New to higher education study or unsure where to start? Our Foundation courses provide an accessible, welcoming, and practical way to bridge the gap. By focusing on essential building blocks, these courses let you develop vital study skills, build your creative confidence, and ease back into learning from home—especially if you have been out of education for a while.
- Full Support: Benefit from the same level of support as our degree students, including access to online forums, study visits and workshops, and extensive digital resources.
- Bridge the Gap to a Degree: While these courses are non-accredited, they are the perfect stepping stone to prepare for undergraduate study.
- Study on Your Own Schedule: Access everything online via OCA Learn. Complete the course within 12 months by dedicating just 10 hours a week, or accelerate your pace if you have more time.
Whether you want to spread the cost with our flexible instalment plans, choose from multiple enrolment intakes throughout the year, or eventually transition into a full distance-learning degree—explore our foundation options below and take the first step toward your creative future today.
Foundation Courses
Foundation Creative Writing
The Open Foundations Creative Writing course is designed to inspire and encourage new students to practise independent writing. You will start writing immediately, drawing from personal experience, and you can expect to make rapid progress.
Foundation Drawing
This Open Foundations drawing course will give you the best starting point to develop basic drawing skills, explore different ways of using materials and tools, and discover drawing as a pleasurable and inventive activity.
Foundation Drawing for Textile Art, Design and Fashion
This Open course is designed as an introduction to drawing for textiles and contemporary drawing practice more broadly. You will be introduced to expressive, gestural methods alongside more traditional approaches.
Foundation Interior Design
This art and design foundation course has been designed to offer you an insight into the creative processes, critical thinking and practical skills needed to conduct a personal investigation into the navigation, conceptualisation and occupation of space.
Foundation Music
This is a bespoke course designed to help you develop as a composer, musician, or music appreciator. It will give you a firm grounding in music theory, basic composition and arrangement, ear training and music history.
Foundation Painting
This course introduces you to painting practice, practical application and contextual material. You will explore a range of subject matter including still life, interiors, landscape and the figure, and there will be an emphasis on working from life.
Foundation Photography
This Open Foundations course aims to equip you with fundamental creative, visual and technical skills in photography. It is a practical, task-oriented course filled with creative approaches to developing your photography skills.
Foundation Textiles
This Open Foundations course will help you develop your visual skills and explore different ways of using materials and tools to develop your own textile ideas, introducing you to the nature and context of textiles.
Distance Learning
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