This programme prepares you for a career in photography by encouraging you to develop a personal and contextualised vision of the world, and by developing your knowledge of equipment and technical facilities. You will develop a broad visual vocabulary and explore a range of fine art and commercial practices, using traditional photographic equipment and processes as well as the latest computer technology. Our programme promotes high levels of creative thinking allied to advanced technical skills, underpinned by wide-ranging research and academic rigour. Historical and contemporary contexts play a vital role toward the production of your work, which reflects photography's pivotal contribution to the vitality of today's visual culture. You are encouraged to engage with the medium of photography in its widest sense, to foster the expression of 'ways of seeing', which enables students to evolve into versatile creative practitioners. A visual culture strand provides a multidisciplinary context for your study syllabus across all art programmes at ECA, involving the imaginative research, analysis and communication of issues raised by the visual aspects of culture. Our students engage in a critical and creative dialogue with the work of their peers and gain an understanding of the nature of today's diverse visual cultures. You will study the artistic, intellectual, social and professional contexts that shape creative practice in visual arts and learn how to best communicate this knowledge in a range of written, oral, visual and practical forms. Our graduates go on to achieve a high level of national and international recognition and success as practising artists. Our league table rankings are excellent. We're ranked among the best in the UK for art according to the Guardian University Guide 2017. You'll benefit from weekly talks from internationally acclaimed visiting artists and speakers. Our airy and light-filled studios, project spaces and workshops provide excellent facilities for making work, communicating ideas and generating dialogue. Our staff are a mix of practising artists, visual-culture theorists and curators, who publish and exhibit nationally and internationally.