B.A. in Illustration

• Degree: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Model: full-time
• Language: English
• ECTS: 210
• Info: accredited
• Duration: 7 semesters/3.5 years
• Location: Berlin

A picture is worth a thousand words. Visuals serve as the central communication medium in our B.A. Illustration programme where you'll learn to tell stories through drawing and to convey messages through imagery. Develop an understanding of the interplay between image and text. Learn methods and techniques of research, conception and visual implementation. Guided by storytelling principles, you'll develop your designs for various illustration projects, including graphic novels and children's books.

The curriculum includes manual printing techniques such as silkscreen, risography, etching, digital applications and software, typography, editorial design, and editorial illustration. Help shape tomorrow's design solutions today by transporting your illustrations to three-dimensional spaces and making them interact with their environment. 

Our programme encourages you to work with professional clients on actual assignments. During your studies, you'll visit illustration and animation studios to experience firsthand what working in the creative industries is like.

As an illustrator you can work for all kinds of media companies. Start your own business and offer professional services to cultural and scientific institutions, advertising agencies and publishing houses. In addition, your job profile can include editorial, advisory and coordinating activities.

Illustrate digital and interactive media, print, websites, 3D animations, cartoons, motion pictures, and computer games. Alternatively, you can create special effects and character designs.

You’ll possess the know-how to craft elaborate narratives for literary works and design children's books, non-fiction and graphic novels for publishing houses.

Our internationally-recognised Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree serves as a professional foundation for immediate employment. In addition, the internationally acclaimed Bachelor of Arts degree entitles you to pursue numerous postgraduate and Master's degree programmes in Germany and beyond.

The Bachelor's degree in Illustration teaches fundamental design and illustration skills. Students learn essential design skills through courses such as design basics, illustration basics, character design and animation. They gain practical experience in the media lab through an internship in Germany or abroad and a freelance illustration project.

Creative specialisations are offered in modules such as Concept Art, Narrative Illustration, and Editorial Design. Research aspects, such as modules on artistic research and the academic colloquium, are also part of the curriculum, while compulsory elective modules and projects with companies round off the programme.

1st Semester

1. Design Basics I – 5 ECTS
2. Design Basics II – 5 ECTS
3. Design Basics III – 5 ECTS
4. Design / Communication Sciences – 5 ECTS
5. Media Lab – 5 ECTS
6. Compulsory Elective Module – 5 ECTS

2nd Semester

1. Illustration Basics I – 5 ECTS
2. Illustration Basics II – 5 ECTS
3. Illustration Basics III – 5 ECTS
4. Design / Media Sciences – 5 ECTS
5. Character Design – 5 ECTS
6. Compulsory Elective Module – 5 ECTS

3rd Semester

1. Animation I – 5 ECTS
2. Animation II – 5 ECTS
3. Visual Essay – 5 ECTS
4. Artistic Research I – 5 ECTS
5. Concept Art – 5 ECTS
6. Compulsory Elective Module – 5 ECTS

4th Semester

1. Narrative Illustration I – 5 ECTS
2. Narrative Illustration II – 5 ECTS
3. Narrative Illustration III – 5 ECTS
4. SRH Lab – 5 ECTS
5. Editorial Design I – 5 ECTS
6. Compulsory Elective Module – 5 ECTS

5th Semester – Mobility Phase

1. Internship in Germany or Abroad – 20 ECTS
2. Independent Illustration Project – 10 ECTS

6th Semester

1. Editorial Illustration I – 5 ECTS
2. Editorial Illustration II – 5 ECTS
3. Research Colloquium – 5 ECTS
4. Artistic Research II – 5 ECTS
5. Practical Project / Project-Oriented Work – 5 ECTS
6. Compulsory Elective Module – 5 ECTS

7th Semester

1. Portfolio I – 5 ECTS
2. Portfolio II – 5 ECTS
3. Entrepreneurship + Media Law – 5 ECTS
4. Writing Workshop / Colloquium – 5 ECTS
5. Bachelor Thesis – 10 ECTS

To apply for the Bachelor's programme in Illustration, you will need to provide

• General higher education or university of applied sciences entrance qualification. If you have not graduated yet, apply with existing transcripts.
• Portfolio with around 20 of your own creative works*
• Proof of English
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copy of your identity card or passport

English language requirements:

Accepted English Proficiency Certificates (valid within 2 years), with at least the indicated score:

• IELTS Academic: 6.5
• TOEFL iBT: 87 points
• TOEIC Listening/Reading 785, Speaking 160, Writing 150
• Duolingo Certificate: 110 points
• Cambridge CAE or CPE (grade A, B, or C)
• Pearson English Test Academic (PTE-A): 59 points
• Linguaskill: 176 - 184 (CES) - all four skills required