Program Overview

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BA (Hons) Fine Art

Course Overview

Pursue your passion and bring your creative ideas to life with our BA (Hons) Fine Art degree. Based in bespoke studios and workshops, our course is designed to help you develop a confident, independent art practice grounded in both technical skill and critical understanding.

Through a curriculum that weaves together practical work with modules in art history, critical theory and professional practice, you’ll be encouraged to challenge conventions, reflect on lived experiences and create culturally relevant work that speaks to today’s society.

Our socially engaged approach to art is supported by tutor-led workshops, one-to-one tutorials, group discussions and lectures, all designed to foster experimentation, dialogue and reflection. You'll also benefit from detailed feedback to help you grow as an artist throughout your studies.

In addition to developing your artistic voice, you’ll gain valuable business and entrepreneurial skills, essential for thriving in the creative industries. You'll graduate equipped with the practical tools and critical thinking necessary to navigate the contemporary art world with confidence.

Lecturers maintain strong connections with regional, national and international arts organisations, offering exciting opportunities for networking and professional exposure. You'll also be inspired by a dynamic programme of guest speakers, including contemporary artists, curators and creative professionals who bring fresh perspectives and insights into your studio practice.

Whether you're aiming to exhibit your work, progress to further study or pursue a role within the wider creative economy, our course provides a platform to launch your artistic career.

On this course you will...

• Study inter-disciplinary skills, learning ALL the techniques you need to become a brilliant artist. Including sculpture drawing, painting & printmaking, photography, filmmaking, and even performance.
• Be assigned a generous studio space on campus with access to specialist resources and equipment.
• Take part in Student Exhibitions from day one: Year 0 Exhibition, First Year Drawing Exhibition, Three Minute Film Festival, Seconds Out and a Final Year Degree Show.
• Explore external exhibitions and artistic spaces. Our students run exhibitions across the city, arrange events and run workshops, contributing to the creative and cultural life of Carlisle.

Key Details

• Recruiting to: UK / RoI / Settled in UK, EU / EEA / International
• Course Location: Carlisle - Brampton Road
• Institute: Institute of Education, Arts and Society
• UCAS Code: W100
• Delivery Style: Blended Learning
• Course Duration: Full-time: 3 Years
• Study Options: Integrated Foundation Year
• Course Start Point: September
• Award: BA (Hons)

Minimum entry requirements

• 104-112 UCAS Tariff Points
• You can find out more about the tariff and qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.
• Offers are tailored to the individual applicant and their circumstances and can be across the tariff range.
• Applicants who meet our contextual information criteria will be offered at the bottom of the range.

Qualifications

• A-levels: BCC-BBC
• T-levels: P (C+) – M. All subjects are accepted for entry to this course
• Access to HE: 15 Credits at Distinction & 30 at Merit
• CACHE Technical Level 3 and Level 3 Extended Diploma: C-B
• OCR Cambridge Technical & Edexcel/Pearson BTEC Level 3 (National) Extended Diploma: MMM - DMM
• Scottish Highers: BBBC - BBBA
• Irish LC Highers: B1, B2x3 – B1x3, B2

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

Selection Criteria

As part of the application and selection process, we are looking for your commitment to this programme. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate your motivation for choosing this course and reflect upon any experience you have gained.

All places are offered subject to successful interview and portfolio. You should present a cohesive portfolio containing a broad range of work and be able to explain at interview what has led you to apply for Fine Art and the attributes you would bring to it.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study.

Tuition Fees

• £9,535 - UK
• £14,900 - International

Additional Costs

There will be some additional costs. For example all students will need to purchase stationery and may wish to purchase some text books. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc. although such features are usually options within the course.

Books and Journals

Most core text books are available via the University's library, however students may wish to buy copies of any texts used to support your learning on your course. This could cost between £50 - £100 per year.

Stationery

Students should budget for stationery and consumables for your own personal use. This should include notebooks, pens and pencils for taking notes in class and/or in the field. Students should also budget for the purchase of USB pen drives, as well as occasional printing and photocopying costs incurred in the preparation or submission of coursework. Whilst you will choose how much you need, expect to pay around £30 - £40 per year for these items.

Course Structure

What you will learn

You will develop an awareness of contemporary fine art practices and hone your ability to make, critique and discuss your work and that of others. Our close-knit and supportive community will inspire your creativity and shape your individual practice.

Year one

In your first year you will focus on the development of your skills across all Fine Art disciplines with practical work playing an important role in informing art theory, as well as critical and historic perspectives.

• Materials and Methods
• Cultural Contexts
• Application
• Collaborative Practice
• Collaborative Brief

Year two

In your second year, you will develop your skills and address professional fine art practice and current issues. Plus, you will curate and organise a public exhibition of your work, gaining essential professional experience.

• Enquiry 1
• Intersections
• Enquiry 2
• The Professional Self

Year three

Your final year centres around a curated degree show, where you put your artistic and professional practice skills to the test.

• Practice 1
• Independent Research Paper
• Practice 2

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Throughout your degree, you will learn through a variety of techniques that foster practical skills and theoretical knowledge. For example, lectures and seminars will take place to encourage discussion and theoretical thinking; while workshops are intended to be a place for experimentation, where you will learn new skills and put them into practice.

How you will be assessed

Assessment in Fine Art does not necessarily signal an end-point for a project. The assessment process, including self-assessment feedback, feedback tutorials, crits, and referral projects, are an opportunity for you to reflect, consider, and learn from your experience in order to continually develop your skills, awareness & practice.

Whilst assessment also functions to, eventually, provide an overall measurement of achievement in the form of the degree classification itself, it is, perhaps more importantly, part of the overall dynamic and continuum of the educational experience as a whole.

As a Fine Art student, you have the opportunity to learn during the assessment process, as you are invited to take part in the assessment process itself.

The presentation of a critical, self-assessment statement, and your presence at the assessment event, are important aspects of Fine Art’s learning and teaching dynamic. The expectation is that you will be in a position to compare your own self-assessment, with that provided by staff in feedback, as a means to reflect upon and to consider the development of your critical awareness with respect to your developing practice.

The experience should be viewed as an opportunity to ‘test reality’, in identifying common criteria used by us all on which to base our critical judgments of our work.

Summative and Formative Assessment

Assessment criteria have been established for each module in order to examine your understanding of the work that you have been set. These criteria are closely linked to the aims, objectives, and learning outcomes established at each stage in your course, and are published within the module briefs or descriptors.

More specifically, assessment seeks to measure your performance on projects, assignments, essays, and practice, and your developing ability to accept, gather, and process information, using it in an informed, relevant and critical manner.

For practical modules, assessment typically involves a viva voce examination during which members of staff will discuss your presented work with you. Members of the course team are involved in assessment procedures at all stages of the programme, and are also members of the Programme Examinations Board which considers the marking and progression of all students on the course.

Self-Assessment

Throughout the Fine Art course you will be invited to make self-assessment statements, typically at the conclusion of a module. This exercise provides tutors with the opportunity to monitor your awareness of the assessment criteria, and offers an insight into your own critical faculties. It is a valuable opportunity for you to explore your judgment relative to the criteria and assessment philosophy of the course.