BA Hons in Creative Arts

All our courses are accredited at higher education level. This means that successful study with us can lead to a Certificate or Diploma in Higher Education or to an Honours degree in Creative Arts.

a Certificate requires 120 credit points at Level 1
a Diploma requires 120 credit points at Level 1 plus 120 points at Level 2
a BA Hons degree requires 120 credit points at Level 1 plus 120 points at Level 2 and a further 120 points at Level 3.

Our Level 1 courses carry 40 credits. Level 2 and 3 courses carry 60 credits. The table below sets out how many OCA courses you need to take at each level in order to gain your chosen qualification.

Qualifications, credits and OCA courses

Qualification	Credits	Required OCA Courses
Certificate in Higher Education	120 credits at Level 1	3 Level 1 courses
Diploma in Higher Education	120 credits at Level 1 120 credits at Level 2	3 Level 1 courses 2 Level 2 courses
BA Hons in Creative Arts	120 credits at Level 1 120 credits at Level 2 120 credits at Level 3	3 Level 1 courses 2 Level 2 courses 2 Level 3 courses

You can choose when to be assessed but you do not have to take formal exams. Assessment is based on examination of your course portfolio by an independent assessor. The minimum pass mark for each course is 40 per cent.

Planning your qualification pathway

Credits must be accumulated by level - ie, you can only move on to Level 2 after completion of all three Level 1 courses. You can focus on one subject area, or you can ‘pick and mix’ your subjects, but your chosen studies must make up a coherent pathway. For this reason you must fulfil the pre-requisites for moving on to study a subject at Level 2 and Level 3.

The pre-requisites are shown below:

Pre-requisites

Level 1: At Level 1 there are none
Level 2: To progress to Level 2 in any subject, you must have studied that subject at Level 1 – eg, to study Photography at Level 2, you must have successfully studied a photography course at Level 1
Level 3: To progress to Level 3 in any subject, you must have studied that subject at Level 2 – eg, to study a Level 3 course in creative writing, you must have successfully studied a creative writing course at Level 2.

If you think you will be working towards a degree, diploma or certificate, please call us before you enrol to discuss your initial choice of courses. You can’t expect to know at this stage in which discipline you will specialise by the time you reach Level 3, but we can help make sure your Level 1 and 2 choices keep a coherent study pathway open. We are here to help you plan your pathway, so please call Academic Services on 0800 731 2116.

Costs

At current course prices, you can get an Honours degree, working at your own pace, without having to attend classes and without having to take formal exams, for around £4,565. As you pay for only one course at a time, the total cost can be spread over a number of years. And you can continue working and earning while you study.

Credit transfer

If you have already successfully completed credit-bearing courses at the appropriate level in the same or a similar subject area, you may be able to bring these credits with you to the OCA. By claiming credit for what you have already achieved, you can reduce the length of time it would otherwise take to get your qualification. Credits may also be claimed for prior learning which has not been formally assessed, provided you can demonstrate that the learning was at the required level and relevant to your chosen study path. It may also be possible to have a portfolio of your work assessed and earn credits. If you think you may qualify for the award of prior credit, please contact us and ask for an Accreditation of Prior Certified Learning (APCL) application pack or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) pack. To download more information on APCL and APEL, click here - APL guidance notes booklet.For examples of successful APEL portfolio submissions, refer to the list below:

Through the National Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme, you may also be able to transfer your OCA credits to other higher education institutions throughout the UK.