MA Fine Art*
- Entry year
- 2025/26
- Course code
- E10112
- Application
- University
- Level
- Postgraduate
- School
- School of Arts
- Campus
- City Campus
- Duration
- 12 months full-time
- Delivery
- Full-time; starts September
- Programme leader
- Dr Steven Paige
* subject to final UWE Bristol approval
This course is open for applications.
Page last updated 7 October 2024
Introduction
UWE Bristol’s MA Fine Art is ideal if you’re looking to pursue your fine art practice to a professional level in a diverse and supportive community of creative arts practitioners.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Why study this course?
You will study our innovative curriculum alongside a purposefully small group of peers, uniquely designed to offer critical, collaborative and personal approaches to fine art practice in today’s cultural contexts. There is no emphasis on a particular type of work. You might choose to work in painting, installation, performance, sculpture, moving image or drawing, reflecting contemporary practice and allowing for critical exploration and experimentation.
You will gain knowledge and insights into contemporary arts practice and debates, taught by experts in the field with international profiles. This, and the extensive range of creative resources available across our City Campus, will equip you to work at a professional level, plugging into the contemporary discourse of regional, national, and international arts communities.
Whether you’re a recently qualified arts graduate, or a well-established professional looking to develop yourself academically, this course offers all you need to push your practice to the next level.
Why UWE Bristol?
You’ll be perfectly placed studying in Bristol, a socially and politically progressive city, widely recognised as one of the most creatively influential settings in the UK. Here you’ll discover a range of galleries, artists' groups and studios plus art projects involving students and graduates.
MA Fine Art is based on Bristol's historic harbourside at Arnolfini. Situated above this internationally renowned centre for contemporary art, you will be at the heart of Bristol's creative and cultural community, with access to all that UWE Bristol's City Campus has to offer. Here, you’ll develop your skills and knowledge alongside like-minded creative talent.
Where can it take me?
You will graduate with a globally recognised qualification and have a broad range of options available to you regionally, as well as nationally and internationally. The course offers you the opportunity to develop your personal practice, which can lead to a career as an artist, technician, or in galleries and museums. Our students have also built careers in film, education, or the wider creative industries. You may also wish to consider a PhD pathway within one of our excellent research centres.
Follow UWE MA Fine Art on Instagram.
To see examples of work produced by our recent MA Fine Art graduates, visit our Showcase site.
Watch: Welcome to the School of Arts at UWE Bristol
Structure
Content
The structure and content of this course is currently under review and subject to final UWE Bristol approval. It will be published here as soon as possible.
Learning and Teaching
Our family of MA Fine Art courses work together in an interdisciplinary learning environment. This approach nurtures collaboration and knowledge exchange across different fields of study, allowing students to deepen their expertise within their chosen discipline whilst engaging with broader artistic creative and critical perspectives.
Taught by a team with expertise across a breadth of creative practice, you’ll learn to understand and push the boundaries of discipline through technical and theoretical input. You will study through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, and studio practice, and you’ll also benefit from events with industry experts.
Through a well-established studio culture, this course will ensure your work develops within a lively community of emerging and experienced artists. Your creative and critical skills will develop as you realise a substantial body of work, while studio visits, group critiques, and seminar discussions will inspire ambitious new directions. You will benefit from our interconnected School of Arts, with access to professional contacts, exhibiting opportunities, and an established network of future collaborators.
See our glossary of teaching and learning terms.
Study time
This is a full-time course, which starts in September and runs for three terms over 12 months. Learning and teaching sessions typically take place over three days per week. Outside of your contact hours, you’ll have the opportunity to access the available resources.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a range of methods throughout the year including presentations, portfolio, and practical and written work. You’ll spend your last term working towards your final outcomes for the year, which includes an opportunity to exhibit publicly.
Learn more about our assessments.
Features
Study facilities
You'll meet regularly at our City Campus. You'll also have access to extensive and industry-standard departmental facilities and resources including a fabrication centre, comprehensive printmaking resource, and a well-resourced library.
MA Fine Art students benefit from dedicated postgraduate studio space at Arnolfini. You'll have access to resources at all City Campus sites including Spike Island and Watershed too. Bower Ashton houses the main library supporting the creative and cultural industries, student support services, plus the technical resource areas.
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Art facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Choose MA Fine Art for postgraduate study
Life
Postgraduate support
Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.
Bristol
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
Sports, societies and activities
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide support in the way you need it.
Campus and facilities
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Careers
Careers / Further study
Our students are taught by practicing artists and researchers, bringing skills and expertise exclusively to those at postgraduate level.
Many of our graduates enter or continue employment in the creative industries, as self-employed artists, in professional studios, as art collectives, or running their own businesses. Others continue into teaching roles in both formal, gallery, and community education programmes. Some students progress to PhD study at UWE Bristol, or elsewhere.
Our award-winning Careers Service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.
Learn more about our graduate destinations.
Fees
Entry
Entry requirements
We're seeking highly motivated students from any background, committed to creative growth in our supportive School of Arts community. Most applicants would have an honours degree in the arts, but those with qualifications in other disciplines or prior professional experience are also encouraged to apply.
While some students enter the course after years of independent work, we also welcome entries from ambitious applicants directly from undergraduate courses.
International applicants
For country specific entry requirements please find your country on our country information pages.
Selection process
Applicants will be asked to provide a portfolio of practical or project-based work and a personal statement for review.
In your portfolio you may want to include your most recent or ambitious works alongside developmental or process-based details. The work you include can be in media from outside or beyond your chosen discipline, and may include personal or professional outcomes. We are looking for applicants with the potential to connect creatively with contemporary practice; the motivation to excel; and the capacity to contribute to our dynamic campus.
Your personal statement should communicate confidently and coherently your rationale for application: what you hope Master’s study will help you achieve in your future. You may want to include detail of the influences that have led you to application, and the attributes you think will be important for success as a postgraduate. We would like to know more about you, and your understanding of what we do.
Most personal statements we receive are around 500 words in length.
Applicants may be invited for an online interview, if we have any further questions about your portfolio.
English Language Requirement
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The University accepts a large number of UK and international qualifications in place of IELTS. To find details of acceptable tests and the required grades, please see visit our English Language requirements pages.
English language support
If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent.
Read more about our pre-sessional English programme.
How to apply
We accept applications throughout the year but if you are working to a funding deadline, you should build this into your application process.
Read more about postgraduate applications.
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
For further information
- Email: Admissions@uwe.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333