Photography (Bachelor of Arts)

Basic info & Application

  • Faculty: 4
  • Degree: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
  • Standard period of study: 8 semesters full-time (part-time study is possible)
  • Workload: 240 ECTS Credits
  • Language of instruction: German
  • Provider: Folkwang University of the Arts
  • Programme start: Each winter semester in October

Admission requirements

_Evidence of qualification for entry (general university entrance certificate). Official database on the equivalence of international educational achievements: http://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html)

 

_Evidence of artistic aptitude or outstanding artistic talent respectively by passing the aptitude test at the Folkwang University of the Arts.

 

_Applicants without a general university entrance certificate may also be admitted, provided that they exhibit outstanding artistic talent (see "Rahmeneignungsprüfungsordnung" Nr. 399 §8)

Language requirements

_If you did not obtain your university entrance qualification at a German school, language level C1 is to be proven at the time of enrolment.

 

_The required levels of language skills at Folkwang University of the Arts are in accordance to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Costs

_No tuition fees are charged at Folkwang.

 

_Each semester all students have to pay a social contribution for the services of the Student Union, a student contribution for the work of the AStA (General Student Committee) and the VRR/NRW ticket. A breakdown of the amounts plus information on how to pay is available here.

 

_Please note: In the study course Photography you will likely be facing costs for production material.

Inclusion

Folkwang actively supports the call of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to train people with disabilities as artists and therefore particularly welcomes applications for the guest student programme, regular study courses and requests for inclusive cooperation projects. Prospective students should make use of the possibility of a counselling meeting with the  Representative for students with disability or chronic illness in advance.

Application documents

Applications must be submitted via the Folkwang Application Portal by the end of the application period on 15 March (for the following winter semester). The portal is open for applications from 15 January to 15 March.

For the application you have to upload the following in the portal:

A) YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS

_Curriculum Vitae in tabular form (desired)

_Passport photograph (optional)

_School-leaving certificate from the last school attended

_If applicable, degree certificate, transcript of records and/or certificate of enrolment from the university(ies) attended to date

_If applicable, certificate of foreign university entrance examination such as APS certificate / American College Test (ACT) / College Scholastic Ability Test / University Entrance Examination Center Test or other international educational achievements that constitute a university entrance qualification for Germany such as completed periods of studies; country-specific information: http://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html

 

B) LINK TO YOUR PORTFOLIO 

 

_A link to a cloud storage solution must be provided in the application form where the works can be found online:


_at least 25 photographic work samples from the last two years as PDF. 

_if applicable, time-based works such as videos and films as file formats Quicktime (.mov) or Mpeg4. For work samples exceeding a length of 2 minutes, the commission must be given a preferred excerpt of 2 minutes. (Example: Start at 00:30 | Stop at 02:30 min).

The folder must show an intensive examination of the self-chosen topics. The works must reflect one's own artistic interests, one's imagination and ability to present as well as one's ability to perceive independently.

_A declaration that the submitted works have been created autonomously.

Aptitude test

Your aptitude is determined in a two-stage process. A first selection is made on the basis of your portfolio. All applicants who are deemed apt, will be invited to take part in an interview on-site. As a preparation for the interview you will given a homework to be solved photographically. As a preparation for the interview you will be given a homework to be solved photographically and a questionnaire.

Topics of the roughly 15 minute interview are mainly the homework and the questionnaire. The Interview is concerned with your photographic work as well as your rhetorical skills, social skills and study- as well as subject-specific interests.

 

Information on the aptitude test process can also be found in the appendix to the examination regulations:

Nr. 464 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor study courses Photography, Communication Design and Product Design from 13.12.2023

Advice on subjects of study and portfolio

Prospective students have the opportunity to register for a subject and portfolio consultation. They are given the opportunity to discuss their work with a lecturer before applying. It is advisable to have all available work ready without pre-selection. The subject consultation generally takes place from November to February.


Sonja Zenker
Department Studies and International Affairs
Examination office & Office of Student Affairs | FB 4
+49 (0) 201_6505-1410
sonja.zenker(at)folkwang-uni.de

Enrolment

Only after you have successfully applied for a study place is your last step in the application process enrolment. Enrolment takes place at the end of September for the start of studies in October and at the end of March for the start of studies in April. Please refer to your letter of admission for the exact period.

Further information on the procedure and documents can be found on the websites on enrolment.