Art and Design Level 3
Start Date: 1st September 2025
- Length 2 Years
- Study Full Time
- Location West Lancashire College
More about the course
This course is ideal for anyone who wishes to gain a vocational qualification in Art and Design, as a step towards a career in the industry or a university application.
The initial term will introduce you to working in professional art and design studios, this will include working in 2D, 3D and digitally with Apple Mac computers. You will also have the opportunity to work in a photographic darkroom and fully equipped studio.
From that point forward, we will tailor your course to match your career goal, enabling you to work with negotiated briefs which will develop your specialist art skills and prepare you for university study.
Entry requirements
-
4 GCSEs at Grade 4-9, including English Language and/or Maths
What will I achieve?
If you successfully complete this course, you will receive an extended diploma in Art and Design. This is equivalent to three A Levels.
Students can also obtain function skills or a GCSE English if required.
What will I learn?
- Drawing and painting
- Fashion and textiles
- Fine art
- 3D design and sculpture
- Computers and digital photography
- Print making
During the second year of the course, students are able to specialise in their chosen subject area for university/employment.
Students will undertake a period of work experience appropriate to your course, as part of the programme of study.
What experience will I have?
- Specialist facilities including two fully equipped Apple Mac suites, a large traditional Art Studio that caters for 2D and Textiles/Fashion, a 3D Art Studio, a Photographic Darkroom and Photography Studio
- Working on Arts Council England funded projects (such as the recent 'Illume' - photographic and sound art project)
- Brutalist Art Project - concrete relief sculptures
- Day trips to important UK galleries including Liverpool Tate, The Walker Gallery, The Lowry, the National Media Museum in Bradford, The Chapel Gallery and the Lady Lever Art Gallery
- Entrepreneurial and work based activities
- Extra-curricular projects and collaborations
- End of Year Creative Arts Exhibition
- Work experience opportunities with local employers in the arts industry
How am I assessed?
- Coursework produced in the art studios
Where can I progress?
Upon successful competition of Level 3 course, students may wish to progress to Higher Education studies at university or to gain employment in the Art and Design industry.
Our students go to University to study:
- BA in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University
- BA in Illustration and Graphics at Liverpool John Moores University
- BA in Games Design at the University of Falmouth
- BA in Fashion Promotion at Manchester Metropolitan University
- BA in Photography at UCLan
- BA in Illustration at UCLan
- BA in Architecture at the University of Liverpool
- BA in Interior Design at UCLan
- BA in Illustration with Animation at Manchester Metropolitan University
- BA in Textiles and Fashion Design at Middlesex University
- BA in Surface Pattern Design at Staffordshire University
Course costs
If you are 16-18 years old, you do not have to pay course tuition fees*.
If you need information on any financial support that may be available to you with fees or study costs on this course, please contact Student Services who can offer advice and assistance on accessing any financial support that may be available.
*This is subject to attendance.
Contact our team
Meet our Art and Design students and tutors
Gary Owens
Art and Design LecturerLike all of the Art staff at West Lancashire College, I am a working artist myself. It is always a pleasure to work with like-minded creative people and to see how their skills and ideas develop over time.
Louise Curran
Art and Design LecturerAs a multi-disciplinary artist and designer with a background career in film and television costume, I offer students a relevant and realistic insight into working in creative industry. As an educator, I have experience of working with learners of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs, across a range of artistic disciplines. Effective art and design teaching offers a space which nurtures and challenges the individual and diverse creativity of every student and equips them with the technical skills and confidence to progress in their chosen specialism. I am passionate about what I do and consider it a privilege to play a role in enabling our students to realise their professional and creative potential.
Nourhan
Art and Design StudentStudying Art at West Lancashire College helped me to generate ideas and express myself through my artwork. I would thoroughly recommend the course to someone who would like to follow a similar path. I am now studying a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design at UCLan.
Jess
Art and Design Level 3 StudentI was originally studying for three A Levels at another college before realising that I’d be happier concentrating on my Art education and moving here. So far it's been great, getting to know my classmates has helped me in developing my own personal skills as well as my artistic skills. What I like about the Art department is how there's different rooms and equipment for different kinds of art, it's just a nice little community. The whole college experience feels very mature, you have so much more independence here, and the campus itself is great in a really futuristic way.
Evie
Art and Design Level 3 StudentI've really enjoyed my Art course so far, it's such a wide range of stuff we get to do, before coming here I thought that the course would be quite closed off and you’d only be able to certain things but it’s not been like that at all. It’s also very different compared to being at high school, what I didn't really like about school was how everyone had to be a certain way, here at college I feel I can be anyone I want to be.
Hannah
Art and Design Level 3 StudentI've really enjoyed my Art course so far, it's such a wide range of stuff we get to do, before coming here I thought that the course would be quite closed off and you’d only be able to certain things but it’s not been like that at all. It’s also very different compared to being at high school, what I didn't really like about school was how everyone had to be a certain way, here at college I feel I can be anyone I want to be.
Hanga
Art and Design Level 3 StudentI’ve really liked all the experimenting that you get to do on my Art course, taking part in workshops in such a wide range of different techniques and styles. You are able to be a lot more independent here than at high school, but you still get help if you ask for it from the tutors and from the other students as well, it's like a community. I’m progressing on to do a degree in Illustration at Sheffield Hallam University in September. I chose Illustration as it can be very flexible, I might move into illustrating books, or making concept art, in the future.
Caitlin
Art and Design Level 3 StudentMy time as an Art student has been a great experience. When I joined I didn’t have that many skills but now I'm in my second year I can see that I’ve developed the skills I wanted to, and I've met a lot of great people. As a whole it's a lovely college with a very nice atmosphere, you always have help if you need it and the facilities are really good. I'm going to university in September to do Marketing with Advertising at Edge Hill, I'm really looking forward to as it's something I didn't expect to be doing at uni. When I first came to college I thought I was going to concentrate on photography but I went to a workshop about advertising which really piqued my interest and now I know what I want to do in the future.
What can I do with a qualification in Art and Design?
Careers for this subject will be updated soon.
Upcoming events
Open Event
West Lancashire College
Thursday 21st November 2024
4:30pm - 7:30pm
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