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About the Course
The UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at the Mary Ward Centre in Stratford is a one-year, part-time course designed to prepare adult learners for Higher Education or creative careers in the visual arts and design industries. Whether you are returning to study, shifting careers, or developing your creative practice, this course will help you refine your skills, define your creative direction, and build a high-quality portfolio that showcases your strengths.
This is an intensive, accredited programme that encourages exploration, experimentation, and critical thinking. The course offers a wide introduction to both 2D and 3D practices, giving you the chance to work across a variety of disciplines such as ceramics, sculpture, fashion, textiles, interior design, illustration, visual communication, printmaking, photography, filmmaking, drawing, painting, and contextual studies.
The Foundation Diploma is ideal if you wish to continue to university-level education in Fine Art, Graphic Design, Fashion, Interior or Spatial Design, Textile Design, or any other creative discipline. Many students also use the course as a stepping stone to establish themselves as professional artists, makers, or designers.
Applications for 2026 are now open - you can click the Apply button on the right, give us your details and someone will be in touch with the next steps.
What Will You Learn?
You will be taught by experienced tutors who are practicing artists and designers, with teaching supported by demonstrations, studio-based workshops, one-to-one tutorials, critical studies seminars, group critiques, gallery visits, and independent study.
The course is designed to develop your confidence in making, reflecting, and researching. You will learn how to work with a wide range of traditional and contemporary materials and techniques, develop your personal interests, and communicate your ideas effectively through visual language. You’ll build a solid understanding of how creative processes connect to historical and cultural contexts, while also developing the critical skills to analyse your own work and the work of others.
Key areas of study include:
Ceramics and 3D construction
Sculpture and spatial design
Fashion and textiles
Interior and Spatial design fundamentals
Graphic design, illustration, and visual communication
Drawing, painting, and mixed media
Printmaking (relief, etching, monoprint, screen)
Photography, digital media, and moving image
Contextual studies, critical theory, and research methods
Course Structure
The course is structured around three units:
Unit 1: Diagnostic Investigation into Creative Practice
Explore a wide range of art and design disciplines. Through hands-on experimentation and reflective research, you will identify your creative interests and begin to understand the professional pathways available to you.
Unit 2: Developing Specialist Practice
Building on your learning in Unit 1, you will begin to focus on a chosen area—such as sculpture, fashion, ceramics, interior design, etc.—and develop a body of work that reflects your creative direction and ambitions.
Unit 4: Consolidating Practice
This final unit is your opportunity to realise a self-directed Final Major Project in your chosen discipline, culminating in a public exhibition.at Mary Ward Centre. This unit is assessed at Level 4 and carries UCAS points (80 for a Pass, 96 for a Merit, 112 for a Distinction).
How You’ll Learn
The course runs on-site in Stratford, with classes taking place Thursdays ,17:30–21:00.
Students will select an additional four short specialist courses at the Mary Ward Centre each term across the academic year. Each course runs for 12 weeks with a 3-hour weekly session, allowing students to explore a range of disciplines in depth across all three terms.
Students are expected to dedicate additional time each week for independent research, writing, documentation, and portfolio development. You’ll be supported throughout by tutors as well as a dedicated course leader, with access to learning support, guidance on university applications, and advice on careers in the creative sector.
Teaching includes:
Studio-based workshops and practical sessions
One-to-one tutorials and group critiques
Contextual studies seminars and lectures
Gallery and museum visits
UCAS and digital portfolio support sessions
Guest lectures from industry professionals and university staff
Entry Requirements: You must be aged 19 or over. Some prior experience in art, design or a creative field is essential. Entry is by application, including submission of a digital portfolio and a short interview
What You’ll Achieve
By the end of the course, you will:
Develop a wide range of specialist art, craft, and design skills across 2D and 3D media
Identify your personal creative direction and specialist area
Produce a strong, individualised portfolio for university or creative employment
Complete and exhibit a Final Major Project in Mary Ward Centre gallery.
Gain the UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, with potential to earn up to 112 UCAS points
Some of the course content will be run via the zoom platform, please make sure you have installed it in advance of your first class on your computer or mobile device. You can sign up for free here: https://netprog.net/zoomus/zoom.us/pricing.htm
You will need a microphone and camera and make sure you have a small space to work in during the session. By signing up to the course you are consenting to being on camera.
The content of the lesson / tutorial may be recorded by the tutor for internal education and training purposes.
You should expect to buy at least one A1 portfolio/folder and a selection of A5, A4 or A3 sketchbooks. You will also need a set of basic art materials - acrylic paints, brushes, colour pencils, pens, soft pastels etc which will vary according to your personal interests and development over the course.
This is a part time course, but it demands a significant time commitment outside of dedicated class time. Learners should expect to do a minimum of 6 hours of independent study per week, to include working on personal projects, sketchbook work, visual and academic research, visiting museums and galleries and teamwork in collaboration with other Foundation students.
Mary Ward Centre Foundation students regularly progress to top universities including Central Saint Martins, Camberwell, Wimbledon, Chelsea, Goldsmiths, with guaranteed interviews at University of the Arts London. Other graduates have gone on to continue in filmmaking, sound arts, or established themselves as professional sculptors, printmakers, and ceramists—many running their own creative businesses.
This course offers clear routes into degrees in Fine Art, Interior Design, Fashion, Textiles, Illustration, Animation, Ceramics, Sculpture, Spatial Design, and more. It is also ideal for students considering postgraduate study or professional reorientation.
See how long it will take you to get to college. Please select the campus of the course you wish to study.