Program Overview
MA Fine Art (Photography)
Overview
The MA Fine Art (Photography) program at Bath Spa University is a postgraduate degree that develops students' skills and knowledge through an exciting combination of practice, research, and professional development. The program encourages students to experiment and take risks, establishing their own process and craft.
Course Structure
The MA Fine Art (Photography) program runs over one year and is divided into three trimesters.
Trimester One
- Begin to take chances and challenge your creative processes.
- Interrogate your existing knowledge and develop skills in an environment that encourages playfulness and artistic risk-taking.
- Experiment freely in our wide variety of specialist facilities, open studio spaces, and technical workshops – where expert support is on-hand.
Trimester Two
- Building on the work in the first trimester, you’ll maintain an experimental approach, but start to narrow your focus.
- Evaluate your initial studio developments and refine your working strategy.
- Pay greater attention to the presentation of your practice and test how finished works relate to each other in, as well as to the spaces of, exhibition sites.
Trimester Three
- Work in the studio with increasing independence as you establish a professional practice.
- Devise and complete your Master’s Project, working to a proposal which contextualises your work within your specialist discipline and leads to your final Degree Show.
Course Modules
This course includes or offers the following modules:
- Research Methods
- Theory and Professional Context
- Practice 1 (Fine Art)
- Research Practice
- Theory and Professional Practices
- Practice 2 (Fine Art)
- Masters Project
Assessment
Your progress is evaluated throughout the course and at the end of each trimester through a mixture of exhibitions, verbal/visual presentations, research folders/blogs, and written assignments.
Teaching and Learning
You’ll learn through lectures, talks, taught sessions, individual and group tutorials, and studio critiques and seminars. Visiting lecturers and seminars with external professionals and internationally renowned designers and artists will help you determine where your current practice sits within the industry.
Facilities and Resources
As a postgraduate Fine Art (Photography) student, you’ll benefit from access to comprehensive digital workshops and specialist art and design facilities, including:
- Our student service point at Locksbrook where you can purchase subsidised art and design materials, hire out equipment for free and collect Library resources
- Access to our well-stocked Library at Newton Park
- Specialist technical facilities across all of art and design
- Access to studio space where you can work on projects and refine your practice and your research.
Fees
2025 entry:
- UK full-time: £9,950
- UK part-time: £4,975
- International full-time: £18,560
Entry Requirements
You’ll need a good first degree in Fine Art, Photography, or its equivalent in terms of learning or experience, and a good working knowledge of photographic and fine art contexts and methodologies.
Application and Interview
With your application form, you should provide images of recent work, either in an attachment or through a link to an online resource. These should be clearly marked with size, date, and medium. You should also write a short statement outlining why you want to study for an MA at Bath School of Art, Film and Media and what attracts you to the course.
We encourage you to come to Locksbrook, if possible, so that we can meet in person and show you the campus. At interview, you'd usually bring some examples of your work. We'll ask you about the artists you look at and exhibitions you've visited.
We'll discuss your work, how you hope to develop your ideas, and the facilities you'll need. If it's not possible for you to attend in person, we offer online interviews, supported by a digital portfolio.