Photography - Grangegorman
The arrival of affordable digital cameras has stimulated widespread interest in photography, presenting the professional photographer with both new opportunities and challenges. This programme will prepare you for a career in professional photographic media practice, as well as the broader visual arts sector. It will equip you with key skills, while encouraging you to reflect on your actions and practices.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | Technological University Dublin |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | Technological University Dublin | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 Years
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Irish Leaving Certificate
Minimum No of Subjects: 6
Higher: 2 H5's
Portfolio no longer required.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
Entry/Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for consideration for a course an applicant must possess the minimum entry requirements for that course. Entry requirements are outlined above.
CAO offers are determined on the basis of examination score except in the case of courses which involve suitability tests, interviews and other assessment procedures. All suitability tests/interviews/auditions/portfolio reviews etc will generally be carried out during the period March - May each year.
Where a specific grade is required in a subject (H4, O3 etc) an applicant must achieve that grade or better in order to be eligible for consideration (H = Higher Level; O = Ordinary Level). Where a requirement is 2 or 3 honours, grade H5 or better on Higher Level
Leaving Certificate papers is needed to meet such a requirement.
In the case of both Higher and Ordinary Level Leaving Certificate results, grades lower than H7 (Higher) or 06 (Ordinary) are not acceptable for eligibility purposes or for points calculation.
For the purpose of meeting minimum entry requirements, results from any number of sittings of the Irish Leaving Certificate Examination may be combined.
An applicant’s examination score will be calculated by adding together the points scored in the best six subjects in a single sitting of the Irish Leaving Certificate Examination.
Matriculation Examinations will not be accepted either for the purpose of meeting minimum entry requirements or for calculating examination scores.
Demand usually exceeds the number of places available and therefore examination results better than the minimum entry requirement are likely to be required.
When a number of applicants have the same points score, a random number is attached to the score for each course preference. This will then determine the position of each applicant on the waiting lists for offers.
Bonus Points Maths (Irish Leaving Certificate)
25 bonus points will continue to be awarded for Higher Level Mathematics for H6 grades and above. Bonus points are only counted where that subject is scored as one of the applicant’s best six subjects for points purposes.
Foundation Level Mathematics
We accept Foundation Level Mathematics for the purposes of entry requirements the case of any course where Higher or Ordinary Level Mathematics is not a requirement. Please check above to ensure you are aware of the individual math requirement.
Points are awarded as follows:
F1 = 20 points
F2 = 12 points
Foundation Level Irish
For the most part the University will not consider Foundation Level Irish for the purposes of entry requirements or for points, however a grade F3 in Foundation level Irish is acceptable for meeting the minimum entry requirements for some Higher Certificate courses. Students with an F3 in Foundation level Irish must have passed five other subjects with a minimum grade of O6 including Math, students should check on individual course pages to determine if their foundation Irish grade is sufficient.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
The Link Modules can be used as one of the six subjects for overall points calculation and may also be considered as a subject for the purposes of minimum entry requirements, dependent on the programme for which you are applying.
Leaving Certificate Applied Programme LCAP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
How to Apply
You must apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO).
In order to apply, you must have obtained a full major award. A Component Certificate (minor award) is not sufficient.
The best 8 modules of your award are used for ranking purposes.
In addition to the QQI minimum entry requirements, QQI quotas and QQI points apply. The max QQI points awarded is 390.
If you’ve accumulated your major award over more than one academic year, you’ll need to apply to the QQI for a major award.
If you present full QQI Level 5/6 awards, you won’t be required to meet minimum entry requirements based on Leaving Certificate results. The QQI Level 5/6 award is accepted in its own right.
Careers / Further progression
What are my career opportunities?
Advertising/Editorial Photographer
Commercial Photographer
Fashion Photographer
Fine Art Photographer
Food Photographer
Forensic Photographer
Freelance Photographer
Industrial Photographer
Medical Illustrator/Clinical Photographer
Picture Researcher/Editor
Portrait Photographer
Press Photographer
Wedding and Event Photographer
Progression
On graduation, you may proceed to postgraduate studies leading to the award of MSc, MPhil or PhD at research institutes and universities worldwide.
Further information
Whatever your reason for coming back to education – to update your skills, gain a new qualification, achieve a personal goal or ambition, etc. TU Dublin welcomes applications from all mature students aged 23+.
It may be daunting but you’re not alone. TU Dublin has a range of supports in place to help you decide what course to take, get through the application process and get settled into college life.
For further information go to https://www.tudublin.ie/study/undergraduate/cao/entry-routes/mature-applicants/
EU Applicants
We welcome EU Applicants with high-school qualifications from a European Union or European Free Trade Association country.
A Level GCSE Applicants
We welcome students who have completed their GCSE or A Level exams.
TU Dublin Access Routes
We aim to ensure that students of all backgrounds and nationalities can find a pathway to higher education that suits their circumstances at different stages of their lives and careers. Please take some time to look at the various Access entry routes outlined below and feel free to contact us for further information. We are more than happy to give you advice on which entry route might be suitable for your individual needs and to support you in making your application.
For more information on these entry routes go to https://www.tudublin.ie/study/undergraduate/cao/entry-routes/
24
View https://www.tudublin.ie/study/undergraduate/cao/entry-requirements/portfolio-submission/
Portfolio Submissions
What programmes require a portfolio to be submitted?
TU975 (Interior Design)
TU973 (Design – Visual Communication)
TU974 (Fine Art)
TU976 (Photography)
TU795 (Visual Merchandising & Display)
TU832 Architecture
How to submit a portfolio?
Closing Date for Submission of Portfolio: Monday, 27th February 2023 by 5pm.
Where to Submit: Upload onto our Online Portal
- Applicants may only submit a portfolio once in an academic year.
- You can amend and edit your online application. Note - once you select “submit” applications cannot be amended.
- Make sure to use the same email address you use for your CAO application when creating your account. Once you create an online account, you will be asked for the following:
2023 CAO number
Personal statement (optional)
Selection of your work (up to 25 pieces) ready to attach to your online application
Additional information is available in the following documents TU Dublin School of Art and Design portfolio information 2023 and Photography Portfolio Submission FAQ 2022. Information on the application process can be found by visiting the School of Creative Arts webpage.
If you have any issues with your online application, contact creativearts@tudublin.ie.
Evaluation Criteria - PROGRAMME: TU976 PHOTOGRAPHY
The portfolio is used to review the applicant’s potential to benefit from and contribute to the course chosen with regard to the following evaluation criteria. Evidence of ability to communicate ideas in projects will be illustrated through:
1. Evidence of Ability to Communicate Ideas
Examples in single images
Examples across a series of images
2. Evidence of Practical ability
Composition
Technical skill
Quality of presentation
3. Evidence of Creative ability
Creative enquiry
Development of ideas
4. Photographic Work
We would like to see a selection of your photographic work (up to 25 pieces) that best represents your creative, practical and conceptual skills and abilities. You may additionally submit pages from your notebooks or workbooks which show how you researched and developed your work. If you have had photographs published in magazines or online, you may submit them as well.
Failure to submit a portfolio will render an applicant ineligible for the above programme. Portfolios received after the above submission date will not be reviewed. The decision of the review panels will be final.
Max & Minimum scores
TU976 600 points 200 points
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
Is Creative Arts, Design & Media for you?
Creative Arts, Design and Media all play roles in holding up a mirror to society – enhancing, challenging and reimagining. Study in any of these areas will involve learning to make work with different technologies, techniques and materials, but you will also learn about the history of your discipline, how the industry works and how to build your career doing what you love.
What is Photography?
The arrival of affordable digital cameras has stimulated widespread interest in photography, presenting the professional photographer with both new opportunities and challenges.
This programme will prepare you for a career in professional photographic media practice, as well as the broader visual arts sector. It will equip you with key skills, while encouraging you to reflect on your actions and practices.
There are three main strands: Critical Studies (Visual Studies, History, Theory and Criticism); Photographic Practice, and Professional Studies (Study Skills, Law, and Business). The Critical Studies will develop your understanding of the context of media and visual arts production, while fostering intellectual enquiry into the nature of society and culture. The practice modules are underpinned by theoretical study of photographic technologies and images in the social and institutional context in which the photographer operates.
The wide variety of career opportunities include commercial and industrial photography (ranging from medical to fashion), photography as visual arts practice, multimedia, print and electronic media, photojournalism and editorial work. Others pursue careers in education and postgraduate research.
Check our Instagram feed to see what Photography students are working on right now.
Year One
Photographic Practice 1: Making Images
Photographic Practice 2: Designing Images
Photographic Practice 3: The Magazine
Visual Studies 1
Visual Studies 2
Digital Media Tools
Introduction to Academic Writing
Introduction to Media Theory
Critical Studies: Incorporating - Visual Studies, History, Theory and Criticism. This area enables students to analyse and account for the ways in which photography permeates all spheres of human experience and activity. The history modules put into context photographic representation and its function in technological, cultural and social change. Students work with materials to examine and reflect on the nature and meaning of the photographic image in different contexts.
Photographic Practice: Students acquire technical photographic skills through challenging project briefs. These assignments are designed to explore all aspects of photographic practice, including the genres of photography; the range of image formats; meeting or subverting audience expectations; the contexts in which photographic media operate; as well as encouraging students to experiment with the medium of photography as a form of investigation, communication and representation.
Professional Studies: Incorporating - Study Skills, Law, and Business.
Year Two
Photographic Practice 4: Narrative
Photographic Practice 5: Compositing Techniques
Photographic Practice 6: Contemporary Documentary
Photographic Practice 7: from Studio to Street
Photography, Theory, and Criticism 1
Photography, Theory, and Criticism 2
Histories of Photography
Media Ethics/Editorial Photography
The Photography Archive
Introduction to Digital Media Techniques
Year Three
Some modules are core (compulsory); others are optional.
Photographic Practice 8: The Photobook
Photography, Theory, and Criticism 3
Photographic Practice 10: Self-Directed Project
Photographic Practice 11: Advanced Printing
Curating Photography
Law for Photographers
Dissertation Research
Option modules from the School of Media
Year Four
Photographic Practice 12: Major Project
Dissertation
Photographic Practice 13: Portfolio
Contact Us
Ann Curran
ann.curran@tudublin.ie
01 220 5840
Contact Us
School of Media
school.media@tudublin.ie