Program Overview

BA (Hons) Fine Art

The BA (Hons) Fine Art course at Manchester Metropolitan University is a studio-based program that provides students with the platform to confidently enter the professional world of the artist and arts professional. The course is taught by professional artists who are actively engaged in contemporary practice and encourages students to explore the broader social, political, and community context to define a personal mode of study.

Course Overview

The course is designed to challenge students, enriching their intellectual and creative ambitions, and encouraging them to situate their art practice within a broader social and cultural context. The program of study is designed to allow students to synthesise visual, contextual, and theoretical knowledge into their studio work, developing an informed contemporary fine art practice.

Features and Benefits

• Globally recognised: Manchester Metropolitan University is ranked in the top 100 schools for art and design in the world (QS World Rankings 2024).
• Creative specialism: Students can choose to specialise in painting/print media and sculpture/time-based art, with the flexibility to experiment with broad and expansive approaches to fine art.
• Studio-centred focus: The main focus of the course is on the production of artwork within the studios and workshops.
• Cultural exploration: Study trips include gallery and museum visits to national and international centres, providing opportunities for students to engage with the contemporary art world.

Year 1

In the first year, students will begin to build upon their subject area interests and develop a body of work that responds to a growing understanding of concerns and debates within visual art. Core modules include:

• Working in a Studio: Exploring creative interests, learning to use the studio and workshops, and developing approaches to making.
• Exploring Approaches to Contemporary Art: Introduction to various approaches to making in the studio through short staff-led and independent study projects.
• Intra-actions: Exploring collaborative and interdisciplinary art and/or curatorial practice.
• Future X: Kinship: Exploring creative fields through questions of belonging and considering relationships with the planet, people, and place.

Year 2

In the second year, students will develop a sound understanding of artistic concerns, with guidance, support, and critical input from both staff and invited visitors. Core modules include:

• Future X: Symbiosis: Tackling complex planetary challenges by working with students from different creative fields.
• Studio Practice: Experimenting and Exploring: Exploring materials, processes, and issues relating to the field of contemporary fine art.
• Studio Practice: Developing and Consolidating: Continuing to develop a significant body of work that reflects current concerns and research.
• Art and Audience: Planning and producing public projects, exhibitions, or events, and introducing work to audiences.

Year 3

In the final year, students will begin to demonstrate a heightened understanding of their work within the contemporary visual art landscape. Core modules include:

• Making and Exhibiting Practice 2: Creating a substantial body of work and selecting work for exhibition within a critical framework.
• Defining and Refining Contemporary Art Practice: Working independently to create a compelling body of work that showcases proficiency, intellectual depth, and a growing understanding of contemporary fine art practice.
• Future X: Re-worlding: Exploring the boundaries of where the discipline intersects with other fields of practice as a catalyst for innovation.

Entry Requirements

• Typical offer: 104-112 UCAS tariff points.
• IELTS score: 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5.
• Portfolio: A portfolio of work is required as part of the application.
• UK students: Level 3 qualifications, including GCE A levels, Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma, Access to HE Diploma, UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma, OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma, and T levels.
• International students: IB Diploma with minimum 26 points overall or 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects, and IELTS 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5.

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are still being finalised. Information on 2025/26 standard undergraduate fees for UK/Channel Islands and EU/Non-EU international students is available.

Careers Support and Prospects

• Employed or in further study: 88.7% of UK-domiciled, full-time, first-degree graduates are employed or in further study 15 months after graduation.
• Explore your options and build sought-after skills: Through the Careers Service, students are supported and encouraged to get ready for further study or working life.
• Graduate outcomes: Graduates from BA (Hons) Fine Art have gone on to have successful careers as art professionals, exhibiting their work in the UK, Europe, the USA, and beyond in public shows and as part of private collections. They are also well-equipped to pursue other career paths, including as curators, gallery facilitators, digital content curators, technicians, fabricators, educators, event organisers, and studio managers.