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Fine Art (including foundation year)

Entry requirements


At least one A level (or a minimum of 32 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/National/BTEC Extended Diploma).

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above or you will need to take the University English test.

UCAS Tariff

32

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

8 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Fine art

**Why study this course?**

Our Fine Art BA (including foundation year) BA (Hons) is a four-year degree with an in-built foundation year that will give you the chance to explore a range of artistic directions before going on to specialise specifically in areas of fine art during your subsequent years of study.

Our foundation year course is a great route into a fine art degree, especially if you don’t meet the necessary requirements to enter a three-year undergraduate degree in fine art or painting.

The School of Art, Architecture and Design, where our Fine Art (including foundation year) BA degree is taught, has an excellent reputation for its courses. We’re ranked seventh in the UK for art in the Guardian’s university league tables 2020.

**More about this course**

In your foundation year you'll undertake intensive studio workshops that will allow you to develop a range of skills and techniques that you will be able to take with you into the following years of your fine art degree.

During these workshops you’ll have the opportunity to explore observational drawing, creative drawing, painting, conceptual modelling, practical making, performance, colour, materials, process, collage, composition curating, exhibiting and more. You’ll also work on interpretative projects that will enable you to establish your own artistic style and forge a clear direction.

Your tutors will introduce you to the skills and work ethic you’ll need to study fine art at undergraduate level and also encourage you to be experimental in your approach to fine art projects.

Towards the end of your foundation year, you’ll work on subject-specific projects that will strengthen your independence as an artist and allow you to further show off your creativity. You’ll also attend a series of lectures and seminars that frame creative practice within historical, contemporary, conceptual and cultural contexts.

As part of the course, you’ll have regular opportunities to present your work – both as works in progress and finished projects – to your peers and tutors. This will allow you to gain feedback on your work, hone in on your individual objectives and develop your own creative style as you progress through the course.

After your foundation year (year 0), you will study the same modules and content as students on our Fine Art BA (Hons) degree.

Fine art is a hugely broad and popular area of the arts but should you decide you want to specialise in a more specific subject following your foundation year, we will be able to facilitate this.

Modules

Example Year 0 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies: Foundation
Formats
Project
Techniques

Example Year 1 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 1 (Art)
Project Work 1
Techniques: Fine Art
Visual Intelligence

Example Year 2 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 2 (Art)
Methods and Enquiry 1
Professional Practice 1: Fine Art
Project Work 2

Example Year 3 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (Art)
Major Project
Methods and Enquiry 2
Professional Practice 2: Fine Art

Assessment methods

You will be assessed via project work, essays and an individual portfolio.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£19,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£19,250
per year
International
£19,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£19,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Aldgate

Department:

School of Art, Architecture and Design

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

79%
Fine art

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Art

Teaching and learning

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

54%
Library resources
67%
IT resources
54%
Course specific equipment and facilities
50%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
91%
2:1 or above
27%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Art

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
high
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

Quite a few students of fine art have already retired and are taking the degree for the excellent reason that they love art, and they're willing to pay to study it. You should bear this in mind if the stats you see feature particularly low employment rates. If you need to earn a living once you've finished your fine art degree, be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common - about one in six fine arts graduates were working for themselves. Also common are what is termed 'portfolio careers' — having several part-time jobs or commissions at once - and many courses actually help you prepare for freelancing. One in ten of last year’s fine arts graduates had more than one job six months after graduation — over twice the average for graduates from 2015. Graduates from these subjects are often found in arts jobs, as artists, designers, photographers and similar jobs, or as arts and entertainment officers or teachers — although it's perfectly possible to get jobs outside the arts if you wish, with jobs in events management, marketing and community work amongst the most popular options.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Art

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£13k

£13k

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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