Year Zero - Arts

The Highlight

• Do you love creative arts?
• Can you develop creative work that startles or surprises?
• Are you open to new ideas and creative challenges?
• Do you have qualifications at A level/BTEC but not in Arts subjects?

Then Year Zero is for you.

You’ll gain the fundamental knowledge, critical awareness, and practical skills which are essential for all Arts students. Our emphasis is on building your confidence and fostering your creative potential. Supported by a dedicated team of professional staff, you’ll learn in a stimulating studio environment where you can explore and experiment with materials, processes and ideas. 

The Year Zero route provides a smooth transition to degree courses in the Arts disciplines at the university (see list in 'about this course'). Ours is the most comprehensive programme of its kind in the Midlands.  

Whilst employment in the UK creative industries is growing at four times the rate of the UK workforce as a whole, there are fewer opportunities for young people to study arts subjects at school. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t follow your passion for the arts at university.

Derby’s Year Zero route is for students who have an interest in the arts but have never had the opportunity to study Arts at A-level/BTEC or for those who have changed their mind about a career after choosing their A-levels/BTECs. 

Year Zero provides a smooth transition to degree courses in the Arts disciplines. You’ll gain the fundamental knowledge, critical awareness, and practical skills which are essential for all Arts students. Our emphasis is on building your confidence and developing your creative potential. Supported by a dedicated team of professional staff, you’ll learn in a stimulating studio environment where you can explore and experiment with materials, processes and ideas.

The University of Derby Year Zero is one of the largest and most comprehensive programme of its kind in the Midlands.

You will have an individual space in the studio and have access to the following resources in our fully equipped workshops: woodwork, metalwork, glasswork, laser cutting, vacuum forming, printmaking, ceramics, plaster casting, photography and Photoshop.

What you will study?

Our Year Zero framework covers disciplines within art and design, creative and performing arts, 3D creative skills, and digital studio practice – giving you a broad choice of subjects. All the modules mix practice and theory, enabling you to analyse and reflect on your own creative practice. At the end of Year Zero, you’ll showcase your work at a public exhibition.  

You’ll study a total of 120 credits, through modules such as: 

• Visual Studies
• Visual Approaches
• Visual Technologies
• Negotiated Project

And depending on your choice of degree, you will study modules such as:

• Creative Skills in 2D and 3D Making
• Creative Arts Skills
• 3D Creative Skills
• History and Theory of Art and Design