About this course
Be part of a distinctive, energetic flagship art programme, tailored to your needs on our fine art degree. Develop an outstanding individual fine art practice in a contemporary, cutting-edge discipline built on centuries of tradition. Address the pressing issues of today and tomorrow. Learn clarity of thought, teamwork and project management through ambitious collaborative projects. Reflect, refine and resolve in our spacious, purpose-built studios and excellent workshop facilities.
Experiment across all media, and choose the areas you’d like to specialise in, including:
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painting
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printmaking
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sculpture
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digital and lens-based work
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performance
As part of your BA Fine Art you can:
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meet active professional artists at our weekly Talking Heads lecture series
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take advantage of easy access to London for studio and gallery visits
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join our twice-yearly Shared Drive projects, which bring together students from all years of study to participate in ambitious, large-scale, collective projects
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study overseas for a semester at one of our partner universities in Europe, Canada or Asia
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connect with professionals from the commercial and public art worlds at special network events such as our Fine Art Degree Show Review Symposium
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be part of a lasting record of your achievements here in the Shared Drive Fine Art Yearbook
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enjoy collaborative relationships with organisations such as a space arts, John Hansard Gallery and Hampshire Cultural Trust
What's it like to study Fine Art at Southampton
Course location
This course is based at Winchester.
Awarding body
This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.
Download the Course Description Document
The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.
Changes due to COVID-19
Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2021 to 2022. We're working hard to plan for a number of possible scenarios. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.
Find out more on our COVID advice page.
Entry requirements
For Academic year 202223
A-levels
BBB
A-levels additional information
A Level offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
A-levels contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 30 points overall with 15 points at Higher Level
International Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements. Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC
Distinction, Distinction, Merit in the BTEC Extended Diploma in an art or design based subject. Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC Diploma plus B in an A level Distinction in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus BB in two A levels
BTEC additional information
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 24 must be at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit
Access to HE additional information
No additional information
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
B1 B1 B1 B1 B2 B2
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
M2 M2 M2 in three principal subjects
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
Welsh Baccalaureate
BBB from 3 A levels or BB from two A levels and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
European Baccalaureate
75% overall
Other requirements
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
Find the equivalent international qualifications for our entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:
IELTS score requirements
- overall score
- 6.0
- reading
- 5.5
- writing
- 5.5
- speaking
- 5.5
- listening
- 5.5
We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
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skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
Foundation programmes for international students
A foundation programme will give you the language skills and subject knowledge you need if you're not qualified for direct entry to your chosen undergraduate course.
You'll progress to your chosen course after successfully completing the foundation programme.
Find out more about undergraduate foundation programmes for international students.
Non-academic entry requirements
All applicants will need to provide a portfolio of art work
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Course structure
You’ll study 6 studio practice modules - one per semester – which form the heart of the course. You'll also study 6 modules that frame the context for your developing practice in terms of history, theory and professional application.
Year 1 overview
This year you’ll:
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experiment with methods and materials
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build up your research and critical reflection skills
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understand how contemporary practice relates to its history and to the wider world
At the end of the year, you’ll be guided to choose the right studio space for your practice in year 2.
Year 2 overview
You'll deepen your practice by:
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engaging in further experimentation and challenging your thinking
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specialising or working across media, as your creative ‘voice’ develops
You’ll choose 1 module from a list of theoretical and career-focused topics to individually tailor your programme of study:
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Business Skills for the Creative Industries
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Creative Futures - exploring democratic forms of innovation, including collaborative and environmental practices, activism, social innovation and economic sustainability
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Creative Writing
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Image and Branding
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Visual Culture - the role of images in the construction of identity and the ways in which we understand the world around us
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Framing your Practice - analyse and reflect on the relationship between your work and other relevant creative and cultural outputs
You’ll expand your experience by choosing one of these options:
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refine your focus, develop creative awareness and independence, and elevate your ambition with a studio practice module
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spend a semester at a partner university in Europe or further afield
Year 3 overview
Your final modules prepare you for professional practice and employment. You'll explore:
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experimentation within an increasingly defined practice that's starting to yield ambitious, professionally organised and audience-oriented outcomes
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professional engagement practices
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critical reflection of your work
You'll bring together your practical learning in a single, self-directed, fully-resolved exhibition as your final major project.
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
Changes due to COVID-19
Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2021 to 2022. We're working hard to plan for a number of possible scenarios. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.
Find out more on our COVID advice page.
For entry in Academic Year 2021-22
Year 1 modules
You must study the following modules in year 1:
The module is designed to provide knowledge and skills necessary for the critical development of well-informed contemporary art. It explores how practice is informed by context and theory.
A fluid and dynamic approach to mapping new terrain. The module introduces the basic nature of art and the relationship between historical antecedents and current practices. It highlights the need for critical evaluation of the work of others and approach...
Hitting the technical ground running. The module is designed to give you an early practical grasp of the scope and possibilities of contemporary fine art, the use of materials and techniques in the development of ideas, and the role of intellectual engage...
Energising your practice. The module is designed to add to the range of materials and techniques with which you are familiar, introduce the role of contextual research in creative practice, and prepare you for the direction of your own studio work in Part...
Year 2 modules
You must study the following modules in year 2:
Locating your adventure. This module enables you to look outwards from your developing studio practice to consider critically and analytically your own selection of other relevant cultural or creative outputs and to reflect on how they bear upon the direc...
Transmission of energy. The module is designed to encourage continued experimentation, to continue the development of your technical knowledge, raise the level of your research and critical reflection, and enable you to start to define the particular natu...
Finding your voice. The module is designed to encourage sharper focus, greater ambition, and articulation of a well-defined critical context for your practice.
This module is an alternative core module. It offers you an opportunity to study abroad as part of your programme of study. This may also be understood as an opportunity to enrich your academic learning by experiencing a different academic environment in ...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 2:
This module will cover the main aspects of developing and executing a business proposition and plan within the creative industries. You will also be guided in the use free apps based on the Business Canvas to make you more competent at developing a plan f...
In a world immersed in a process of change, facing social and sustainable significant challenges, this module focuses on the capacity of creative practices to set out potential new scenarios and creative futures. It will encourage you to think and discuss...
The module provides an introduction to creative writing and familiarises you with a range of writing styles appropriate to effective communications in the wider context of the creative industries and public arena. You will be encouraged to develop a vari...
This module introduces you to issues, terminology and trends in brand signature, visual identity image and branding. The syllabus will explore aspects of identity and image in a branding context. The module will also provide you with an opportunity to ana...
Sight and Sound is designed to introduce students to the language of cinema in support of their research methodologies and professional skill sets in the creative industries. Using key texts and self-generated or found visual samples as a basis for teachi...
We live in a world that is saturated by images. Images from the far reaches of space to the sub-atomic level and just about everything in between. Images seem to have a special power over our lives, playing a part in the constructions of who and what we ...
Year 3 modules
You must study the following modules in year 3:
Resolution. The module is designed to enable you to bring together your practical learning in a single, self-directed, fully-resolved exhibition outcome which is well presented and articulate.
This module paves the way for the concluding development stage of your Final Major Project, through the identification of key points of reference and focused critical reflection which inform a conceptual framework for the project.
Looking to the future. This module will help you demonstrate the skills you will need as a professional artist beyond the studio, engaging you with key concepts and skills around employability. The first semester of the final year is a critical juncture f...
The module is designed to encourage continued experimentation within an increasingly defined practice which is starting to yield ambitious, professionally organised and audience-oriented outcomes.
Learning and assessment
The learning activities for this course include the following:
- lectures
- classes and tutorials
Course time
How you'll spend your course time:
Year 1
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 1:
How we'll assess you
- creative projects
- essays
- individual and group projects
- portfolios
Your assessment breakdown
Year 1:
Year 2
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 2:
How we'll assess you
- creative projects
- essays
- individual and group projects
- portfolios
Your assessment breakdown
Year 2:
Year 3
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 3:
How we'll assess you
- creative projects
- essays
- individual and group projects
- portfolios
Your assessment breakdown
Year 3:
Academic support
You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.
Course leader
John Gillett is the course leader.
Careers
As a graduate of our fine art degree, you’ll have proven yourself to be a self-motivated, flexible, and highly creative individual. Our graduates have succeeded in a diverse range of fields, including:
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fine art
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film
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music
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TV
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publishing
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museums
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galleries
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teaching
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art therapy
Careers services at Southampton
We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:
work experience schemes
CV and interview skills and workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.
Fees, costs and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for a year's study:
- UK students pay £9,250.
- EU and international students pay £19,300.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations.
Find out how to:
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Bursaries, scholarships and other funding
If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.
If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary.
Get in touch for advice about student money matters.
Scholarships and grants
You may be able to get a scholarship or grant that's linked to your chosen subject area.
We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Support during your course
The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.
Funding for EU and international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
How to apply
When you apply use:
- UCAS course code: W190
- UCAS institution code: S27
What happens after you apply?
We will assess your application on the strength of your:
- predicted grades
- academic achievements
- personal statement
- academic reference
Applicants who meet our minimum entry requirements will be invited to attend an individual portfolio interview. Download our portfolio advice for fine art (PDF, 150.10 KB).
We do not expect you to attend an interview if you do not already live or study in the UK. International and EU applicants are usually invited to send a portfolio by post or email.
We aim to respond to you within 2 to 6 weeks with a decision about your application.
Equality and diversity
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000