Students complete first year of body art degree

Students studying in Kent have completed the first year of a body art degree which is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

The University of Creative Arts, which runs the BA (Hons) in Body Art at its Canterbury campus, says tattooing is "at a peak of mainstream visibility and critical attention".

Charlotte Frost, associate dean at UCA Canterbury's School of Art, Architecture and Design, said: "Until now, higher education has ignored tattooing, treating it as a subculture rather than the highly skilled master craft it is.

Frost said the course was about challenging the stigmas around tattooing and "placing it in the academic spotlight".

The UCA says the course is following a similar path to courses in games programming and digital animation, which were initially viewed by some in academia as "novelties" before becoming established areas of study.

The university says women account for about 25% of the global tattoo workforce, which it argues demonstrates barriers to entering the profession through traditional routes.

The university said the course aims to challenge what it describes as a "male-dominated culture" within parts of the industry by creating inclusive spaces for body art practitioners.

According to UCA, 94% of students enrolled on the first-year Body Art course identify as female or non-binary.