To apply for BA Performance Design and Practice you must possess the following qualifications:
- Foundation Studies in Art & Design (or an equivalent qualification)
- 5 passes at GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) level, including three passes in academic subjects at grade C or above
- 1 A-level or equivalent overseas qualifications
- You will also be asked to submit a portfolio of your art and design work.
The University of the Arts London, of which Central Saint Martins is a part, has a commitment to improving access to education for those without formal qualifications. Therefore we also consider applicants who are able to show evidence of experiential learning which is equivalent to the required formal qualifications.
English language requirements
All classes are conducted in English, so you may be required to have a fluent understanding of the language. If English is not your first language you will be asked to provide evidence of your English language ability. We strongly advise international applicants to take an IELTS test as soon as they consider studying in the UK. Minimum scores for entry on to a BA (Honours) course are as follows:
IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 6.0
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): hand written test: 530-547, computer based test: 196-210 , internet based test: 72-78.
We provide free tuition in English for international students and regular workshops in the language of art and design. We also offer a number of short courses that enable students from overseas to improve their portfolios and English skills before applying to their chosen course.
Suitable candidates
You need a passion for performance, but also to thrive on other areas of contemporary culture such as fashion, fine art, sculpture or architecture. We are looking for people open to new ideas, willing to involve themselves in the various different disciplines and practices associated with design for performance.
Portfolio advice
Your portfolio should demonstrate creative development, whether for a college project or in your personal work. By creative development, we mean ideas that have originated through your own experience and research and progressed towards potential visual proposals. Ideas, visual research and experimentation are more important than finished design solutions and can be shown in two-dimensional work, made objected or through recorded moving image and live events. It is important that the creative work you include reflects and demonstrates your thinking, initiative and personal commitment to a partcular project, theme or idea.
Interviews
As part of the application process you may be asked to submit an ‘Interview Project’ designed to demonstrate your initial approach to performance design and practice. The brief for this project will be sent to you when you are invited to an interview.
Both in your portfolio and at the interview we are interested in you as an individual, your personal interests, your creativity and initiative in finding out about your proposed area of study. We would also like to know about your favourite designers and artists, where you have seen their work at first hand and how you have acquired more information about the work that interests you.
Before your interview, it would be an advantage to have read some play scripts and books about theatre, for example ‘The Empty Space’ by Peter Brook. You should also have tried to see a diverse cross-section of live performances, for example West End productions, repertory, experimental or pub theatre, live art, community theatre or street performances.