Bringing your vision to life
Curriculum | Illustration
Video by Cora Foitzik
Key facts BA Illustration
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Admission Requirements
Here are some things you will require for your application at the UE:
- Completed admission form
- Transcript & language proficiency
- CV & Copy of passport
- A portfolio is required
Semesters & Credits
- 6 semesters
- 180 ECTS (Credits)
- Teaching language: English
- Examination and Study Regulation
The programme starts in both the winter and summer terms.
Valeriya gives an insight into studying illustration and why she chose UE.
Fees
- EU applicants standard: € 744 monthly
- Non-EU applicants standard: € 12,700 yearly
Got questions about financing? Check out our fees!
Illustration and career options at a glance
In our Illustration programme, you’ll explore drawing as both a foundational skill and a cultural tool for communication and idea generation. Guided by internationally recognised artists and illustrators, you’ll master a blend of traditional and digital techniques in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Whether creating narratives for books, films, comics, or storyboards, you’ll develop your own visual language and experimental approaches.
With a focus on practical experience, including internships and a semester abroad, our programme adapts to the evolving demands of digital media while emphasising the enduring importance of drawing as a technical foundation and cultural practice.
Illustrators see themselves as artistic partners of editorial offices, advertising agencies, design offices, publishing houses, museums, and game and film productions. They are not only in demand as service providers but also contribute their ideas, experience and creative attitude in an advisory capacity. They usually work as freelancers. The language of images is universal – that’s why the world is open to illustrators.
Depending on specialisation and inclination, the range of tasks ranges from children’s book illustrations, from magazine pages to advertising campaigns, infographics to scientific illustration, and from packaging design to concept art for computer games. Especially in comics, graphic novels, animation films and other, artistically freer projects, illustrators appear as independent authors.
In addition, we require a portfolio for the Bachelor's degree programme in Illustration, consisting of a selection of your projects. How exactly you present yourself and which work samples you would like to include is your own decision. If you still need help with your portfolio, our regular portfolio workshops are a useful option.
Important: In the application phase, you must have already decided on which of our degree programmes you would like to study. However, please note that you may change programmes at a later time if desired.
Important note: Please select "Undergraduate + Foundation" as the programme type when applying via our online portal.
In the advertising industry, salaries are generally higher than in the press and publishing industries. As a starting salary in a permanent position, you can expect to earn around 2,000 to 2,300 euros gross per month after graduation. According to StepStone, experienced illustrators in Germany earn an average of around 2,700 euros, while gehalt.de speaks of 3,000 euros per month.
Freelance illustrators receive an hourly wage of around 50-150 euros, depending on the industry and experience, although the Association of Illustrators (IO) recommends a wage of at least 60 euros per hour.
Study illustration in Berlin
Industry Collaborations: Building Bridges to Success
Inspiring Creativity: Illustration Projects Showcase
Our Art & Design initiative brought together local students, illustrators, and schoolchildren in a unique collaboration to transform a blank wall into a vibrant canvas. The project, led by Prof. Hans Baltzer, Head of the Illustration Department at UE Berlin, involved a dynamic partnership with Berlin-based artist Judith Drews and illustration students from UE and AID Berlin.
Over five days, the creative team, including UE students Margherita Pilate and Paula Muñoz Gómez, and Liza Shaub from AID Berlin, worked alongside 50 schoolchildren to design and paint a 60-square-meter mural in the schoolyard of a Berlin school. The project was not just about creating a striking work of art but about fostering community spirit and empowering the children to express themselves through design.
The young participants were given the freedom to contribute to the mural’s creation, forming pairs and groups to brainstorm ideas, share opinions, and make collaborative decisions. This hands-on process not only enhanced the aesthetic appeal of their learning environment but also provided the children with valuable lessons in teamwork, communication, and social interaction.
Learn from our Experts
Here you will find further valuable information about our professors and their career.
