University of Brighton
UCAS Code: W120 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Pass Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at Level 3 of which 30 credits must be at Merit or above. Art and Design courses are preferred.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Must include at least three subjects at Higher Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
or equivalent combination of grades.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
Your portfolio of work is the most important part of your applications for this course. It’s not just about finished work, this is your opportunity to show us your thinking, ideas and abilities. We will assess it alongside your UCAS application.
You may also need to…
Present a portfolio
About this course
One of the few painting degrees in the UK, Fine Art Painting at Brighton is studio-based and centred on vital hands-on learning-by-doing.
Our course is well known and highly respected. Many of our graduates exhibit their work globally and have made significant contributions to fine art and related cultural spheres.
Rather than teaching a house style, we offer a diverse and dynamic learning experience, rooted in painting but extending across many fine art media. We aim to foster independent artists and thinkers who engage through experimentation, exploration and risk taking. This prepares you to engage with the world of contemporary fine art through a range of individual approaches.
Your tutors on the Fine Art Painting degree course are internationally exhibiting artists with painting at the core of their practices, all with professional experience of the subject.
Frequent individual and group tutorials guide you through every aspect of your work – from the material, to the conceptual and contextual. Methods and materials workshops give you practical knowledge of painting skills and critical studies foster your social and historical awareness. Professional development modules prepare you for successful creative careers beyond graduation.
This course sits within a suite of Fine Art courses at Brighton alongside Fine Art and Printmaking. Please see entries for these courses to find out more.
**TOP REASONS TO CHOOSE THIS COURSE**
- There is no house style – we believe that to develop as a painter you must be unafraid of taking risks and be willing to learn through both failure and success.
- We encourage you to explore all aspects of painting, discovering how different media and processes impact on the ideas and content of your work.
- We will encourage you to test boundaries in an environment of discussion and debate.
- Strong links with local arts communities provide volunteer and employment opportunities
- You will have your own studio space and be in regular contact with expert staff through individual tutorials, lectures, seminars and workshops.
- There are opportunities to exhibit your work throughout the course including student-led exhibitions at the university and in art and exhibition spaces across the city, culminating in the Graduate Show.
- Your lecturers are professional painters, so you will receive guidance from established artists
- International links with the University of Nagoya, Japan, including an exchange programme available by competitive application.
- Professional development lectures in your final year cover areas including self-employment, networking and project management, preparing you for a career in the creative industries.
- Follow the course on Instagram: @bfap_
Modules
Year 1
Studio Practice 1: Introducing Studio Practice
Studio Practice 2: Developing an Independent Practice
Methods and Materials
Theories and Practices of Fine Art: Introduction to Global Art Histories and Art Writing
Year 2
Studio Practice 3: Studio Practice: Investigation, Experimentation and Public Exhibition Practice
Studio Practice 4: Professional Development
Theories and Practices of Fine Art: Contexts and Specialisms
Diary Practice: Making Meaning in Times of Global Challenge
Final Year
Studio Practice 5: Reflection and Experimentation in Studio Practice
Theories and Practice of Fine Art: Articulation of Your Critical Position
Studio Practice 6: Studio Practice and Final Exhibition
Tuition fees
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What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
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.
£17k
£22k
£25k
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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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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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