Fine Art BA (Hons)

Key Facts

• UCAS Code: BA: W100, BA with Foundation: W101
• Level: UndergraduateUG BA (Hons)
• Duration: Full Time: 3 years, Full Time Foundation: 4 years, Part Time: 5 - 6 years
• Starting: September
• Entry Requirements: BCC at A Level or, DMM at BTEC
• UK Fees 25/26: Full Time: £9,535, Part Time: £1,585 per 20 credit module, Integrated Foundation Year: £9,535
• International Fees 25/26: Full Time: £15,700, Integrated Foundation Year: £15,700
• Location: Development Hub (Waterside)

Overview

Our BA Fine Art degree gives you the chance to explore contemporary approaches to Fine Art across a range of disciplines, making use of our excellent resources for painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, lens based and digital arts.

Highlights

• Excellent studio spaces and high-quality teaching from practising artists.
• Students have achieved national and international recognition in competitions including The John Moores Painting Prize, Freelands Painting Prize, WSA Painting Prize, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, Derwent Art Prize, Wells Art Contemporary, Rugby Open, MK Gallery Platform Award and Chaiya Art Prize.
• Access to comprehensive specialist workshop resources with technical instruction and support.
• Materials and equipment provided for most first year workshop activities.
• A great range of national and international study trips and exhibition opportunities.
• Research into the broader context of contemporary art practices and debates through our art theory modules and guest speaker programme.
• A real focus on your future career, with employability modules in Year 2 and 3 of the course.
• Guaranteed paid internship with the Northampton Employment Promise.
• HP laptop and software included with this Fine Art course for eligible students* (*see Eligibility criteria and Terms and Conditions)

Entry Requirements

• A typical offer to study BA Fine Art at the University of Northampton would be: BCC at A Level or, DMM at BTEC/Cambridge Technical or, Pass (C and above) at T Level
• In addition, we expect applicants to have studied art or a relevant subject at A Level, BTEC or equivalent. We also accept Foundation Diplomas in Art and Design.
• Other Entry Requirements: Applicants are interviewed and are requested to provide a portfolio of their own work in Art and Design. International students may submit their portfolio electronically. If you have a relevant HND or Foundation Degree with a suitable profile of achievement you may be admitted onto year two or three of this course.

Course Content

• Year 1: In the first year of your fine art degree, you will complete one 60 credit module each semester comprising of both studio and theoretical content. The Year One art studio modules are based around project themes, workshops and other activities. Through these projects you will be introduced to a wide range of materials and processes across fine art disciplines, and new concepts and ways of thinking about art. We encourage risk-taking, bold experimentation and an open mind to begin to locate discipline interests and approaches.
• Year 2: In your second year, you will again complete one module each semester. Building on your skills and interests that you have developed in the first year, the first module allows students to focus on establishing a personal practice, ‘putting down roots’ through a studio enquiry. The second module galvanises an understanding of each student’s practice and provides an opportunity to exhibit and/or test the work in various contexts.
• Year 3: The third year focuses your practice as you build towards the final Degree Show, creating a coherent and ambitious body of artwork for assessment and public exhibition. This main 80 credit module is at the heart of your third year, and is the culmination of three years of intensive art practice.

Student Perks

• If you join this full time Fine Art degree at the University of Northampton, you will receive a laptop when your course begins.* The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home. In addition to the Office365 (including Word, Powerpoint and Excel) which all University of Northampton students have full access to, students enrolled on our BA Fine Art degree can also access Adobe Creative Suite software including Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign and Illustrator. At the University of Northampton, all materials and equipment that you need for workshops and Yr1 projects will be provided, and a supply of basic art materials is also available to enable you to experiment with a range of media and techniques.

Fees and Funding

• 2025/26 Tuition Fees: UK – Full Time: £9,535, UK – Part Time: £1,585 per 20 credit module, UK – Integrated Foundation Year: £9,535, International – Full Time: £15,700, International – Integrated Foundation Year: £15,700
• Additional Costs: All materials and equipment that you need for workshops and Year 1 projects will be provided, and a supply of basic art materials is also available to enable you to experiment with a range of media and techniques. As your personal art practice develops, you can also purchase a range of competitively priced art materials from the University art shop run by our Student Union. Costs for study visits vary but are always competitive, with UK trips would typically costing £10-50 and overseas trips normally in the region of £300-450.

Staff

• Senior Lecturer in Printmaking: Michelle Keegan
• Professor of Art and the Public Sphere: Andrew Hewitt
• Associate Lecturer (Fine Art): Anthony Iles
• Professor in Fine Art: Craig Staff
• Senior Lecturer in Sculpture & Spatial Practice: Richard Hollinshead
• Senior Lecturer in Drawing and Digital Practice: Michael Evans
• Senior Lecturer in Printmaking: Stefan Gant

Careers and Employability

• Employability is central to our BA Fine Art degree, with specialist modules in your second and third years of study that prepare our students for the next steps in their careers. Our students benefit from guest speakers who introduce a range of career options including freelance artist, curator, art therapist, art teacher, gallerist and other areas of arts management.

Facilities and special features

• Your own personal studio space
• Bookable project space for testing and exhibiting your work
• Printmaking Workshop, including screen-printing and intaglio processes
• 3D Workshops, including casting, fabrication and laser-cutting
• Photographic studios and darkroom
• Canvas prep-room
• Mac Suite with Adobe Creative Suite software
• Negotiable access to other specialist workshops (for example, fashion, greenscreen studios etc)
• Audio-Visual equipment loan centre

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You will be part of a diverse group of students, each of whom bring their own unique experiences and interests to this Fine Art course, making our supportive studio environment a great place to find your own artistic voice. In our first-year modules, you will gain experience and confidence with various media and concepts, and start to develop your own personal practice which you will then build upon over the next two years. Throughout your Fine Art degree, we will support your journey with tutorials, seminars, study visits and opportunities to participate in live projects, competitions and exhibitions.

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Outline:

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Year 1:

• Traditions of Fine Art Practice (60 Credits): This module introduces students to the traditions of art studio practice through a schedule of briefs, workshops, and micro-projects.
It covers materials, processes, and theoretical approaches associated with fine art.
• Possibilities in Fine Art Practice (60 Credits): This module encourages students to develop confidence across a range of analogue and digital contemporary fine art techniques and processes.
It includes artist-led debates and focuses on building research and presentation skills.

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Year 2:

• Exhibiting and Connecting (60 Credits): This module encourages the development of individual art practice and explores how artwork engages with audiences in a gallery context.
Students are introduced to gallery curation, exhibition design, and related theories and business models. It covers theories, exemplars, and business models appropriate to a range of practices, alongside career paths within the wider arts sector.

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Year 3:

• Art and Criticality (20 Credits): This module consolidates the student's creative and theoretical interests through an articulation of their own practice within a critical framework.
It involves an independent investigation and analysis of artists and conceptual positions within the field of Fine Art relevant to the individual student.
• Careers in the Arts (20 Credits): This module enables students to develop their working knowledge of the creative and cultural industries, provides them with a range of skills and strategies to prepare themselves for the external world, and requires the student to take practical actions to progress their career within the arts sector or related field.
• Fine Art Exhibition (80 Credits): This module consolidates creative and theoretical interests through an exhibited body of work that demonstrates a refined approach to art practice, consideration of appropriate exhibition format and audience, and the integration of relevant theory and debates.
The exhibition is supported by "statements of practice" tailored to a range of audiences.

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Study Visits:

Study Visits are a key feature of the BA Fine Art course. Students have benefitted from international study visits to Paris, Venice, Barcelona, Berlin, and New York, as well as UK visits to spaces such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Henry Moore Institute, BALTIC, Nottingham Contemporary, the Liverpool Biennial, Folkstone Triennial, and IKON Gallery in Birmingham. They are regular visitors to the Venice Biennale, the oldest and largest visual art festival in the world.

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Exhibition Opportunities:

Students exhibit their work regularly throughout their studies, both in studios and project spaces, but also at other venues in the region. In recent years, UON Fine Art students have exhibited work at NN Contemporary (Northampton), MK Gallery (Milton Keynes), and nearby Lamport Hall and Delapre Abbey.

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Teaching:

• Tuition from practicing artists who publish and exhibit nationally and internationally.
• Close relationship with the Fine Art team and technical demonstrators.
• Diverse group of students to work alongside in studios.

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Careers:

• Employability is central to the Fine Art degree, with specialist modules in the second and third years of study that prepare students for the next steps in their careers.
• Students benefit from guest speakers who introduce a range of career options including freelance artist, curator, art therapist, art teacher, gallerist, and other areas of arts management.
• Many students go onto master's study, including the University's own MA Fine Art course.

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Other:

• The BA Fine Art degree at UON has been designed to contribute towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
• The course has a real focus on your future career, with employability modules in Year 2 and 3 of the course.
• Students receive a laptop when their course begins (UK fee payers only).
• The course includes a guaranteed paid internship with the Northampton Employment Promise.
• HP laptop and software included with this course for eligible students.

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2024/25 Tuition Fees Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 24/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UK – Full Time: £9,250 UK – Part Time: £1,540 per 20 credit module UK – Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250 International – Full Time: £15,200 International – Integrated Foundation Year: £15,200 Additional Costs Costs for study visits vary but are always competitive, with UK trips would typically costing £10-50 and overseas trips normally in the region of £300-450. 2023/24 Tuition Fees Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 23/24 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UK – Full Time: £9,250 UK – Part Time: £1,540 per 20 credit module UK – Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250 International – Full Time: £14,750 International – Integrated Foundation Year: £14,750 Additional Costs Costs for study visits vary but are always competitive, with UK trips would typically costing £10-50 and overseas trips normally in the region of £300-450.

University of Northampton

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Overview:

University of Northampton is a public university located in Northampton, England. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as continuing professional development courses. The university is known for its focus on social impact and its commitment to creating a better society through its students, research, and engagement with the wider world.

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Services Offered:

The university provides a variety of services to its students, including:

Accommodation:

On-campus halls of residence are available for students.

Employment Promise:

The university offers an employment promise to help students find work after graduation.

Student Perks:

Students receive various perks, including laptops, trips, and internships.

Support:

The university provides comprehensive support services to students, including academic, wellbeing, and accessibility support.

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Student Life and Campus Experience:

Students at University of Northampton can expect a vibrant and engaging campus experience. The university has a modern campus with a full range of integrated learning environments, including a 24/7 library and learning zone. Students can participate in a variety of clubs and societies, and there are numerous events and activities throughout the year.

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Key Reasons to Study There:

Social Impact Focus:

The university is committed to making a positive impact on society through its research and engagement.

Modern Campus:

The university has a new, modern campus with state-of-the-art facilities.

Employment Promise:

The university's employment promise helps students find work after graduation.

Student Support:

The university provides comprehensive support services to students.

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Academic Programs:

The university offers a wide range of academic programs, including:

Undergraduate:

Programs in various fields, including business, sport, nursing, law, psychology, computing, and design.

Master's:

Programs in various fields, including business, education, health, and social work.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD):

Courses designed to enhance professional skills and knowledge.

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Other:

The university has a strong focus on research and has several research institutes and centers. It also has a strong commitment to equality and inclusion and provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.