Media portfolio guidance

When applying to many of our Arts, Design and Media courses, you will be asked to provide a digital portfolio. This is an opportunity to show us who you are, your artistic ability and your potential.

This page provides a detailed insight into how to prepare the best possible portfolio for your course.

Portfolio submission deadlines

You will be asked to submit a digital portfolio to us within 28 days of receiving your invitation to submit a portfolio review. We know that you may be applying to us relatively early in the academic year, while you are still building an updated portfolio, so please note that we are happy for you to submit the following: GCSE work (for undergraduate programmes); work from the previous year; work in progress, such as sketches of ideas; and photos of your work.

Which courses require a portfolio?

You will be asked to submit a digital portfolio if you are applying to the following courses:

• BA Media Production

Please note: If you are applying for a postgraduate course and you have an undergraduate degree from Birmingham City University in a closely related discipline, you may be exempt from providing a portfolio.

BA Media Production

The content of your digital portfolio and the skills it demonstrates should be the same as if you were creating a physical portfolio. The only difference is that you will need to submit your portfolio through your applicant portal rather than physically bring it in for us to see.

We recommend that you start by watching our video guidance on creating a digital portfolio, and then take a look at the course-specific guidance below.

Digital portfolios

Type 1: For students currently studying a creative course at Level 3

Organize a summary of your strongest creative work into no more than 10 slides. This can include examples of:

• Video, e.g. short films or social media content such as YouTube videos.
• Audio, e.g. interview clips, podcasts.
• Photography, e.g. portraits, social media content or brand work.
• Preparatory work such as storyboards.

Please provide links for any videos you would like us to see, using either YouTube or Vimeo.

Type 2: For students not studying a creative course at Level 3

We welcome applications from individuals who haven't studied a traditional media course.

If you are not enrolled in a creative course or have not studied media before, think about what visually stimulates you. Create no more than 10 slides that capture a mix of influences and examples of your own work. Your work could include:

• Photography that you have taken yourself.
• Storyboards and project ideas or outlines.
• Collages of images or posters that inspire you.
• A very short statement or a visual representation that reflects your career ambitions.

We are looking for applicants with a genuine passion for storytelling through media. Media Production is designed to develop critically thinking, innovative content creators for television, radio, podcasting, online and social media, as well as new and emerging platforms ensuring you have the skills and attitude needed to adapt and change in line with industry.

Submit your portfolio as either a PowerPoint or PDF file, with a maximum size of 20MB.