Art & Design: HNC

Close-up of hands carving a design into a printmaking block on a desk, surrounded by sketches and art supplies
Qualification Qualifications Explained
HNC
Study Mode
Full Time
Duration

1 Academic Year

Start date
Aug 2026
Campus
East End
Apply now

Course overview

Explore your creativity, develop your artistic voice, and build the foundation for a future in the visual arts.

This inspiring and highly practical HNC programme supports you to deepen your creative skills, experiment with new ideas, and develop a strong portfolio for progression to HND Year 2 and, eventually, degree-level study. Based at our friendly East End Campus, you’ll benefit from smaller class sizes, dedicated studio space, and the chance to collaborate with other creative departments and community partners. 

You’ll explore a wide range of fine art media and approaches — from expressive mark-making to conceptual development — supported by experienced lecturers who will help you build confidence, independence, and a personal visual language.

Through studio practice, critiques, exhibitions, and reflective learning, this course gives you the time and space to grow as an artist while gaining the technical and professional skills needed for further study or entry into the creative industries.

This course is ideal if you:

  • Want to explore and develop a personal creative identity
  • Enjoy experimenting with different media, materials, and processes
  • Are aiming to build a strong fine art portfolio for HND or degree study
  • Are returning to education and looking for a structured, supportive environment
  • Want hands-on experience in a professional art studio setting

What you will learn

You’ll take part in a rich mix of studio practice, creative exploration, and professional development.

Key areas include:

  • Creative Process & Experimentation — developing ideas from concept to final artwork
  • Critical Thinking & Reflection — gaining confidence through critiques, tutorials, and reflective practice
  • Professional Practice — learning how to present, discuss, and write about your work
  • Exhibition Skills — preparing and displaying work in our dedicated gallery spaces
  • Portfolio Development — building a cohesive portfolio that reflects your strengths and artistic direction

By the end of the course, you’ll have produced a strong body of work that supports progression to HND Year 2 or further visual arts pathways.

Catriona from our Fine Art course gave us a sneak peak into her sketchbook 🎨

Our students explore creativity in all its forms – from sketchbook development to final exhibitions. Get inspired by Catriona's ideas, techniques and personal journey as she shares what art means to her 🎨

Entry requirements

To apply for the HNC Art and Design, you should meet one of the following:

✅ A minimum C grade pass in Higher / Advanced Higher Art & Design AND

✅ A minimum B grade in National 5 English, or a minimum C at Higher English OR

✅ An NQ in Art & Design or related subject (minimum 15 credit passes)

If you have an equivalent qualification but no formal passes, don’t worry — we’ll consider your application based on your portfolio.

You’ll be asked to upload examples of your work and provide a short written description of selected pieces.

ℹ️ Due to Health & Safety, Awarding Bodies stipulations or Legislation set by Governing Bodies - you must be 16 years old at the start of this course.

ℹ️ For this course, if English is not your first language

  • If you do not have a formal ESOL qualification but your language skills meet this level, you should apply for your course and then contact our Admissions team to organise an internal language assessment  here at the College.

Career Opportunities

This qualification supports progression into a wide range of creative roles, such as:

🎨 Independent Artist

🖼 Gallery or Museum Assistant

🏫 Art & Design Technician

🎭 Community Arts Practitioner

📚 Art Teacher or Lecturer (with further study)

🖌 Illustrator or Designer

📱 Creative roles in marketing, branding, and social media

Future prospects

Successful students typically progress to:

  • HND Art & Design (Year 2) at Glasgow Kelvin College
  • Degree-level study at universities across the UK, including:
    • Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
    • Edinburgh College of Art (ECA)
    • Duncan of Jordanstone (DJCAD)
    • Gray’s School of Art
    • University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI)
    • University of Cumbria
    • Goldsmiths
    • Falmouth
    • Central St Martins
    • And many more

Related Courses

Read What Our Students Said

Video Transcript – Catriona: HNC Art and Design

My name is Catriona. I am in the fine art course at Glasgow Kelvin College.

This block I'm doing trees, kind of their energy and how I feel about that.

Started off just kind of like taking photos of like random places where I go for walks and then just kind of copying that down. This is like the energy I feel when I'm out in the trees at night.

I use different mediums. This is like blind drawings where like I don't look at the paper, I just look at a tree. This is just like energies and just do a lot of like printmaking, sculpting, we use clay and paper mache, paint, we use everything.

My favourite medium is mixed media. Anything I can get my hands on so I usually start with a base of paint or watercolour and then I add paper or sticks, twigs, leaves.

My favourite thing is the free supplies and also just kind of the instructions. I would have to take a lot of workshops to try and learn all the things that I learnt here. #

Also just like a bit of a community, I get very inspired by other people's art and it's also really interesting to see how people change the brief and make it their own. Stuff that I wouldn't have thought of and now have in my brain. Pattern I can use or like concept I can use.

Inspiring place to be and very accepting of all kind of art.

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