Fine Art MA

Key Facts

  • Level

    Postgraduate

  • Duration

    Full Time: 1 year
    Part Time: 2 - 4 years

  • Starting

    September

  • Fees UK 24/25

    Full Time: £8,250
    Part Time: £920 (per 20 credits)

  • Fees International 24/25

    Full Time: £16,995

Get in touch


For questions regarding study and admissions please contact us:

UK/EU Students enquiries

study@northampton.ac.uk
0300 303 2772

International Students enquiries

international@northampton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1604 893981

Overview


Our Fine Art MA programme enables you to evaluate and develop your creative practice to the highest standards. It develops theoretical awareness, critical thinking and independent arts practice to a professional level.

The Fine Art masters course at UON facilitates critical debate between artists working within and across media areas including painting, photography, digital imaging, printmaking, sculpture, installation and site-specific art. Alongside your studio-based enquiry, you will undertake related research into the broader context of contemporary art practices and theoretical debates.

Updated 19/03/2024

Highlights


  • A personal studio space for each student enrolled on the Master’s in fine art course.
  • Access to comprehensive specialist resources with technical instruction and support, including one of the country’s leading printmaking workshops.
  • Research active staff with a range of specialisms, expertise and subject knowledge.
  • National and international level visiting speakers.
  • International study trips, typically one European option and one long-haul destination.

Course Content


  • This MA Fine Art course has been designed to contribute towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

    SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

    For both full and part-time students, the Fine Art MA course begins with two modules, ‘Fine Art Practice’ and ‘Extended Fine Art Practice and Research Methodologies.’ The module ‘Fine Art Practice’ will enable you to identify the practical and theoretical parameters of your studio practice. ‘Extended Fine Art Practice and Research Methodologies’ will provide you with a grounding in different research-based methods appropriate to Fine Art. During the first trimester, full-time MA Fine Art students will also be enrolled on ‘Interfacings,’ a module which examines the theoretical and cultural underpinnings of contemporary art.

    During the second trimester, both full and part-time students will be enrolled on ’Fine Art Practice and Context,’ a 40-credit module that typically culminates in a public exhibition. At this point full-time students will also undertake ‘Independent Study in the Arts,’ a module which will enable you to undertake a project focused around a defined topic.

    In the third trimester, full-time students will complete their final research project which will culminate in a public exhibition. Alternatively, students can submit a dissertation which will be 15-18,000 word in length. Over this trimester part-time Fine Art Master’s students complete the ‘Independent Study in the Arts’ module. When part-time students return in their second year of study, they will be enrolled on Interfacings in the first trimester and will then over the MA Fine Art course of the second and third trimesters complete their final research project.

    MA Fine Art Exhibition


    You can study this MA Fine Art course full-time or part-time, and you will benefit from well-equipped facilities and links with galleries such as NN Contemporary (Northampton). The Master’s in Fine Art course often offers international study trips, typically one European option and one long-haul destination. Recent visits have included Italy, India, Vietnam and the USA.

    As well as the existing connections between this course and regional galleries and art organisations, we encourage you to engage with external activities and events, nationally and internationally. For example, a group of Fine Art MA students attended a printmaking residency at the world-renowned Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium. During this time they produced work which was subsequently included in an artist’s book, published by Book Works.

  • Applicants will normally have an honours degree with a first or upper second classification in Fine Art. Under exceptional circumstances, other candidates will be considered. Applicants whose first language is not English may be required to demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English.

    Prospective students should present a portfolio of work together with supporting evidence that is representative of their current creative practice.

    For more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

    If you are an International student and would like information on making an application, please see our How to Apply page.

    English Language Requirements

    All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

    • Minimum standard – IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent)
      for study at master’s level.

    For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

    Preparing your portfolio

  • 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: £8,250
    • UK – Part Time: £920 per 20 credits
    • International: £16,995
    Additional costs

    The cost of your materials will not be covered by your tuition fees. It is very hard to approximate these costs, as it depends on what materials you will be using. Traditional art materials can be purchased from the University shop, which has a wide range of art equipment such as paint, charcoal and quality papers. All materials are competitively priced and the shop is run by our Student Union. You will be responsible for locating alternative and specialist materials, which can be locally sourced from building suppliers and our many industry contacts in the region.

    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: £8,010
    • UK – Part Time: £890 per 20 credits
    • International: £16,500
    Additional costs

    The cost of your materials will not be covered by your tuition fees. It is very hard to approximate these costs, as it depends on what materials you will be using. Traditional art materials can be purchased from the University shop, which has a wide range of art equipment such as paint, charcoal and quality papers. All materials are competitively priced and the shop is run by our Student Union. You will be responsible for locating alternative and specialist materials, which can be locally sourced from building suppliers and our many industry contacts in the region.

    Master’s Loans

    If you are starting a master’s course in 2024/25 either full-time or part-time* you may be able to apply for a master’s loan through Student Finance England.

    *Please note that the maximum period of study allowed for part-time courses is two years.

     

    For information on the scholarships available to you, please see our scholarships page.

    For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.

  • MA Fine Art students will have the opportunity to take International study trips, typically one European option and one long-haul destination. Recent visits have included France, Italy, Spain, India, Vietnam and the USA.

    Costs for study visits vary but are always competitive. UK trips would typically cost £10-£50, European trips would typically cost in the region of £250-£450 and a long haul trip such as Hanoi or Calcutta would cost around £800-£900. Some Fine Art MA students have subsidised this further through fundraising activities.

  • How will I be taught?

    We take a range of approaches to teaching on the MA Fine Art course, to help you learn in the best way for you. A combination of tutorials, group critiques, research supervision, lectures and seminars will give you theoretical and practical experience.

    What is the learning and teaching schedule?

    During the first and second trimester, specific modules are usually delivered on Mondays 9:30am to 4pm.

    How will I be assessed?

    Our MA in Fine Art is assessed in both theory and practice by assignment, examination, portfolio submission and exhibition. You will produce work throughout the Fine Art Master’s course for informal feedback, which does not contribute to your final grade but will give you the chance to improve your work. The MA in Fine Art has three formal assessment periods in February, May and September, and these will contribute to your final grade.

Staff


Careers and Employability


The Fine Art MA is excellent preparation for both professional, cultural environments and higher research study.

You may choose to pursue a PhD with us, through traditional or practice-led methodologies, and the fine art masters is a comprehensive and relevant foundation for such study.