the principal aims of the programme are to: 1. provide opportunities for you to explore areas of art and design and develop a sound portfolio of creative work 2. provide you with a stimulating, comprehensive and progressive programme of study 3. provide you with the ability to develop a range of subject-specific practical skills and to recognise those transferable skills, useful for subsequent employment, self-employment and/or professional development 4. equip you with the professional and critical skills to pursue an informed and articulate art and design practice as a preparation for a successful career in, or as professional development within, the creative industries 5. provide you with opportunities to evaluate evidence, arguments and assumptions, to reach sound judgements, and to communicate effectively 6. enable you to develop generic graduate skills required for employment in situations requiring the exercise of personal responsibility, as well as academic and research skills to help prepare you for postgraduate study 7. develop your appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic, social, moral, ethical, environmental, economic and global issues and contexts which affect decision-making within an art and design context 8. provide you with skills necessary to succeed at degree level and beyond.