* subject to final UWE Bristol approval
This course is open for applications.
Page last updated 1 November 2024
UWE Bristol’s MA Fine Art: Printmaking builds on our celebrated reputation for postgraduate study in print practices; an experimental, forward-thinking approach to printmaking today. Ideal if you want to push the potential of your own printmaking practice.
You'll study our innovative curriculum alongside a purposefully small group of peers, uniquely designed to offer critical, collaborative and personal approaches to printmaking in contemporary cultural contexts. With a focus on making, you can explore and experiment with a diverse mix of traditional and emerging fine art printmaking media and develop ideas through processes such as laser cutting, textile print, 3D, digital, wood engraving or lithography.
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 communities.
Whether you’re a recently qualified art or design graduate, or a well-established printmaking professional looking to develop yourself academically, this course offers all you need to push your practice to the next level.
You’ll be perfectly placed studying in Bristol, a socially and politically progressive city, widely recognised as one of the most creatively influential cities in the UK. Here you’ll discover a range of galleries, print studios and organisations, plus art projects involving students and graduates. Active links with our world-class Centre for Print Research bring expertise, opportunities for placement, and exclusive access to associated conferences and exhibitions.
MA Fine Art: Printmaking is based at our Bower Ashton hub, where exceptional facilities and resources include state-of-the-art digital media, production and fabrication workshops offering a combination of traditional tools and the latest technology. Here, you’ll be immersed in a collaborative and critical community where you’ll develop your skills and knowledge alongside like-minded creative talent.
You'll 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 you to a career as an artist-printmaker, technician, artist’s assistant 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.
Hear from Printmaking graduate, Alia Knowlan, about exhibiting their work at the end of year degree show.
Follow MA Fine Art: Printmaking on Instagram and see our blog for news.
The image above shows the fantastic work from one of our students (Gen Harrison, 2018 Printmaking graduate).
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 printmakers. A strong emphasis on developing your creative, conceptual, and technical skills ensures you finish this course prepared to practice at the forefront of the discipline. You will gain valuable insight into the professional printmaking contexts in which to realise future career aspirations.
See our glossary of teaching and learning terms.
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.
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.
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.
Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.
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Our students are taught by practicing printmakers, artists, technicians and researchers, bringing skills and expertise exclusively to those at the postgraduate level.
Many of our graduates enter or continue employment in the creative industries, as self-employed printmakers or 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.
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.
For country specific entry requirements please find your country on our country information pages.
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.
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 visit English Language requirements.
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.
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.