Fine Art - BA (Hons)

About this course

About

You learn through the direct experiences of making art and of critical reflection within a studio environment. Studios, workshops and technical support are close by to best cultivate productive studio practice. Studio activity is complemented by online engagement, teaching and support to create a rich blended learning experience.

The course is broadly organised as a series of Studio Practice and History and Theory modules.

Year 1: You are introduced to the studio and philosophic culture of Fine Art. From the start you are encouraged to think for yourself and develop your ideas; to organise your working space and time; to be self sufficient; to become aware of art, artists and ideas connected to your work and to be inventive, imaginative and experimental. Making art, looking at art and discussing art and related ideas are central to the Fine Art ethos. You are also introduced to techniques, histories, theories, academic methods, skills and critical approaches which inform studio and written work.

Year 2: You develop confidence and a sense of identity as an artist and are encouraged to take increased responsibility for your practice; to explore more ambitious art projects; to become more self-critical; and to research and consider relevant art, artists and ideas in greater depth. You learn to thoughtfully articulate (in your practice, speech and writing) the questions, issues and debates relevant to your artworks and those of others; and you continue to test and extend your ideas, methods of making and aesthetic imagination. In second year you also develop professional skills and knowledge via experiences such as exhibition, placement, application or commission processes.

After successful completion of Year 2 you can opt to undertake a placement year, leading to the award of a Diploma in Professional Practice (DPP) or Diploma in International Academic Studies (DIAS). The DPP is generally European-based and workshop orientated. The DIAS allows for further study at an institution in either Europe or in the USA, under the Erasmus scheme, the Study USA scheme or the Year abroad scheme. You will obtain the appropriate award in addition to your degree's classification on successful completion of your Final Year. Many students avail of this exciting and valuable opportunity, and see a great benefit when they return to study in their Final year.

Year 3: You will make and exhibit art works in the professional, public context of the degree show, and submit a dissertation. In third year you further develop your practical, conceptual and aesthetic skills and the critical means to integrate them in the making of art works. You will articulate your practice and position as an artist in artist’s talks and statements and demonstrate your intellectual curiosity and enquiry through your practice and the subject matter of your written dissertation. In this final year, you consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to sustain an independent art practice or to work as a practitioner and employee in wider cultural fields.

Associate awards

Diploma in Professional Practice DPP

Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS

Diploma in Professional Practice International DPPI

Attendance

The course is full time and is delivered as a series of Studio Practice, History and Theory and Professional Practice modules. The relationship between these areas is fundamental to the contemporary study and practice of Fine Art and students are required to pass all modules at each level to progress.

Students taking the full time course are expected to attend campus and/or online five days a week.

In Year 1 and 2 Studio Practice Modules are 40 credits and students take one of these modules each semester. In Year 3 Studio Practice is 80 credits over two semesters. Students must attend scheduled artists lectures and talks, group critiques and workshops and individual tutorials. In Year 1 students also undertake two 20 credit History and Theory modules are expected to attend a lecture and seminars each week. In Year 2 there is a 20 credit History and Theory module which runs over two semesters, and a 20 credit Professional Practice module which also runs over two semesters. In Year 3, along with the 80 credit Studio Practice module, there is a 20 credit History and Theory module (the dissertation) and a 20 credit Professional Practice module. Timetables vary across the semester and module credits are equated with 10 effort hours per credit. Students are expected to conduct independent studio practice and study out with scheduled tutorials, workshops and lectures.

Start dates

• September 2025

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

The aims and learning outcomes of the Fine Art course are achieved through a variety of teaching and learning methods and experiences:

Studio Practiceis the core and fundamental mode of learning. The studio is an important base and point of reference for the student. Learning to work effectively in the studio environment involves organising time, resources, ideas, equipment, skills and materials. It also involves learning about working with others and understanding health and safety and good practice. Studio practice can include directed activities, experiences and projects and self-directed art practice. Fine Art practice education is predicated upon learning through the experience of self-directed making. Studio practice is a space of creativity, imagination, experimentation, research, reflection and thinking through doing. Studio practice is also an important space of peer learning. A range of other modes of teaching and learning are broadly considered part of studio practice (i.e. studio tutorials, group critiques, exhibition, workshop skills and practice.)

TutorialsGroup and one to one tutorials offer support, advice and feedback in relation to ongoing work in studio, professional or history and theory practice.

Group critiquesStudio critiques offer support, advice and feedback in relation to ongoing and completed student art work in the studio. They are an important opportunity for peer and group learning and challenge and develop the critical language and understanding of art works and practices.

Seminars take a variety of forms: they may provide an opportunity for lecturer-led group study, discussion and debate about art, concepts, texts, contexts, histories or theories; they may involve practical interaction and collaboration; or take the form of a master class.

Lectures include artists‘ talks which are key to the student understanding of art and being an artist. Lectures also provide knowledge and understanding of historical and contemporary Fine Art practices and theoretical discourses. Lectures are also used to support the acquisition of contextual and professional knowledge and skills; and to provide information about graduate opportunities. Lectures are also sometimes used to introduce modules and particular elements of coursework.

ExhibitionFormal and informal exhibition opportunities inside and outside the University are employed throughout the course to extend students‘ understanding of their own practices and professional contexts. Students who make time based work are encouraged to show it in the regular Lens Screenings and Performance Mornings.

Interim ReviewsAt significant stages of the course, during the first semester of 1st year and at the end of semester one in 3rd year interim reviews take place and provide key formative feedback and indications of achievement. In 1st year these are in the form of a reflective critique. In the interim review at the end of semester one in 3rd year, students will present work and a short text and receive verbal and written formative feedback which will indicate their level of achievement at the half way stage of the 80 credit module.

Placements Various types of placement including the year-long DPP/DIAS option and smaller professional practice and studio practice placements in galleries, arts and community organisations, artists‘ studios, schools, etc. Placements enable learning through direct experience.

Field trips include trips to visit galleries and other art events; and project type activities. Field Trips provide important knowledge of art through direct experience; insight into the professional realm and opportunities to make work in wider contexts.

Workshop practice includes the delivery and learning of specific workshop techniques, processes, methods and protocol – including health and safety in relation to machines and equipment – and also group learning through collective activity and practice.

Demonstrations deliver particular technical skills and processes.

e-Pedagogy:use of BlackboardLearn (supplementary); digital seminars; art projects online; blogs as art form; web portfolios.

Feedback

Feedback is a fundamental teaching method of the responsive studio environment and discursive seminar structure. Formative feedback is given in a range of different forms and contexts – some formal, some informal. These include group and individual tutorials; studio critiques; informal studio contact; in response to projects/directed activity; when work is shown to a wider audience (e.g. formal and informal exhibition in project and other spaces, lens screenings, performance mornings). Interim reviews in first, second and third year give formative feedback and indications of levels of achievement at key progressional stages the course.

Attendance and Independent Study

The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.

Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:

• the relevant generic national Qualification Descriptor
• the applicable Subject Benchmark Statement
• the requirements of any professional, regulatory, statutory and accrediting bodies.

• Attendance and Independent Study

  As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.

  Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.

  The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.

  Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.

  Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.

• Assessment

  Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes.  You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

  Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

  Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

• Calculation of the Final Award

  The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).

  Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.

  All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.

  In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.

  Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.

Academic profile

Modules

Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.

Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Year one

History and Theory 1 (Approaches to History)

Year: 1

Status: C

History and Theory 1 introduces art historical, theoretical and contextual study and its relationship to studio practice. Key research and study skills are taught. You will conduct independent research into historical and contemporary art and other areas related to studio practice. You will be required to articulate the relationships between contexts and studio practice.

Studio Practice 1

Year: 1

Status: C

Studio Practice 1 introduces you to the course and to the culture and practice of Fine Art. It establishes key practical and conceptual skills and the working methods of Fine Art and studio practice. Through observation, exploration and critical reflection you will make a body of practical experimentation and artworks.

History and Theory 2 (Histories of Modern and Contemporary Art)

Year: 1

Status: C

History and Theory 2 focuses on introducing you to key practices and concepts of modern and contemporary art. Connections are drawn between the art ideas and culture of modernism and those of contemporary art practices. Ways of thinking and communicating about artworks and histories of art established in History and Theory 1 are both extended and refined. You develop skills in close looking, visual literacy, reading, research, critical thinking, oral and written communication and forms of presentation. You will deliver a presentation on a selected topic and produce an academic essay applying taught material and the fruits of your own research to individually selected examples of contemporary art practice.

Studio Practice 2

Year: 1

Status: C

Studio Practice 2 develops your responsibility for your art practice. You will develop practical and conceptual skills and their working methods in the studio and beyond. Through observation, exploration, critical reflection and consideration of form in relation to concept, you will make a body of practical experimentation and artworks.

Year two

Professional Practice 1

Year: 2

Status: C

In Professional Practice 1 you will conduct a project in a professional area of art or cultural practice. You will reflect upon and critically evaluate your experience in an illustrated written report. You will establish methods of documentation and presenting through an online logbook / electronic journal. You will acquire knowledge about wider professional contexts and opportunities. The Professional Practice modules develop and extend your knowledge and experience of the wider professional contexts and skills of contemporary art practice. Professional Practice 1 is fundamentally related to workplace experience and employability, as well as to the Studio Practice and History and Theory modules.

Studio Practice 3

Year: 2

Status: C

Studio Practice 3 is the third of the five consecutive Studio Practice modules on the Fine Art course. Building on the foundation of art practice and knowledge established in Studio Practice 1 and 2, Studio Practice 3 develops self-direction and encourages you to locate your art practices in relation to the wider professional realms of contemporary art.

Studio Practice 4

Year: 2

Status: C

Studio Practice 4 is the fourth of the five consecutive Studio Practice modules on the Fine Art course. Studio Practice 4 focuses on the production of more resolved artworks; the ambition for and critical understanding of art practice and its contexts through an artist's talk, and the experience of exhibition or other appropriate professional contexts through the production of an artist's portfolio.

History and Theory 3 (Key ideas and issues in Contemporary Art and Culture)

Year: 2

Status: C

History and Theory 3 in the second semester introduces key theoretical discourses in visual and material culture in relation to practices of art making, critique and interpretation. You will focus on close reading, textual understanding and writing skills. You are taught how to write a short summary of a theoretical text, clearly positioning the author and giving a careful account of the argument. You will then establish a research question, generate a bibliography and resolve your research in an academic essay.

Year three

Studio Practice 5

Year: 3

Status: C

In Studio Practice 5 you will work ambitiously and critically as a self-directed artist and thinker. You will make artworks that integrate practical, aesthetic and intellectual knowledge. Studio Practice 5 culminates in a professional exhibition of selected artworks in the Degree Show.

This 80 credit module spans two semesters and allows for ambition, risk-taking and continuity, which is reflective of practice in the professional field. This will prepare you for the rigours of postgraduate study and independent practice as an artist.

Professional Practice 2

Year: 3

Status: C

Professional Practice 2 develops your research, study and professional skills, and identifies wider professional and graduate opportunities for you. You will document, present and critically evaluate your art practice and artworks made in the concurrent Studio Practice 5 module. You will explore and articulate your position as an artist and thinker in professional forms: the artist's talk, portfolio, artist's statement and critical commentary. Professional Practice 2 is closely aligned with Studio Practice 5 and History and Theory 4, culminating in your final year Degree Show.

History and Theory 4 (Dissertation)

Year: 3

Status: C

History and Theory 4 is the final History and Theory module on the Fine Art course. In this 20 credit module you identify and pursue a major research project related to your interests and studio practice and present it in the form of an academic Dissertation.

From the first year of the course, you explore the history, contexts and discourses of contemporary art practice though the History and Theory modules, which teach skills in visual literacy, intellectual enquiry, research, analysis, argument, critical writing and interpretation. The History and Theory modules build upon one another incrementally to enable you to identify and research increasingly sophisticated topics, and to write increasingly substantial texts, culminating in the Dissertation. All of the skills gained in the preceding years of the course are used in producing the Dissertation, which is usually the lengthiest and most accomplished piece of academic writing you will have produced to that point.

Placement

Status: O

Year: 3

This module is optional

This is an optional placement year for students who have completed Level 5 prior to the final year of study. The placement must be a minimum of 25 weeks duration and can be in a broad range of Art/Professional practice. A programme of work is agreed by the student, the Placement Tutor and the Placement Partner and usually takes place in Europe with respect to the relevant health and safety and disability regulations.(SENDO). The placement is designed to increase experience of workshop/studio/communal and technical practice, while broadening and enhancing the student`s social, personal and professional development. Upon successful completion of the placement year the student is awarded a Diploma in Professional Studies (DPP) or a Diploma in Professional Practice (DPP) International upon graduation from the course.

International Academic Studies

Status: O

Year: 3

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Republic of Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline whilst generating educational and cultural networks.

Standard entry conditions

We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.

A level

Grades CCC

Applied General Qualifications

RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma

Award profile of MMM

We will also accept smaller BTEC/OCR qualifications (i.e. Diploma or Extended Certificate / Introductory Diploma / Subsidiary Diploma) in combination with A Levels or other acceptable level 3 qualifications.

To find out if the qualification you are applying with is a qualification we accept for entry, please check our Qualification Checker - our Equivalence Entry Checker.

We will also continue to accept QCF versions of these qualifications although grades asked for may differ. Check what grades you will be asked for by comparing the requirements above with the information under QCF in the Applied General and Tech Level Qualifications section of our Entry Requirements - View our Undergraduate Entry Requirements

Irish Leaving Certificate

96 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.

Irish Leaving Certificate UCAS Equivalency

• View tariff point chart

Scottish Highers

Grades CCCCC

Scottish Advanced Highers

Grades DDD

International Baccalaureate

Overall profile is minimum 24 points (including 12 at higher level)

Access to Higher Education (HE)

Overall profile of 55% (120 credit Access Course) (NI Access Course)

Overall profile of 45 credits at Merit (60 credit Access Course) (GB Access Course)

GCSE

For full-time study, you must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements for admission to a first degree course and hold a GCSE pass at Grade C/4 or above in English Language.

Level 2 Certificate in Essential Skills - Communication will be accepted as equivalent to GCSE English.

English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

• English language requirements
• Your country

Additional Entry Requirements

Applicants to this course will be required to submit a portfolio.

Acceptable alternative qualifications include:

Pass HND with overall Merit to include distinctions in 15 Level 5 credits/units may be specified.

Pass HNC with overall Merit to include distinctions in 45 Level 4 credits/units may be specified.

You may also meet the course entry requirements with combinations of different qualifications to the same standard as recognised by the University (provided subject requirements as noted above are met).

Careers & opportunities

Graduate employers

Graduates from this course are now working for:

• The MAC
• Arts Council of Northern Ireland
• Arts Council of Ireland
• Belfast Print Workshop
• Seacourt Print Workshop
• Breakthru Films
• Warsaw
• Trademark Films
• London

Job roles

With this degree you could become:

• Artist
• Art Writing
• Curating
• Artist in Residence
• Gallery Assistant
• Printmaking Technician
• Assistant Technician

Career options

The Fine Art course prepares each student as an artist and thinker, who is able to sustain professional, critical art practice at local, national and international levels, and who can apply their skills, sensibilities and knowledge to wider fields of cultural work, practice and employment.

Students may choose to pursue postgraduate study and research in art practice to MA, MFA, MPhil and PhD level, either within the Belfast School of Art, MFA Fine Art or MFA Photography, or in other institutions in the UK, Europe and beyond. Students also go on to postgraduate study in theoretical, cultural and curatorial management, art therapy and other courses. The course also prepares students for the PGCE.

Fine Art education prepares graduates to be extraordinarily flexible and self-reliant. They are able to forge practices and working lives within changing and unpredictable environments both employed and self-employed. The course equips students with a range of professional and transferable skills and experiences.

Many Fine Art graduates practice successfully as artists, exhibiting in galleries; acquiring funding, awards and prizes; undertaking commissions, residencies and public art projects. Others enter careers in education, curating, writing, arts administration, journalism and broadcast media, the gallery and museum sector, community arts, design and the wider cultural industries. Many previous students of Fine Art in Belfast are internationally renowned, influential and award winning artists, curators, academics and writers, and include several Turner Prize nominees and winners.

Work placement / study abroad

Various types of placement opportunities are provided within smaller professional practice and studio practice placements in galleries, arts and community organisations, artists‘ studios, schools, etc.

The year long Placement (DPP) provides an opportunity for you to gain first hand practical experience within a professional environment such as in galleries, arts and community organisations, artists‘ studios, schools, etc. prior to your final year of study. This module integrates education with the creative industries. It provides you with a range of experiences and skills relative to your practice, future career and professional development. The module is designed to facilitate opportunities for you to interpret and practice your academic knowledge, develop personal, transferrable, professional and entrepreneurial skills and develop a knowledge and understanding of the role of the practitioner within the creative industries.

The year long International Academic Studies (DIAS) option module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Republic of Ireland. You will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline whilst generating educational and cultural networks.

During second year you are offered an Erasmus exchange. The University has links with a number of European higher education institutes, and the course has a particular relationship with art academies in Finland, France, Spain and the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb.

Apply

Start dates

• September 2025

Contact

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For more information visit

• Visit Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Visit Belfast School of Art

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3. If the University discontinues any courses, it will use its best endeavours to provide a suitable alternative course. In addition, courses may change during the course of study and in such circumstances the University will normally undertake a consultation process prior to any such changes being introduced and seek to ensure that no student is unreasonably prejudiced as a consequence of any such change.
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Sustainability at Ulster

Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.

At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.

We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships: Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our work in this area is already being recognised globally.  Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5^th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17:  Partnership for the Goals.

Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Sustainability at Ulster University