Within the UK, it is standard for those students intent on studying Art and Design at university to complete a one-year Art Foundation course after doing A-levels and before beginning a degree.

The new fast-track Art pathway in Oxford will give you the chance to complete both A-levels and Art Foundation course in just two years.

Not only will it save you time, you will also be able to focus earlier and more intensely on your specialist area of study.

You will spend Year 1 completing Art and Design A-levels in two of the following subjects:

  • Art, Craft and Design
  • Fine Art
  • Photography
  • Graphic Design

You will then spend Year 2 completing an Art Foundation course, before progressing to your chosen university and degree course. All with the support of our specialist UCAS counsellors.

How it works

1

Complete two Art and Design related A-levels in Year 1.

2

Complete your Art and Design Foundation course in Year 2.

3

Begin your Art and Design degree at university after just 2 years.

Year 1: A-levels

Key facts

Start dates

  • September 2025

School

  • Oxford

Lessons

  • Average 7 hours per week per subject, plus homework and private study

Course length

  • 1 Academic Year (3 terms)

Entry requirements

  • Academic: Completed 10-11 years of schooling (GCSE or equivalent)
  • Language: Minimum IELTS 6.0 or equivalent

Minimum age

  • 16

A-level subjects

Art and Design (Art, Craft and Design)

  • An exploration of practical and critical/contextual work through a range of 2D and/or 3D processes and mediums.
  • It provides a platform for further study of the arts, a background for other fields of study and develops creative thinking skills.

Art and Design (Fine Art)

  • Fine art requires engagement with aesthetic and intellectual concepts through the use of traditional and/or digital media, materials, techniques and processes for the purpose of self-expression.
  • You will explore practical and critical/contextual work through the disciplines of painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture, lens-based image making.
  • You will communicate ideas and messages about the observed world, the qualities of materials, perceptions, or preconceptions.

Art and Design (Graphic Communication)

  • You will explore practical and critical/contextual work through the disciplines of advertising, illustration, branding, information design.
  • You will be required to develop practical and theoretical knowledge and understanding of relevant materials, processes, technologies and resources
  • You will learn how ideas, feelings and meanings can be conveyed and interpreted in images and artefacts

Art and Design (Photography)

  • Allows you to expand your creative horizons through taking and editing photographs
  • Teaches you about a whole range of photographic techniques and processes
  • Helps you to develop an understanding of the creative process
A-level Art, Craft and Design A-level Photography A-level Fine Art A-level Graphic Communication

Year 2: Art and Design Foundation

Key facts

Start dates

  • September following completion of Year 1

School

  • Oxford

Lessons

  • Average 21 hours per week (plus homework and private study)

Course length

  • 1 Academic Year (3 terms)

Entry requirements

  • Academic: Completed 11 years of schooling with proof of good grades
  • English: IELTS 5.0

Minimum age

  • 16.5
Art and Design Foundation

Thank you for your enquiry.
We'll be in touch soon.
The Kings Admissions Team