Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University

What Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University does

The Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University is an academic department within a UK public university, delivering art, design, and architecture education across 20+ disciplines including Animation, Architecture, Fashion Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture and Design, Jewellery and Metalwork, Photography, and Product Design. The department traces its heritage to the Sheffield School of Art established in the 1840s, became part of Sheffield City Polytechnic in the 1970s, and acquired its current identity when the institution gained university status as Sheffield Hallam University in 1992 under the Further and Higher Education Act.

The department operates a digital exhibition platform at gallery.shu.ac.uk that serves as the public-facing showcase for student projects, exhibitions, events, and degree shows. Alongside the digital gallery, it runs physical exhibition venues including Finley Gallery and degree show spaces at Trafalgar Warehouse, and convenes the annual Future Now Festival of Creativity across venues in Sheffield city centre. Outreach programming includes the POP (Power of the Portfolio) workshops and the Schools and College Show, targeting prospective students from secondary education. The department also runs the Transmission lecture series and partners with the British Fashion Council to feature student fashion collections in the BFC Graduate Preview.

The business model is that of a UK public higher education institution. Revenue derives primarily from government-regulated tuition fees for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes (capped at up to £9,250 per year for UK undergraduates), with public exhibitions and outreach events offered free of charge. Admissions are processed through the UCAS system. The department is overseen by Sheffield Hallam University's academic leadership, with Tim Machin serving as Gallery Manager for the curatorial function.

Name

Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University

Legal name

Sheffield Hallam University

Website

https://gallery.shu.ac.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University delivers art, design, and architecture education across 20+ disciplines, operating the gallery.shu.ac.uk digital exhibition platform and degree shows for prospective, undergraduate, and postgraduate students in the UK and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Art & Design)

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fine Arts Colleges (Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking) (EDAHAJAA), Architecture Schools (within Arts & Design institutions) (EDAHAJAG)

Keywords

• Art and design education
• Higher education degrees
• Creative arts programs
• University exhibitions
• Portfolio preparation workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield, England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Higher Education Tuition Fees: Government-regulated tuition fees for undergraduate and postgraduate art and design programs including Architecture, Fine Art, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture, Jewellery, Photography, Product Design, and related disciplines
2. Degree Show and Exhibition Attendance: Public exhibitions of student work including Future Now Festival of Creativity, degree shows, and community exhibitions open to visitors at no admission cost

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Department of Art & Design delivers UK higher-education degree programs (foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate) across more than 20 creative disciplines including Architecture, Fine Art, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Jewellery, Photography, Product Design, Animation, Games, and Interior Architecture. Alongside teaching, it operates the SHU Gallery digital platform (gallery.shu.ac.uk), annual Degree Shows, the Future Now Festival of Creativity, POP (Power of the Portfolio) workshops, and a Schools and Colleges Outreach Program that together provide portfolio preparation, public exhibitions, and engagement with prospective students and the wider creative community.

Product overview

Sheffield Hallam University's Department of Art & Design operates primarily through its digital gallery platform (gallery.shu.ac.uk), which serves as both an exhibition space and portfolio showcase for students across 21 creative disciplines including Animation, Architecture, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Jewellery, Photography, Product Design, and Fine Art. The portfolio comprises the core Gallery platform displaying student projects, the annual Future Now Festival of Creativity, Degree Shows, the POP (Power of the Portfolio) outreach program for prospective students, Schools and Colleges Outreach activities, and public Exhibitions and Events. Together these services support art and design education, public engagement, and student career progression in the creative industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Future Now Festival of Creativity: Annual festival showcasing work of Sheffield Hallam University creative industries students across venues in Sheffield city centre
• Finley Gallery
• POP (Power of the Portfolio)
• Hallam Made

Products and services

• Undergraduate Art & Design Degree Programs UK undergraduate degree programs (BA/BSc) in art, design and creative industries disciplines, taken by UK/EU and international students, with annual tuition fees of up to £9,250 for UK/EU students; portfolio-based entry through UCAS.
• Postgraduate Art & Design Programs Postgraduate taught programs in design, fine art and photography, with fees varying by program and billed annually.
• Sheffield Hallam University Gallery (SHU Gallery) Public-facing digital gallery and online archive displaying student work, exhibitions, degree shows, and project portfolios across all Art & Design disciplines.
• Future Now Festival of Creativity Annual multi-venue festival showcasing creative-industries student work from the department across Sheffield city centre, open to the public with some events requiring pre-booking.
• Degree Shows End-of-year exhibitions of final-year undergraduate and postgraduate student work across Architecture, Fine Art, Fashion, Graphic Design, Photography, Product Design and other disciplines, open to the public.
• POP (Power of the Portfolio) Portfolio workshop program for Y12/13 students considering applying to portfolio-based university courses, delivered at the Head Post Office, Fitzalan Square and other locations.
• Schools and Colleges Outreach Program Outreach program for secondary schools and colleges, delivering portfolio workshops, masterclasses, taster days, and artist talks both on campus and at partner school locations across the region.
• Public Exhibitions and Events Rotating public exhibitions, lectures, and conferences at SHU Gallery featuring student work, visiting artists, designers and industry professionals.
• Discover Creative Careers Careers event run with Create Sheffield and local Further Education colleges to support young people's transition from school into creative careers and employability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual showcase of graduating student work through degree shows, exhibitions, and Future Now Festival of Creativity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• British Fashion CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Student fashion work featured in British Fashion Council Graduate Preview, providing emerging fashion designers exposure to industry recognition and professional development opportunities

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Arts University Bournemouth: UK specialist arts university offering design, performance, and media programs; comparable in size and structure, competing for similar undergraduate creative applicants.
• Royal College of Art: UK's specialist postgraduate art and design university; closest comparable institution in mission, with overlapping disciplines including Architecture, Design, Fine Art, and Fashion that compete for the same student and faculty talent pool.
• Glasgow School of Art: Scottish specialist art school with comparable portfolio of Fine Art, Design, and Architecture programs; similar public-facing exhibition model and degree show tradition.
• Central Saint Martins (UAL): London-based art and design college within University of the Arts London; offers Fine Art, Fashion, Graphic Design, Product Design, and Architecture programs that directly compete for the same prospective UK and international students.
• Leeds Arts University: UK specialist arts university based in Yorkshire with similar breadth of design and fine art programs; geographic and institutional peer competing for the same regional student pipeline.
• Goldsmiths, University of London: UK public university with strong Design and Fine Art programs; competes for the same pool of design and fine art applicants, particularly in London and the South East.
• Nottingham Trent University (School of Art & Design): UK public university with comprehensive Art & Design school offering a similarly broad multi-disciplinary portfolio; the closest regional peer in the Midlands/North competing for similar student segments.
• Falmouth University (Falmouth School of Art): UK specialist art and design university; comparable mission with broad creative disciplines and emphasis on industry-facing graduate outcomes.
• Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester School of Art): UK public university with a significant Art & Design department including Fine Art, Design, and Architecture; comparable scale and structure to Sheffield Hallam's department.

Broad incumbents

• University of the Arts London: Federation of six London art colleges (including CSM and LCC); broader portfolio than Sheffield Hallam but includes directly competing programs in design, fashion, and fine art.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/sheffieldhallam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artanddesignshu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University