Masters Degrees (Fine Art)

MA Fine Art aims to produce creative practitioners whose work already reflects a sense of historical documenting, mapping and cataloguing wishing to approach the interaction with audience and history from an inventive and strategic standpoint. It enables students to respond creatively to ‘place’ through a structured project, developing artwork presented to identified audiences at the researched site, archive or in alternative contexts.

The MA Fine Art is a sequential programme of study, progressing from Postgraduate Certificate to Diploma and then Master’s Award in Fine Art. Students must complete 9 modules for the award of MA Fine Art.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

Teaching and Learning involves a combination of lectures, seminars, screenings, presentations, group and individual tutorials, with case studies including artists’ initiatives, placements [if appropriate] to develop an integrated and experimental view of theory and practice. All students are allocated an individual supervisor according to their Fine Art Project and Contextual Study.

Students also undertake a Professional Practice Programme delivered by Research Staff, Visiting Artists, Lecturers, Curators, Funding Agencies and representatives from Public Arts, Administrators and Regional Arts Associations when available.

Attendance for part-time students will be on average one day a week and it may occasionally be necessary to attend on 2 days depending on the semester. Individual tutorials with supervisors are by prior arrangement.

The assessment process will be determined by the student’s satisfactory demonstration and completion of the entire module learning outcomes and assessment components. The ‘MA Fine Art Project’ and the ‘Contextual Report’ will be graded in percentage terms. Students must present the MA Fine Art Project in the public domain (the University or alternative venue) with an appropriate Contextual Report.

FURTHER INFORMATION

MA in Fine Art offers Two Awards in Full-Time or Part-Time mode with an annual intake starting in September: MA Site and Archive Intervention runs in parallel with MA Fine Art Studio Practice.

The MA Fine Art utilises the international profile of the staff research team and creates the possibilities for effecting dynamic shifts in cultural production. The employment opportunities today are greatly increased for post-graduate students suitably experienced as artist/arts professionals working in the expanded field of art practice, which is reflected in the content of this course.

The MA courses offer access to specialist teaching, workshop facilities and good technical support with supportive and accessible learning resources at the library and on the computer network to develop professional, creative and contextual skills.

A range of full time and associate lecturers, all of whom are practising and exhibiting artists teach Fine Art at the University. A team of qualified technical staff and visiting artists also supports the course.

MA Fine Art aims to produce creative practitioners whose work already reflects a sense of historical documenting, mapping and cataloguing wishing to approach the interaction with audience and history from an inventive and strategic standpoint. It enables students to respond creatively to ‘place’ through a structured project, developing artwork presented to identified audiences at the researched site, archive or in alternative contexts.

The Post Graduate Programme gives students the opportunities to realise an ambitious ‘Fine Art Project’ to define and sustain a high level of professional practice supported by a ‘Contextual Report’, which undertake an analytical, critical and creative approach to theoretical formats. It also explores strategies for research publications to create potential employment opportunities, dissemination of practice and publicity networks.

OPPORTUNITIES

A student having developed a programme of innovative work at Master’s Level could be expected to operate as a practising artist achieving both a professional level of awareness and high standard of visual work. However, careers in Fine Art can also encompass a broader range of possibilities, as artists and designers, work in the creative industries and the public realm and in education.

The MA Fine Art is a sequential programme of study, progressing from Postgraduate Certificate to Diploma and then Master’s Award in Fine Art. Students must complete 9 modules for the award of MA Fine Art.

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The MA in Fine Art enables artists to evaluate and develop their creative practice to the highest of standards. It develops theoretical awareness, critical thinking and independent arts practice to a professional level.

The course facilitates critical debate between artists working both within and across media areas including painting, photography, digital imaging, printmaking, sculpture, installation and site-specific art. Alongside their studio-based enquiry, students undertake related research into the broader context of contemporary art practices and theoretical debates.

The course offers access to comprehensive specialist resources with technical instruction and support. Students are continually mentored by research-active staff to position their practice within professional cultural environments, arts-related employment or higher-level academic research.

Both full time and part time students benefit from spacious and well-equipped facilities and external links with galleries, which have included the Milton Keynes Gallery, NN Contemporary (Northampton), Corby Cube Gallery and Rugby Museum and Art Gallery. The course often offers international study trips, typically one European option (recent visits have been to France, Italy and Spain) and one long-haul destination (recent visits have been to India, Vietnam and the USA) each year.

In addition to the course having very good links with regional galleries and arts organisations, students are encouraged to engage with external activities and events, both national and international. A group of MA Fine Art students recently attended a printmaking residency at the world-renowned Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium.

Our teaching staff have a broad range of research interests reflecting the disciplines available on the course, and all staff are practicing artists who publish and exhibit both nationally and internationally. Visiting speakers have included the internationally known artists Richard Long, Marcus Harvey, Simon Callery, Ian Davenport, Mark Francis, Lisa Milroy, David Batchelor, Richard Deacon, Svetlana Fialova, Richard Patterson, Ian McKeever, Dan Hays and Richard Wilson along with innovative arts organisations such as Artangel.

Course content

Upon commencing the Masters programme, students undertake the module ‘Extended Fine Art Practice and Research Methodologies’ (20 credits). This provides a grounding in different research-based methods and methodologies in Fine Art.

During the first trimester students also undertake the 20 credit studio-based module ‘Fine Art Practice’ wherein students begin to critically re-appraise and position their creative practice. Full-time students will also be enrolled on ‘Interfacings,’ a 20 credit module that considers a set of theoretical debates, issues and contexts that are pertinent to an interdisciplinary approach to artistic practice.

During the second trimester students enrol on the 40 credit module ‘Fine Art Practice and Context.’ This module culminates in a public developmental exhibition of their work. Alongside this module, full-time students can opt to take either the project-based ‘Independent Study’ module or the 20 credit module ‘Creative Practice and Enterprise.’

The final stage of the MA Fine Art course entails the student producing and exhibiting a body of creative work or completing a 15-18,000 word dissertation.

Course modules (16/17)

-Fine Art Practice and Documentation
-Interfacings: Fine Art and Postmodern Practice
-Creative Practice and Enterprise
-Fine Art Practice and Context
-Independent Study in the Arts
-Research project
-Extended Fine Art Practice and Research Methodologies

Opportunities Abroad

International study trips, typically one European option (recent visits have been to France, Italy and Spain) and one long-haul destination (recent visits have been to India, Vietnam and the USA) each year.

Methods of Learning

The MA Fine Art course supports all learners’ experience and development through a breadth of regular tutorial approaches. Tutor and learner contact is additionally enriched through a host of visiting artists of international stature. Modes of teaching delivery encompass tutorials, group crits, research supervision, lectures and seminars.

Schedule

During the first and second trimester specific modules are delivered usually on Mondays 9:30-12:30 and 13:00 – 16:00.

Assessments

The course is assessed in both theory and practice by assignment, examination, portfolio submission and exhibition.

In addition to an ongoing series of formative assessment points, the MA Fine Art course has three formal assessment periods that occur at the end of each trimester in February, May and September respectively.

Facilities and Special Features

The Fine Art subject is enriched through a spectrum of professional specialist spaces including: Fine Art New Media Space, Photographic Studio, Photographic Dark Room, Wood Workshop, Metal Workshop, Plaster and Resin Workshop, Etching Printroom, Screen Printing Room (including laser cutting), The Drawing Lab (Drawing research space and life room), Canvas Preparation Room and bookable installation spaces.

Careers

The course prepares students for the professional cultural environment and higher research study. PhDs at the University of Northampton can be pursued through traditional or practice led methodologies and this course provides a comprehensive and relevant foundation.

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The Course aims to:

• Provide you with exciting and diverse opportunities to advance and develop your fine art practice, contextual awareness and theoretical knowledge/understanding within a supportive and creative environment.
• Support you to acquire advanced specialist knowledge and practical experience of working with different contemporary fine art media and its conceptual and theoretical relevance, and importance, including (but not limited to); painting and sculpture, printmaking, conceptual and social practices, intervention, performance, film, video, photography (digital and analogue), sound art, new-media, digital-media and installation.
• Enable you to develop an advanced level of fine art practice informed directly by a relevant theoretical and contextual framework and independently critically evaluate developments within your individual working practice.
• Produce informed independent fine art practitioners who can adapt their knowledge, understanding and skills for a variety of professional contexts and enable you to gain advanced knowledge of presentational strategies within contemporary fine art.
• Build advanced strategies for research through an in-depth exploration of different contemporary methodologies.

This course draws on the School’s considerable research reputation and professional expertise in the areas of painting, photography, performance, film and video, sculpture, installations, public art and print-making. This fascinating programme provides highly focused teaching, alongside a critical lecture series within an intellectually supportive environment.

You will be supported by some of the most dynamic artists and researchers in the School. You get the chance to benefit from field trips and gallery visits. Alongside the development of your creative studio work you will gain an understanding of key aspects of art history and theory, as well as an awareness of the social and institutional context within which artworks exist. On completion of the course, your practical work will be exhibited and publicised in a group MA exhibition.

Take a look at some examples of work produced by students for MA Fine Art.

What happens on the course?

Typical modules include:

• Studio Practice
• Theory and Contemporary Practice
• Audience and Display
• Studio Practice and its Methodologies
• Master’s Project in Fine Art

Why Wolverhampton?

The Fine Art Course provides a studio intensive programme supported through theoretical and contextual lecture series, studio based seminar critique and individual tutorials. The ethos of the course is to provide students with the time and space to develop ideas and practice towards the final off-site MA exhibition; this includes the structure of personal research and the development of the critical and/or theoretical emphasis behind your work in order to understand the methodological framework of your working practice.

You will have time to reappraise and analyse previous work, develop new ideas in relation to your practice and it’s theoretical underpinning then consolidate those ideas practically. Finally you will bring those ideas and your work to resolution and focus towards the MA exhibition. The course provides students with the knowledge, ambition and structure in order to proceed towards their future career ambitions. Within the programme you will have the opportunity to develop your awareness of exhibition and the display of your work as well as the audiences for that work. The MA Fine Art course will support you in structuring an advanced independent practice, underpinned by sustained critical engagement.

What our students think

Matthew Evans MA Fine Art

Matthew Evans completed his MA Fine Art with distinction and has since received several commissions for his innovative new approach; creating bespoke modern-day coat of arms, including a £10k commission for the The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham. He has also been selectedfor the New Art West Midlands 2013 Exhibition at Birmingham Art Gallery Museum which showcases the best of West Midland’s graduates.

"As a result of studying the MA course I have grown professionally as an artist. By adopting a ‘take a risk’ attitude I have been able to further refine my artistic practice and anchor it within the most critically interesting areas. By embracing the challenge of diversification, and enjoying the critical dialogue embedded within the course, I have resolved a number of sticking points, and identified areas for future development.

I chose to study my MA at the University of Wolverhampton as I felt I needed to breathe new life into my practise and relished the challenge of experiencing a new exciting creative environment. The artistic facilities on offer to students and the glowing reputations of the SAD staff and support technicians also played a key role in my decision.

What particularly impressed me about the course was not only the availability and approachability of the lecturers but the general sense of cohesion felt as a student. As well as extensive access to lecturers, and the intensively taught aspects of the course, there are many MA excursions that are incredibly beneficial.

As a positive side note, my affinity with the University has continued this September, with me becoming the Fine Art Artist in Residence for this year."

Other student comments:

“The MA has greatly expanded my knowledge of Fine Art.”

“I feel that I’m being supported in my work and that the best of my talent is being encouraged.”

“The lecturers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and I’m grateful for both their input and the input of the other students”.

“I’m confident it’s setting me up with the right skills and knowledge to succeed in a career within the arts”.

“I’m glad that I made the decision to do the MA; it’s been a positive turning point in my life”.

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Introduction

MA Fine Art determines and challenges the boundaries of art while locating theory at the centre of practice. In a dynamic learning culture that celebrates diverse backgrounds and ambitions, you’ll develop a critical art practice that will shape your career as an international artist. The MA Fine Art studios are located in an independent building in Archway, so the course offer allows students a self contained studio building facilitating their independent working practices and self-organisation alongside all the benefits of the King's Cross campus.

Content

Synergies in our Fine Art Programme - incorporating BA Fine Art, MA Fine Art, MA Photography, MA Art and Science, MRes Art: Exhibition Studies, MRes Art: Moving Image, and MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy - create a dynamic context for exploring practices and issues within contemporary culture.

In its extended full-time mode MA Fine Art gives you the flexibility to access London's richly varied opportunities for work and study while maximising your personal and professional development.

MA Fine Art provides an extensive final unit of 120 credits (45 weeks) enabling continuous development and realisation of a significant programme of work.

MA Fine Art supports and is shaped by:

Diversity of professional directions, aspirations and cultural perspectives

Reflective research-based practice including writing as practice in fine art

An interrogation of what informs making and how making generates knowledge

Independent study and practice and critical reflection on definitions of art and its potential within social space

Exploration of the parameters of contemporary art, building on knowledge of the contexts and frameworks of practice

Dialogue to determine the conditions of possibility for contemporary art.

Structure

MA Fine Art lasts 60 weeks structured as two consecutive periods of 30 weeks each (i.e. two academic years) in its 'extended full-time mode.'

MA Fine Art is credit rated at 180 credits, and comprises 3 units. Unit 1 (40 credits) and Unit 2 (20 credits) run concurrently and last 15 weeks. Unit 3 (120 credits) follows after the completion of Units 1 and 2 and runs for 45 weeks.

Students successfully achieving Units 1 and 2 may exit at this point with the award of Postgraduate Certificate.

All three units must be passed in order to achieve the MA, but the classification of the award of MA derives from the mark for Unit 3 only.

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The MFA in Fine Art is a studio-based, research-centred programme with a critical studies component, supported by studio-led seminars arising from the creative and critical interests of students and staff. Students are admitted into one of three subject areas: Painting, Sculpture or Fine Art Media, which includes electronic media, photography, print, film and video.

About this degree

The MFA programme provides an intellectual and creative environment in which talented fine art graduates may develop their individual potential as professional artists and researchers in their chosen studio area; whilst developing a critical awareness of the broadening intellectual and cultural contexts of fine art.

The Fine Art MFA is an integrated degree programme and does not have a modular structure.

The programme consists of studio work (100%) in the student's chosen subject area, and critical studies which are assessed on a pass/fail basis.

Exhibition

Assessment is by submission of the critical study and final examination of studio work in the form of an exhibition.

Teaching and learning

A studio-based programme, students develop their work with tutorial/technical assistance according to individual need. The taught component is delivered through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops, but primarily demands individual investigation. Year two prioritises supervised individual research.

Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Fine Art MFA

Careers

The programme aims to develop students' individual potential, and provide an excellent foundation for further doctoral research. The Graduate Degree Shows are attended by artists, gallerists, curators, critics and collectors providing a high-profile entrance to the professional art world. Recent graduates have established international careers as professional artists, receiving important commissions, gaining gallery representation, winning major prizes and residencies, as well as developing new artist-led initiatives. Others have taken on roles in related careers including curation, museum and gallery management and teaching worldwide. News and achievements of alumni including recent graduates are detailed on the news section of the Slade Schoolwebsite.

Recent career destinations for this degree

• Freelance Artist, Self-Employed Artist
• Photo Editor, Getty Images
• Art Tutor, JW3 Community Centre
• Research Degree: Slade School of Fine Art, UCL
• Art Technician, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts

Employability

Professional development opportunities are actively encouraged with graduate students recently working as research assistants on UCL CHIRP's Pigment Timeline project and the Colour & Emotion project, part of the Human Wellbeing focus of UCL's Grand Challenges.

Partnerships outside of UCL include one with Camden Arts Centre whilst the Slade is a founder member of the Junction: North London Cultural Consortium; all of which offers students the opportunity to experience working with galleries and other professional art bodies. In addition, there are several studio residency awards to help launch completing graduate students including the annual Red Mansion Art Prize of a residency in China and an annual competition for residencies at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, China

Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Slade School of Fine Art at UCL is one of the UK's leading university departments for research in Fine Art, approaching the study and practice of art in an enquiring, investigative, experimental and research-minded way.

All academic staff are practising artists, actively involved in research as well as teaching, and have a broad and diverse range of interests and expertise. Students benefit from excellent studio space and technical facilities, including a large research centre in Woburn Square.

The UCL Slade School's central London location enables easy access to unparalleled learning resources including major galleries, museums, libraries, cultural institutions and theatres.

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.

The following REF score was awarded to the department: Slade School of Fine Art

79% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)

Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.

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The Master of Fine Art in Fine Art (MFA) provides postgraduate studio-based arts practice, critical theory in fine arts and access to the professional skills and knowledge to succeed in a career in the fine arts. The programme will appeal to independent artists wanting to extend their practice within a critical research framework supported by practicing tutors. Artists looking to extend their career path into curatorial practice in the contemporary arts, collaborative projects with arts organisations, arts in socially engaged practices and/or further research will find support for this trajectory in this broad-based programme. Teaching involves lectures, seminars, and group and individual tutorials from active artists with research profiles. The programme will equip you with creative, interpretive, critical and analytical skills to develop an advanced understanding of contemporary art and its social, cultural and historical contexts.

The image above shows a close up of the work Nova by Saad Querishi, a former student of Fine Art at Oxford Brookes. Saad has been commissioned to produce a piece of work for the new areas of the campus and will be acting as a resource for the students on the programme.

Why choose this course?

Your artistic practice – An independent studio environment enables you to further your work within a supported critical framework. Through group and individual tutorials, staff/peer critique and presentations, an incremental approach is applied whereby you will confidently develop your work towards public exhibition/dissemination. There are two formal exhibitions during the MFA programme.

Flexible studio options – Students may select to locate their studio either at Oxford Brookes or elsewhere. Students working from their own studios will be eligible for a reduced tuition fee. 

Technical resources – The School of Arts’ workshops offer supported working environments in a range of specialist areas including: sculpture, photography, video, sound, printmaking and book-works. All our workshops are staffed by highly skilled and creative Technical Specialists.

Extra-curricular activities – You will gain exposure to a range of contemporary artistic practice through the thriving creative student community in the School of Arts at Oxford Brookes. You will participate in the lectures and film screenings set up by the Fine Art Research (FAR) Group. These include visiting contemporary artists, critics, curators and notable alumni. Free life drawing classes extend your drawing skills and optional local, regional and international field trips provide further stimulus.

Theoretical framework – Your ability to articulate your own creative position is enabled through a critical engagement with a range of scholarship informed by diverse practices by nationally and internationally recognised artists, collectives and movements. An early theoretical module explores contemporary art discourse through seminars informed by selected readings and in a later module you develop a more intense involvement with theory related to your individual research interests.

Professional development – The programme enables you to identify a professional focus which is likely to inform your subsequent career trajectory. This might involve research preparation, a placement, a collaborative project or exhibition management/curatorial practice. With the guided experience in this module our graduates are better prepared for a successful career as a professional artist.

Careers and professional development

How this course helps you develop

In addition to the support, teaching and development opportunities afforded by the curriculum, as a student you will be immersed in the active arts environment of the School. During your studies with us you will have access to the visiting speakers arranged for this and for other arts programmes, for the seminars and conferences in diverse fields, including publishing, film, music and digital production in the School. The field trips, visiting artists, PhD students and opportunities in the programme’s Professional Experience module offer a rich network of individuals and organisations that enable you to make useful contacts for your future career. 

Careers

Graduates from this programme will be well equipped to pursue their practice as independent artists who have a well-developed understanding of the theoretical and professional contexts of the current and contemporary landscape of the arts and creative industries. 

This programme is delivered within the School of Arts, which offers a vibrant environment for the creative industries including film, photography, music and publishing. Through the modules, which address practice, theory and professional experience, students are provided with links to engage with employment and further study opportunities, either as independent practitioners, facilitators or participants within a range of group and collaborative practices and contexts. 

Free language courses for students - the Open Module

Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Please note that the free language courses are not available if you are:

• studying at a Brookes partner college
• studying on any of our teacher education courses or postgraduate education courses.

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The MA in Fine Art combines studio work with a theory-based programme of lectures and seminars led by internationally renowned practising artists and history of art scholars. Students are admitted into one of three areas on the research-centred programme: Painting, Sculpture or Fine Art Media, which includes electronic media, photography, print, film and video.

About this degree

The MA programme provides an intellectual and creative environment in which talented fine art graduates develop their individual potential as professional artists and pursue independent research. The History and Theory of Art component enables students to develop in depth the relationship between theory and practice in their own work.

The Fine Art MA is an integrated degree programme and does not have a modular structure.

The programme consists of studio work (75%) and History and Theory of Art (25%).

Dissertation/report

All students undertake an individual research project in their second year as a component of the History and Theory of Art course, which culminates in a substantial report.

Teaching and learning

A studio-based programme, students develop their work with tutorial/technical assistance according to need. The taught component is delivered through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops, but primarily demands individual investigation. Year two prioritises supervised individual research. Assessment is by exhibition of final studio-work and history and theory coursework including a dissertation.

Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Fine Art MA

Careers

The programme aims to develop students' individual potential in the field of fine art. It also provides an excellent foundation for further doctoral research. The Graduate Degree Shows are attended by artists, gallerists, curators, critics and collectors, and provide a high-profile entrance to the professional art world. Recent graduates have established international careers as professional artists, receiving important commissions, gaining gallery representation, winning major prizes and residencies, as well as developing new artist-led initiatives. Others have roles in related careers including curation, museum and gallery management and teaching worldwide.

News and achievements of alumni including recent graduates are detailed on the news section of the Slade School website.

Recent career destinations for this degree

• Freelance Artist, Weber Industries Ltd
• Artist, Self-Employed Artist
• Film and TV Production Assistant, Unspecified Production Company and studying EAST, University of London (Institutes and Activities)
• Associate Lecturer, University of the Arts

Employability

Professional development opportunities are actively encouraged with graduate students recently working as research assistants on UCL CHIRP's Pigment Timeline project and the Pigments to Solar Power project, part of the Sustainable Cities focus of UCL's Grand Challenges.

Partnerships outside of UCL include one with Camden Arts Centre whilst the Slade is a founder member of the Junction: North London Cultural Consortium; all of which offers students the opportunity to experience working with galleries and other professional art bodies. In addition, there are several studio residency awards to help launch completing graduate students including the annual Red Mansion Art Prize of a residency in China and an annual competition for residencies at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, China

Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Slade School of Fine Art at UCL is one of the UK's leading university departments for research in Fine Art, approaching the study and practice of art in an enquiring, investigative, experimental and research-minded way.

All academic staff are practising artists, actively involved in research as well as teaching, and have a diverse range of interests and expertise. Students benefit from excellent studio space and technical facilities, including a large research centre in Woburn Square.

The Slade's central London location enables easy access to a wide range of learning resources including major galleries, museums, libraries, cultural institutions and theatres.

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.

The following REF score was awarded to the department: Slade School of Fine Art

79% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)

Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.

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Want to develop your artistic practice to a higher level? Building on your previous studies, our Fine Art Master’s degree aims to develop and broaden your knowledge and skills using new and alternative media. External partners and arts-based agencies provide opportunities to engage directly with the world of contemporary fine art.

What the course offers

Our MA in Fine Art offers an exciting opportunity to explore, develop and create. This course gives you the freedom to enhance your practical and creative skills, underpinned by a contextual research-based programme of critical studies. You’ll have a personal supervisor and work in the studio alongside your fellow MA Fine Art students. In addition, sessions focusing on entrepreneurial and contemporary exhibition/curatorial skills will help to extend your understanding of current practice and business management.

During your studies, you’ll develop a body of work for exhibition in the purpose-built fine art studio/exhibition area, to be held at the end of the course. You’ll have the chance to apply for commissions and work for external agencies, and be encouraged to make external links through exhibition or artist-in-residency opportunities.

Former Fine Art students were instrumental in founding Neo:artists Studios, a Bolton-based internationally-recognised contemporary art group with a dynamic exhibition programme. As an MA student you’ll have opportunities to access the facilities and mentoring at Neo:artists, in addition to the tuition and guidance you receive at the University.

Course Highlights:

• Our collaboration with studio groups gives our students access to vibrant, professional artists’ studios and galleries, with many of these artists involved in delivering specialist workshops and lectures.
• Guest speakers from a wide range of Fine Art practice, both national and international, are invited each year.
• Our Fine Art students have been very successful in winning major regional and national competitions, including first prize in the NADFAS awards, winning of public art commissions, and awards in national and international art gallery shows.
• Our dedicated tutors are practising artists with extensive experience of exhibiting their own work (nationally and internationally), group exhibition organisation, and public and private commissioning. We also have strong connections to arts organisations and commissioning agencies nationally and internationally.
• We have the expertise and experience to support you to develop essential business management skills, such as business planning and writing proposal briefs for commission, exhibition and project work.
• Through the wider networks of the tutors and Neo:artists you’ll have opportunities to access to the wider Greater Manchester contemporary art community, including Castlefield Gallery and Rogue Artists’ Studios. Central Manchester is just a 20-minute train ride away.

Key Features:

• Aimed at equipping you with discipline-specific and transferable employability skills, our MA Fine Art programme is practice-based and industry-focused. It offers rich learning experiences that emphasise live briefs and partnership working.
• We focus on developing your professional studio practice, and examining the exhibition as a vehicle for the promotion of ideas, as well as a marketing device for artists.
• You can examine contemporary practice across the board from traditional processes right up to the digital age. Access to Bolton-based studios and project spaces offers the additional stimulus of a wide range of working artists.
• Our facilities include large, well-lit, dedicated open studio accommodation with an adjacent 2D art workshop that includes a range of printmaking processes, and a 3D art workshop that includes ceramic, glass and casting workshops. Technicians for the different specialisms are available to provide practical support and advice.
• We have large shared wood and metal workshops that provide access to industrial-level processes and allow for large and small-scale construction.
• We organise talks and lectures by artists in residence and guest speakers working in the field of fine art and related specialisms. These broaden your palate by providing insights into the life and influences of other creative professionals.

For more information please visit http://www.bolton.ac.uk/postgrad

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interdisciplinary opportunities we offer create an engaging professional experience investigating the practice and discourse of fine art. You can choose areas of specialism in drawing from the archive, art in space and place and curating art, alongside your own studio work.

Full-time students use our purpose-built studio space. You have access to a wide range of workshops and technical expertise from all areas of media and fabrication. These include • sculpture • painting • live art • drawing • computer programming • metalwork • video editing • dark rooms • sound studios • film production equipment • printmaking.

Our teaching staff are experts in fine art and art education who not only exhibit their work but also contribute to conferences, journals and publications at national and international levels.

Vibrant and supportive learning environment

The course offers a supportive community to foster your practice and your ambitions as a fine art professional. It is particularly suitable if you are • open-minded • ambitious • keen to experience new personal challenges that expand your creative development • interested in understanding all areas of the fine art discipline.

You are encouraged to create experimental and innovative works and to engage with the critical context of art in our time. Dialogue with peers, practicing artists and structured teaching throughout the course enables you to identify your practice within the wider field of fine art to achieve new goals, develop networks and find new inspirations to enrich your creative ambitions.

Excellent creative resources

We have a comprehensive range of technical resources and an excellent programme of high profile guest artists from across the visual arts spectrum to stimulate debates on issues of art and culture. If you are doing your work placement in another European country there may be funding available through the Erasmus programme.

Dynamic and creative art community

Fine art students work and exhibit in the heart of Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter. The course has links with • Sheffield Contemporary Arts Forum • studio groups such as S1 and Bloc • Yorkshire Art Space Society • the Showroom Cinema • Site Gallery.

Sheffield has a dynamic and vibrant creative community. We work collaboratively with artists and curators, as well as researchers and students in other areas. You have access to a network of public galleries, art organisations and artist-run spaces. Opportunities for exhibiting and publishing take place throughout the year.

MA and MFA study

MA and MFA students complete the same modules during the course except that MFA students complete an extra project module. The MFA project encourages you to develop professional skills that help you to identify, instigate, and deliver projects with external partners, such as communities, galleries or businesses. You find a project partner, agree a brief and then deliver the project to a professional standard.

This course is part of the Sheffield Institute of Arts (SIA), an amazing, diverse community of makers – where staff, students and partners work as equals to deliver real innovation and creativity. SIA opened in 1843 and is one of the UK's oldest Art and Design Schools. We have recently moved into the Head Post Office, a redesigned Grade II listed building. It includes state-of-the-art workshops which provide you with a unique studio-based learning environment in the heart of the creative community.

Course structure

Core modules

• Research directions and critical studies

In this module you extend your knowledge of the range of approaches to research that have been used in art, and those that derive from other disciplines. You are introduced to an advanced range of contemporary critical theories, and examine key texts embodying these theories. Principles of research planning and the theory and practice of information searching ensure you are ready to effectively carry out your own research and critical practice.

• Advanced art practice

During this studio-based module, you produce a body artwork in preparation for an exhibition. Your work may manifest itself across a range of contemporary art practices arising from individual intellectual and creative concerns. You have access to specialist workshop surgeries where you can seek individual support and advice to further your practical work.

• Art

On this module you produce a body of work in any chosen media form. It draws together strategies of research, professional practice and critical thinking to form an advanced, mature, informed and professional practice. The module holds together these key aspects to reflect, and enable transition into, the wider contemporary art world.

Optional modules

You select from options that are led by research active staff who will introduce you to their own professional interests including • art writing • curating art • art in space and place • drawing from the archive • gallery – public realm: making art inside and out

MFA core module – MFA students only

• Studio methods

You reflect on and consider methodologies of fine art to develop an individual method of making.

• Art and its publics

Your work on this final MFA project involves public presentation of your work supported by a mentor who guides you as you make the leap into the professional world.

Assessment

Self-negotiated models of examination enable students to present agreed bodies of work for self and peer group assessment as well as evaluation by tutors.

Employability

We provide a learning environment that supports your individual needs while developing your involvement in the wider art world.

You are regularly involved in a range of exhibition, curatorial, performance, screening and publishing projects at regional, national and international levels.

You gain confidence to exploit opportunities for practicing artists and work in associated fine art-related culture. You can also register for further study at MPhil/PhD level within our Art and Design Research Centre.

Graduate successes include

• Andrew Cooke was commissioned by Art Sheffield 08 for the Millennium Gallery in Art Sheffield. His work and the exhibition were reviewed in the Guardian.
• Lesley Guy exhibited work in Amsterdam and Sheffield, while also developing a review column in the Metro newspaper

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-On the MA Fine Art degree you will develop your individual creative practice in Fine Art
-This postgraduate degree allows you to develop knowledge and understanding of current critical debate
-Gain advanced technical and entrepreneurial skills for the successful creative practitioner
-You will work alongside practitioners working in a range of areas of practice, in stimulating and challenging environment

Why choose this course?

MA Fine Art is a Masters award within the MA Art and Design programme at the School of Creative Arts. Within the postgraduate programme there is strong emphasis on professional practice and the real-world applications of art and design. You will develop key research skills and gain a good understanding of the work of other practitioners in your field.

The aim of the Fine Art programme is to equip you with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to practice at an advanced level, to foster your creativity and enhance your employment opportunities. You will work alongside artists and designers and benefit from contributions from visiting artists, designers, makers, as well as from involvement with our international exhibitions programme and gallery environment. This is the perfect opportunity to develop your individual creative practice and place it within the wider professional context of fine art.

You will work with other students to explore and challenge the boundaries of your practice and, through discussion, explore some of the key ideas that inform contemporary fine art practice. We strongly encourage conceptual experimentation and development of originality in use of materials to explore possibilities and realise the potential of your ideas. Seminars, research methods and debates will help you to advance, as well as technical skills.

Our staff are experienced in research and professional practice, and you will also benefit from contributions from visiting artists, designers, makers and other arts and design professionals, as well as from involvement with our international exhibitions programme and gallery environment.

Induction, seminars and social events for students and staff mean that you will be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community, which also includes film makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned artists work with postgraduate students, helping you to develop original and challenging work.

Careers

The MA Fine Art is designed to enable you to operate successfully as a professional practitioner in your area of specialism. Graduates have gone on to establish studios, exhibit professionally, work as curators, Phd study, teaching, work towards site specific commissions.

Teaching methods

The programme is centered on individual practice and encourages critical dialogue between traditions, disciplines and media. The practice modules develop individual practice through a combination of work-in-progress seminars, tutorials and gallery visits and discussions. A sustained body of creative work forms the basis of assessment, supported by written documentation and assignments. The course is also designed to help you acquire research skills and understand what is going on now in fine and applied arts.

Structure

Core Modules
-Creative Economies
-Discourse/Reflection: Art and Design
-Major Study: Fine Art
-Practice 1: Art and Design
-Practice 2: Art and Design
-Research and Enquiry

Optional
-Creative Economies (Online)
-Research and Enquiry (Online)

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Would you like to develop your art practice in a vibrant research culture, supported by dedicated studio space and outstanding exhibition facilities?

Developed in conjunction with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, the BxNU (MFA) Master of Fine Art course is centred upon praxis – promoting active learning through practise-based artistic research, scholarship and critical reflection.

You will be given the unique opportunity to design and develop your own investigations, determining themes, questions and strategies and moving between experimentation and reflective analysis to production, presentation and publication.

Taught by a wide range of distinguished and internationally respected practitioners, you will undertake field trips and workplace visits, in addition to the option of a study abroad through the Erasmus Exchange programme.

This course offers the perfect opportunity for you to develop your professional skills and prepare for a broad range of jobs.

Learn From The Best

Directed by the BALTIC Professor, teaching is delivered by a network of internationally active artists, academics and curators who provide world-class teaching and mentorship in fine art practice and research.

You will be taught by BxNU partners, which includes the Master of Fine Art team and wider Northumbria University staff, the BALTIC Professor and curators from BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

Throughout the duration of your course you will also benefit from subject-specific input from specialists from other University departments and external contributors.

When studying, you will be given the unique opportunity to discuss your work and receive feedback from a wide range of visiting artists, critics and BALTIC’s educational and exhibition teams, all of which boast extensive knowledge and experience within the contemporary art field.

Teaching And Assessment

A multi-discipline approach to fine art is encouraged when studying this course and all forms of artistic practice are welcomed. You will be encouraged to develop the full potential of your own individual skills through experimentation and critical reflection, with support throughout your development. Teaching is delivered via a range of methods including lectures, technical workshops, seminars, group critiques and individual tutorials.

A programme of studio critiques, seminars and exhibition visits will also enable you to develop the discursive and critical skills necessary to articulate issues relating to your practice.

Assessment is undertaken by a combination of studio/exhibition presentations, written submissions and oral presentations, which will be filmed by the BALTIC archive crew to allow you to assess your own performance whilst developing a personal archive of your work.

Field trips and an optional study abroad will also allow you to further enhance your skills and knowledge.

Module Overview
Year One
EF0126 - E.S.A.P. in FADSS Level 7 (Optional, 0 Credits)
VA7022 - Studio Practice 1 (Core, 30 Credits)
VA7023 - Studio Practice 2 (Core, 30 Credits)
VA7024 - Locating Practice (Core, 30 Credits)
VA7025 - Exhibiting Practice (Core, 30 Credits)

Year Two
EF0126 - E.S.A.P. in FADSS Level 7 (Optional, 0 Credits)
VA7026 - Public Output 1: Project Initiation (Core, 60 Credits)
VA7027 - Public Output 2: Project Resolution (Core, 60 Credits)

Learning Environment

Throughout the duration of your course you will have access to a wide range of leading facilities.

In addition to the unique provision for research and practice provided by PSN (Paper Studio Northumbria) and CSN (Colour Studio Northumbria), you will also have access to fully-equipped sculpture workshops (wood, metal, casting, ceramics), print workshops (screenprint, etching, lithography, cyanotype, drypoint, photo-etching, photo-intaglio, monoprint), analogue photography darkrooms (B&W and colour fine print & processor), photography studios, a Mac suite with 24 stations for digital imaging and video, digital output facilities with high resolution printers, conservation workshops and central media stores with online booking for still/moving image, sound and lighting equipment.

The use of technology is embedded throughout, utilising resources such as electronic reading lists and virtual seminars to connect you to national and international networks.

You will also benefit from our direct proximity to BALTIC’s stunning 300 square metre top floor galleries which are also the site for the MFA graduating shows.

Research-Rich Learning

The Master of Fine Art course is centred around research-rich learning, with teaching delivered by internationally active artists, academics and curators. You will be mentored by this team, allowing you to develop an understanding of the wider professional context of exhibition and interpretation.

You will have access to the research environment at BALTIC 39, providing you with the opportunity to participate in the weekly postgraduate conversation, Talk Studio. The momentum and content of these sessions are tailored to the experimental open nature of the studio environment and driven by your own investigative processes.

Your own research is also important and you will be encouraged and supported to set up initiatives that actively contribute to the research environment of BALTIC 39. Currently this includes student-led initiatives such as reading groups, a performance group, a photographic research group and student-led ‘test-bed’ crit sessions.

Give Your Career An Edge

Our graduates are highly valued with employers thanks to the reputation of Northumbria University and our unique partnership with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts.

On graduation you will be able to think and act independently, applying your disciplinary knowledge to complex issues in an imaginative, sustainable and reasoned manner whilst marry method, form and ideas. You will also possess an awareness of industry standards for presentation and communication.

Throughout your studies you will be encouraged to initiate opportunities to work with artists and arts organisations, in addition to bespoke opportunities initiated by staff teams. These opportunities include exhibitions, performance events, symposia and workshops which to date have included work in the UK, as well as Poland, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Stockholm.

Undertaking field trips and visits will also contribute to your employment prospects, with a study abroad further developing your experience, expertise and career prospects.

Your Future

The Master of Fine Art course will prepare you for a range of careers thanks to the diverse range of skills that you will acquire throughout your studies.

You may wish to pursue a broad range of jobs within the cultural sector, curating, professional research, teaching or doctoral studies.

The provision for enterprise or self-employment is delivered through professional exhibiting opportunities including grant and CV writing, developing your own web presence and testing writing with external stakeholders. You will also learn how to manage your time, resources and budgets.

Despite being a new programme, the Master of Fine Art course already boasts successful alumni , including Gethin Wyn Jones, currently a research fellow at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm and artist Joanna Hutton who was selected for EVA International, Ireland’s Biennial, less than a year after graduating.

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Would you like to apply your arts or applied sciences background to the conservation of fine art?

Northumbria University’s MA Conservation of Fine Art course is the only Master of Arts course in the UK that specialises in the conservation of easel painting and works of art on paper.

Integrating a mix of fine art, science and forensic techniques, you will study a range of subjects including studio and work-based practice, conservation theory, science, technical examination, -preventive conservation and research training skills.

In addition to the core modules studied, you will have the option to undertake a work placement during years one and two in the UK or abroad.

Learn From The Best

This course is taught by a team of specialist academics who have extensive experience in the field of conservation, science and the Fine Art sectors.

Applying their specialist knowledge to their day-to-day teaching, the members of our staff are actively involved in research and consultancy - activities which are helping to define this exciting and complex profession.

We also engage with the wider conservation sector to ensure that the content of this course is in-line with professional standards and employer expectations.

Throughout the duration of this course you will receive ongoing support from our teaching staff to ensure you leave equipped with - the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully pursue a career within conservation or a related discipline.

Teaching And Assessment

Offering the opportunity for you to specialise in either works of art on paper or easel paintings conservation, this course consists of modules that will explore a range of key areas including conservation theory and practice, conservation science, art history and preventive conservation

You will leave with the technical skills required to undertake examinations, cleaning, structural repairs and stabilisation of works of art, in addition to an in-depth understanding of the historic significance artistic practice and materials play-in understanding artworks.

Significant emphasis is also placed on ethics and developing your skills in research development.

This course is primarily delivered through practical workshops where you will develop a wide range of skills using especially prepared materials and case studies selected from our unique archive collection. These activities inform and run parallel with work conducted on project paintings and other challenging artefacts.

Assessment methods focus on you applying your practical skills, academic concepts and theories to your project documentation and the authentically constructed materials that mirror real life scenarios. You will also undertake a dissertation to further demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Learning Environment

When studying the MA Conservation of Fine Art course you will be housed in a Grade II listed building in the heart of Newcastle city centre. You will be able to utilise techniques such as x-ray, infra-red reflectography, and ultraviolet florescence and false colour infrared photography to examine materials and artworks spanning centuries, in addition to gaining access to intriguing archives and cutting edge technology.

You may also have access to other advanced technologies such as UV fluorescence microscopy, polarised light microscopy (PLM), UV/VIS spectrophotometry, fourier transform infrared (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX).

You will also receive ongoing support through our innovative e-learning platform, Blackboard, which will allow you to access learning materials such as module handbooks, assessment information, online lectures, reading lists and virtual gallery tours.

Research-Rich Learning

Research-rich learning is embedded throughout all aspects of this course and our staff are continuously involved and informed by fast-moving emerging developments in conservation research and ethical debates.

All of our staff possess individual specialisms, in areas such as the development and evaluation of conservation treatments for paintings, characterisation of artists’ materials and techniques, studies in material deterioration and comprehensive documentation of works of art.

Our team also collaborate with national and international research organisations.

When studying this master’s degree, you are encouraged to develop your own individual research skills to ensure you graduate with confidence in your own practical and academic experience. These skills are further enhanced when you undertake your dissertation under the guidance of your assigned tutor.

Give Your Career An Edge

This course has been developed to reflect national guidelines and ensure that you graduate with the necessary skills and knowledge to kick-start your career within this profession. There are also many additional opportunities available to further enhance your career edge whilst you study.

Throughout the duration of this course you will create a professional portfolio, which will include examples of practical work and displays of your intellectual achievement to provide a demonstration of your skills and enhance your performance at interviews.

In addition to completing a placement to further enhance your development you will also have the opportunity to present research papers at an organised symposium.

We actively encourage you to engage with professional bodies and attend key conferences to allow you to network with professionals who are already working within the profession, and you may also have the opportunity to advantage of our partnership with Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, whose collection supports a number of activities. Our long standing links with the National Trust, Tate Britain and the estate of Francis Bacon have created exciting projects for our MA and PhD students.

Your Future

This course will equip you with a deep understanding of both the skills and knowledge required to work effectively in fine art conservation laboratories or conservation jobs across the world.

You may choose to work in galleries or museums, or progress your research to PhD level.

Recent illustrious alumni list, include Virginia Lladó-Buisán Head of Conservation & Collection Care Bodleian Libraries, Britta New, Paintings Conservator at the National Gallery in London and Eleanor Hasler, Head of Paper Conservation at Kew Gardens.

As your professional development is in-line with the current postgraduate professional standards for the Conservation of Fine Art, your access to postgraduate professional jobs within the conservation sector is likely to be enhanced.

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This course is for people who want to pursue their passion for particular areas of Fine Art, at an advanced level and with professional support.

Course overview

This course is built around your personal interests and aspirations. It allows you to push the boundaries of creativity, within a framework of academic rigour and contextual research.

Given the strong practical element in the course, we invite applicants to share their portfolios and aspirations with us at interview stage. We are eager to explore how to develop each person’s individual interests and passions in Fine Art.

During the course, we encourage you to develop your personal practice through research, critiques, analysis and questioning. We also tackle issues that face Fine Art professionals, from fundraising to self-presentation, as part of boosting your employability.
At Masters level, the specialisms of tutors are an important factor. Sunderland’s research expertise includes painting, printmaking, studio-based drawing and collage, sculpture, collaborative practice, art in architecture, video and digital art.

By the end of the course, you will have prepared and participated in a public exhibition. Your work will form a Masters-level portfolio that excites and impresses potential clients, collaborators and employers.

Graduates from Sunderland have gone on to work throughout the creative industries. A Masters qualification not only opens doors in the workplace but also helps you progress more rapidly once your career is underway.

To find out more about the part time version of this course, please view this web-page: http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/courses/artsdesignandmedia/postgraduate/fine-art-part-time/

Course content

The content of the course is shaped by your personal interests with guidance and inspiration from Sunderland's supportive tutors. Modules on this course include:
-Fine Art 1 (60 Credits)
-Fine Art 2 (60 Credits)
-Fine Art 3 (60 Credits)

Teaching and assessment

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters requires a higher level of independent working. The course aims to stretch your creativity and maximise your sense of personal fulfilment.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, seminars, critiques, workshops and practical demonstrations. These are supported by a range of guest speakers from diverse academic and industry backgrounds. You will also have high levels of contact with tutors who give regular feedback and support.

We organise field trips and visits to galleries and art events throughout the UK. Destinations include cities such as London, Edinburgh and Liverpool. There are also opportunities to visit international venues in places such as New York, Barcelona, Venice and Berlin.

Facilities & location

The facilities at our Priestman Building include state-of-the-art teaching space, generous studio space and a fantastic Arts and Design Library. Facilities include:
-Workshops for wood, metal and printmaking
-Project spaces
-Student gallery
-Digital studio with video, sound editing and screening facilities
-Digital suites with open-access Apple Macs
-Digital sewing and embroidery facilities

Arts and Design Library
Our Arts and Design Library has a specialist collection of over 120,000 books, CD-ROMs, videos, slides and one of the largest electronic information networks in the sector. The experienced library team provide a high-quality service and are sensitive to the requirements and working methods of Arts and Design students.

Journals and research
We subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date articles. Some of the most important sources for your course include:
-Art Full Text + Art Abstracts, which is a major resource for media and arts information
-Design and Applied Arts Index, which covers journals featuring both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century
-British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC), which provides resources for the production, study and use of film and related media
-JSTOR (short for ‘Journal Storage’), which provides access to important journals across the humanities, social sciences and sciences
-Lexis, which provides access to legal information as well as full-text newspaper articles
-Screen Online (BFI), which is an online encyclopaedia of British film and television, featuring clips from the vast collections of the BFI National Archive

Employment & careers

Postgraduates are highly employable and, on average, earn more than individuals whose highest qualification is an undergraduate degree. On completing this course, you will be equipped for roles throughout the media and cultural industries, for example as a practitioner, curator or educator. Opportunities could include arts development, public arts projects, community art organisations, social and art therapy support units, galleries and festivals.

Recent Sunderland graduates have also set up their own creative businesses, undertaken commissions and exhibited their work regionally and nationally.

During the course we encourage you to gain industry experience which will enhance your skills, build up a valuable network of contacts and boost your employability. Past placements have included exhibition work in a range of public contexts such as galleries, schools and hospitals.

A Masters degree will also enhance career opportunities within Higher Education and prepare you for further postgraduate studies.

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Course content

The MA Fine Art is a broad, studio-based programme with an open and inclusive approach to fine art practice. The programme encourages both specialist and cross-disciplinary approaches enabling students to extend and deepen their knowledge and application of fine art practice.

The curriculum is structured on Practice as Research, through which specialist studio disciplines are developed within cultural, aesthetic and socio-political contexts supporting the creative exploration of ideas through practical skills, research methodologies, theoretical and analytical frameworks. This places individual practice at the centre of the programme. Studio-based modules run throughout the programme and maintain the dynamic interrelation between visual research, concepts and theory. Studio research can be developed within: painting, textiles, sculpture (including ceramics), printmaking and digital media.

Our facilities

Over the past few years, we’ve redeveloped both of our campuses so that you have the best facilities available for your degree. We pride ourselves on the quality of the learning environment we can offer our students.

The Art department are situated in the dedicated artOne building comprising outstanding studio and workshop facilities. It is an exciting place to study, providing a dynamic and supportive learning environment for the production of original new art work.

The well-equipped workshops and studios provide environments for you to create experimental, inventive and ambitious work. The main studio space in the purpose built artOne building provides individual studio spaces for all students as well as bookable spaces for installation, performance and projection work. If you are doing studio practice modules, you will be allocated a personal studio base in which you can carry out your self-directed projects and art work. 

All students also have access to workshop areas and technical support in the key disciplines of the Fine Art programmes. The workshops reflect the range of options across the various degree programmes. A distinctive aspect of the department is that of individualized working areas in the studio space.

Where this can take you

You will become part of a network of artists that will offer support and a challenging context in which to develop your work. Key to this community are fine art staff who, as practising artists, bring their knowledge and experience of a range of professional arts environments to the programme.

The staff team are linked to local, regional and national networks including galleries, museums, regional funding agencies and community based projects. Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes have strong connections with Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Festival Theatre, Goodwood Sculpture Park and galleries in Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and London.

The wider arts community at the University of Chichester includes postgraduate and research students in MA Dance, Performance and Music and you will be able to experience the breadth of these practice based disciplines, and other academic research through research seminar programmes, presentations, theatre events and visiting speakers.

The course provides the opportunity to concentrate on a specific area of research.

Potential Careers

• Professional artist
• Art teacher, educator, or technician
• Art administration and management in galleries and museums
• Art therapy (with extra professional qualification) and art community work
• Art journalism
• Curator

Work placements

Recent students have worked on site-specific commissions, community arts projects, and work placements with local galleries and museums, residencies in schools, and even creating their own virtual gallery. The experience is invaluable in terms of working to time and budgetary constraints, and in dealing with the public.

Indicative modules

Distinctive features of the course:

• Practice-based Fine Art research in Painting, Sculpture (including Ceramic), Textiles, Printmaking and/or New Media and technologies
• Opportunities to work with nationally recognised arts researchers
• Development of professional working practices
• All students may leave with a fully functioning website for their own work (the emphasis being on the development of an existing site rather than building one from scratch)
• Theory and Research Methodologies linked to practical studio work
• Full time students offered studio space
• Use of 'artOne' BA studio facilities for full and part time students in the summer period.

Optional modules:

• The development of fully functioning websites for students' own work
• Share in collaborative work through 'Practising Arts with New Technologies' module.

Teaching and assessment

To gain an MA students need to complete four out of five modules plus the Independent Exhibition. This is an independent research project, and is largely practical, culminating in a professional context exhibition.

All sessions are held at the University of Chichester’s Bishop Otter Campus. Full time students are given a studio space, and full and part time students have access to workshop facilities. All students benefit from access to large studio spaces during the summer months. Study contact sessions take place on Wednesday’s and Thursday’s across Semester 1 and 2 and the summer period.

Full time – 12 months (September to September).

Part time – 24 months (September to September)

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Our Master of Fine Art (MFA) is a two-year full time studio-based programme in Fine Art. It is designed for graduates in Fine Art. It is also for those with other backgrounds who wish to establish or extend their position as practitioners in the contemporary art world.

Our Master of Fine Art (MFA) is a two-year full time studio-based programme in Fine Art.

It is designed for graduates in Fine Art or those who want to establish or extend their position as practitioners in the contemporary art world.

The programme also offers a grounding for those hoping to progress to PhD degree study.

We admit 10 students per year on to the MFA. Our course is one of the few two-year full-time masters courses in Fine Art in the UK.

The course

You'll work in purpose-built studio space. The course combines intensive personal studio practice and critical scrutiny.

Our teachers are a wide range of distinguished and internationally celebrated practicing artists.

You will have 24-hour access to your studio. Towards the end of June, when the undergraduate students are no longer in the building. You can then use all the studios in the building.

Your work

Our course supports a range of practices, whether you work with:
-Painting, drawing and sculpture
-Digital media
-Performance
-Photography
-Printmaking
-Installation and video art

We encourage and support the practice and study of art through thoughtful and informed investigation, experimentation and speculation.

Resources and support

You are expected to pursue your practice and research with a high level of independence. You'll also be supported throughout by your supervisor.

You'll meet your supervisor regularly to discuss your work. We run a programme of:
-Cross-disciplinary seminars
-Group studio discussions
-Lectures by distinguished visiting artists

Study trips abroad

We run regular study trips abroad, usually one each semester. They generally last between four and seven days. These are organised by the department and are optional.

You have to self-fund these trips.

Recent trips have been to New York, the Venice Biennale, Madrid, Florence and Berlin.

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