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Studies & Degrees in Illustration

Illustration Study Programs

Level: Professional Development     Location: Madrid

Illustration is the making of images that explain, accompany or sell something: a story, an article, a product, a scientific idea. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes illustrators as artists who create pictures for books, magazines and other publications and for commercial products such as textiles, wrapping paper, stationery, greeting cards and calendars. It adds that illustrators increasingly use computers in their work, either scanning a pen or pencil drawing and colouring it with software or drawing directly on screen.

Students of illustration learn to draw the figure, to use colour, composition and perspective, and to tell a story in pictures. They work with traditional media and with digital tools, and they learn how a commission runs from brief to finished artwork. Specialised branches exist. Medical and scientific illustrators combine drawing skills with knowledge of biology or other sciences. Sketch artists, according to the BLS, produce likenesses that law enforcement agencies use to help identify suspects and that news media use to show courtroom scenes.

Qualifications and levels

There is no single required qualification. The BLS notes that most fine artists pursue postsecondary education to improve their skills and job prospects, and that a portfolio is essential because art directors and clients look at it when deciding whether to hire an artist. The main routes are these:

  • Bachelor's degrees in the United Kingdom. A BA (Hons) usually takes three years full time. The Illustration BA (Hons) of The University of Northampton lasts three years, or four with an integrated foundation year, and five to six years part time. The University of Sunderland teaches a three-year BA (Hons) Illustration and Design, and London Metropolitan University a three-year BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation.
  • Degrees in the United States. Art colleges award the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). The College for Creative Studies in Detroit offers a BFA in Illustration with elective pathways in visual development, publishing, fashion, lifestyle and licensing, comics and sequential art, and gallery art. It also has a BA completion route that lets holders of an associate degree graduate in two years. The Academy of Art University in San Francisco lists AA, BFA, certificate, MA and MFA options in its School of Illustration.
  • Vocational training in Spain. The official qualification is Técnico Superior de Artes Plásticas y Diseño en Ilustración, a higher-level cycle of 2,000 hours to which 120 ECTS credits are assigned. It is taught at art schools (escuelas de arte) and gives direct access to higher artistic education in Design, Plastic Arts and Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage.
  • Private school programmes. ESDIP in Madrid, for example, lists a three-year programme in illustration, advertising and design (1,110 hours) and a one-year course in editorial illustration (370 hours). Ask the school what recognition the qualification has.
  • Medical illustration. In the United States, medical illustrators usually need a bachelor's degree that combines art and premedical courses, and some go on to a master's degree in medical illustration, according to the BLS.

Admission and costs

Most programmes ask for a portfolio as well as school results. The University of Sunderland asks applicants to prepare a portfolio of creative work that shows what they have done so far and what interests them. The University of Northampton lists BBC at A-level or DMM at BTEC as its entry requirement. For international students starting in 2026-27, the listed tuition fee is £17,000 per year at Northampton and £17,500 at Sunderland.

Where to study illustration

SpainExchange lists 24 active schools for illustration. Nine are in the United States, seven in Spain and three in the United Kingdom; France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Singapore and Japan have one each. In Spain most of the listed schools are in Madrid, among them ESDIP and ARTENEO, and the list also includes the Escuela de Arte de Oviedo, a public art school that teaches Artes Plásticas y Diseño cycles, and ESAT in Valencia. Programmes are normally taught in the language of the country, so English in the United States and the United Kingdom and Spanish in Spain. Parsons Paris, the Paris campus of an American design school, is a further option on the list.

Careers

Illustrators work for publishers, magazines, advertising agencies, animation and game studios and product companies, and many work freelance. BLS figures for the United States show how common that is: of the workers it groups as craft and fine artists, 58 percent were self-employed in 2025. The same source counts about 28,900 jobs for fine artists, including painters, sculptors and illustrators, in 2025, and projects employment of craft and fine artists to decline 1 percent from 2025 to 2035. It also notes that many artists hold another job alongside their artistic work. These figures describe the United States only.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a degree to become an illustrator?

No formal qualification is required, but the BLS notes that most fine artists pursue postsecondary education to improve their skills and job prospects. What clients and art directors look at is the portfolio.

How long does it take to study illustration?

A BA (Hons) in the United Kingdom usually takes three years full time. The Spanish higher-level cycle in Ilustración has 2,000 hours and 120 ECTS credits. Private schools also offer one-year courses.

Do I need a portfolio to apply?

Usually yes. The University of Sunderland, for example, expects applicants to prepare a portfolio of their creative work.

Can I continue to a degree after the Spanish cycle in Ilustración?

Yes. The title of Técnico Superior de Artes Plásticas y Diseño en Ilustración gives direct access to higher artistic education in Design, Plastic Arts and Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage.