BA (Hons) Fine Art

Entry requirements

Although many of our students do come in with top grades and high UCAS points, these aren’t necessarily essential for entry. We typically ask for between 104 - 120 UCAS points, earned through an Art & Design Foundation Diploma, A-levels, BTEC Extended Diploma MMM grade, Access to HE Art & Design, T-Levels, Irish/Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers, the International Baccalaureate, or other international qualifications.

Applicants also need to submit a portfolio.

We understand that talented artists, designers and makers can have a wide range of relevant strengths and skills beyond formal qualifications. We’re just as interested in exploring your portfolio and discussing your creative experiences as we are in seeing your grades, and we welcome applications from students who have followed less traditional routes.

We also accept a range of international qualifications and will look at each application individually.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Prepare for Success in Fine Art

Our BA (Hons) Fine Art course is rigorous and questioning, encouraging an ambitious diversity of approaches in thinking and making. We promote contemporary art practice in its broadest sense, fostering an ambitious, self-directed, and critically engaged approach to creative practice.

Why choose this course at Arts University Plymouth?

• Our course prioritises contemporary art practice and critical inquiry. As a studio-centred, interdisciplinary program, it allows you the freedom to work in any medium at any stage, offering the flexibility to shape your own professional journey.
• Partnerships with ambitious and contemporary art spaces, we think beyond our walls and you will get to test, experiment and exhibit work in real life professional art settings.
• Become part of our creative fine art community where our graduates go on to successful and professional roles in freelancing, art handling, education, socially engaged practice, production, publishing, exhibiting, therapy, management, and curation.

I wouldn’t change any of the decisions that led me here. I’m so glad that I quit my job in London and came back to the South West to study Fine Art at Arts University Plymouth. That was the best decision I’ve ever made.

MOLLY ERIN MCCARTHY, BA (HONS) FINE ART GRADUATE

Forge Your Creative Path in Contemporary Art

Embark on a dynamic journey of artistic exploration with our interdisciplinary Fine Art course. We champion ambitious, self-directed, and critically engaged approaches to contemporary art, fostering an environment where creativity knows no bounds.

Throughout the course, you'll cultivate invaluable skills to critically question and actively create within a supportive community of like-minded artists. Explore diverse modes of practice and gain hands-on experience in the creative sector, forming lasting professional networks for your creative future. Dive into interdisciplinary exploration and seize opportunities to develop your creative practice in a dynamic learning environment.

Developing your Practice

This course fosters individual artistic growth and exploration, focusing on practice-based study to nurture diverse artistic expression.

From traditional to cutting-edge techniques, access a range of practices spanning 2D, 3D, 4D, and hybrid approach, as well as workshops in sound drawing, performance painting, scale sculpture, performance, video, projection mapping, sound, traditional printmaking, welding, mould making, casting, critical and reflective writing. Refine your artistic practice in a nurturing environment that intersects creativity with social justice. Master working to briefs, exploring creative ideas solo and collaboratively, and expertly managing projects from inception to fruition.

Develop Skills in Collaborative Working

This course provides opportunities for working collaboratively, deepening cultural understanding and exploring new processes in workshops. Students on this course will work in a learning environment that provides a meaningful link between your studio practice and contemporary art theory. Immerse yourself in Studio 11, our contemporary, double-height, open-plan building designed to cater to the needs of fine art students., guided by a dynamic community of creative practitioners. Our curriculum celebrates diversity in thought and creation, encouraging collaborative exploration and the pursuit of new concepts and materials.

From forming international artist collectives and exhibiting at Art Weekenders to transforming Tate Modern's Switch House into a pop-up factory as part of Tate Exchange — our students regularly engage with the public and gaining vital artist exposure.

Cultivate Your Unique Creative Voice

Our Fine Art course encourages an ambitious diversity of approaches in thinking and making based on supporting your personal creative development through exposure to a wide variety of material methods and modes of art practice. Led by a dynamic community of creative practitioners, our experienced academic team are active artists, writers, and researchers in contemporary fine art practice. You’ll develop your individual artistic practice within the supportive environment of an independent specialist art university, as well as gaining a high level of practical skill in your chosen field. You will learn how to work to a brief, how to deconstruct the brief, explore creative ideas singularly and with peers, and collaboratively manage projects to creative conclusions.

Gain Real-World Experience and Industry Exposure

As a student you will develop an unrivalled understanding of the professional art world through our ongoing partnerships which include emerging and established galleries, museums, creative organisations and practising artists. You will gain a deep understanding of the professional landscape through our partnerships, preparing you effectively for a career in the creative sector upon graduation. In previous years, Fine Art students and staff have participated in Tate Exchange at Tate Modern, as part of the university’s commitment to socially-engaged forms of art and cultural practice. The university’s on-site public exhibition space, MIRROR, also draws a range of national and international artists and exhibitions, allowing you the opportunity to engage with artists through related workshops, talks and screenings.

Industry partners & connections

KARST, The Box, Sprite Arts Collective, Plymouth Culture Meanwhile Use, RAAM, Heart for Art, Stoke Village Hub, MIRROR gallery, WonderZoo, Yourway Project, Make Tank, Tate Exchange.

Fees and funding