Fine Art BA (Hons)

This programme provides graduates with a broad knowledge of fine art across a range of mediums from painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking, to video, performance and photography.

Overview
About the course
Structure
Fees
Entry requirements
Applying

Fine artists continually challenge ideas, inviting society to broaden its attitudes and encourage a healthy level of debate and change. This programme provides graduates with a broad knowledge of fine art across a range of mediums from painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking, to video, performance and photography.

As a student on this course you will benefit from visiting artists and guest speakers and a range of workrelated projects with local museums, galleries and voluntary organisations. In addition, students also get the opportunity to organise and participate in public art exhibitions.

Why should I do this course?

Fine artists continually challenge ideas, inviting society to broaden its attitudes and encourage a healthy level of debate and change. This programme provides graduates with a broad knowledge of fine art across a range of mediums from painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking, to video, performance and photography.

Students on the course benefit from visiting artists and guest speakers and a range of work related projects with local museums, galleries and voluntary organisations. In addition, students also get the opportunity to organise and participate in public art exhibitions.

What's covered?

Subjects covered on the course include:

Year 1

painting
drawing
printmaking
video
photography
sculpture
installation
contextual studies

Year 2

studio practice
site-specific artwork
curatorial skills
professional practice

Year 3

dissertation
final major project

How will my work be assessed?

Modules are delivered through presentations, essays, group critiques, peer reviews, practical workshops, demonstrations, group visits, guest speakers, individual tutorials and self directed study.

The degree is assessed via a range of practical, written and oral coursework assignments.

What can I do after this?

Graduates from this programme have gone on to pursue a diverse range of career paths from freelance artists to art teachers, curators, art critics, gallery directors and video editors.

Careers

Arts, crafts and design

Year 1: The first year is designed to allow you to engage with the culture of higher education and to equip you with the practical and conceptual skills and the awareness to develop your own creative identity. You will be encouraged to develop experimental, reflective and enquiring approaches to your work. You will also be introduced to the relevant cultural and historical contexts between theory and practice.

Areas of study: Include painting, drawing, printmaking, video, photography, sculpture, installation, contextual studies.

Year 2: You will gain a greater flexibility in choosing the direction of your own work in studio practice and will be looking to develop a successful personal working methodology in preparation for your final year major project and your dissertation.

You will also look at and consider areas and materials of increasing complexity.

Site-specific artwork will challenge your perceptions of artistic production and you will be encouraged to examine the many ways in which an artist can engage with the wider public.

In addition, you will research and actively work towards pursuing a career in your chosen field through the development of an effective portfolio of work. Finally, you will also produce a strategic professional development plan and participate in work experience.

Areas of study: Include studio practice, site-specific artwork, curatorial skills and professional practice.

Year 3: Your final year is dedicated to two major tasks: the production of your dissertation and the development of studio work for your final major project. The final year degree show is designed to provide you with a platform to demonstrate your own qualities as a professional artist or curator.

Areas of study: Include dissertation and final major project.

Learn from the best: Students on the course benefit from visiting artists and guest speakers and a range of work related projects with local museums, galleries and voluntary organisations. In addition, students also get the opportunity to organise and participate in public art exhibitions.

Low-cost higher education

Our fees are well below the national average and are among the lowest in the region, so studying with us is great value for money!

Click for more about higher education funding.

Entry requirements

You will need 160 UCAS Points as well as grade C or above (or equivalent) in GCSE English.

You are also required to demonstrate your suitability for the programme via a portfolio based interview. Portfolios should include examples of recent project work and may reference a variety of media such as drawing, painting, print, photography, 3D, mixed media and digital work. Sketchbooks and a written document such as an essay should also be included. Large-scale work should be documented photographically.

If you are a mature student and have worked independently for a significant period, we may be able to offer you a place on the programme purely on the strength of your portfolio interview and relevant experience.

Full-time courses

Applications for full-time courses should be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), quoting institution code S43 and the UCAS code for your chosen course.

Part-time courses

Applications for all part-time Honours Degree, Foundation Degree, Certificate of Higher Education and Diploma of Higher Education courses at South Essex College should be made directly to the College using the online application form or by completing a paper application form and mailing it to our freepost address:

HE Admissions
South Essex College
Freepost SMU 110
Luker Road
Southend on Sea
Essex
SS1 1BR

Click for more about applying for your course.