and 3D media. Then, in the Second Year, you’ll focus your interests in order to reach the high level of refinement necessary for the professional marketplace. Our students produce a richly diverse range of artefacts, such as tableware, experimental objects, sculptures, architectural pieces, tiles and conceptual pieces for exhibition or commission.

What will I study?

• The course combines studio projects and practical workshop based sessions, where ideas and making are integrated. Students have a studio, where design development, group tutorials, crits and presentations take place. Modules combine lectures, workshops, seminars, and tutorials, and encourage a high level of debate and interaction. Students are encouraged to see their learning as an interactive experience, in which they play an active part, so that they emerge as resourceful and independent professionals, committed to pursuing their ambitions beyond graduation. The degree is staffed by practicing professionals, and Visiting Lecturers who regularly contribute specialist expertise.
• In the First Year you'll learn approaches to designing and making across a range of two and three-dimensional media in the fields of textiles, jewellery and ceramics and glass.
• Second Year students choose to focus their interests within the ceramics and glass medium and approach, enabling them to reach the high level of refinement necessary for the professional marketplace. We are offering a balance between focused specialist study and experimental mixed media approaches.
• The workshops are the focus of the student experience our students are using the latest laser cutting and rapid prototyping equipment as well as the traditional equipped workshop to develop their practice. Progressive studio projects also provide an initial framework for individual research and creative interpretation, to establish your unique identity.
• This results in the production of a richly diverse range of artifacts - such as tableware, experimental objects, sculptures, architectural pieces, tiles for interiors/ exteriors and conceptual pieces for exhibition or commission. The emphasis is on questioning function and tradition to arrive at fresh, lively alternatives for a sophisticated market.