Program Overview

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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