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Fine Art MA

London, Bloomsbury

Develop your potential as a professional artist or researcher in painting, sculpture or fine art media. The 24-month Fine Art MA is a practice-based programme that enables you to hone your skills, while exploring ideas of critical awareness, societal and cultural context. Taught at the world-renowned Slade School of Fine Art at UCL, this is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from academic studio staff who are also practicing artists.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£15,100
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£34,400
Duration
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 08 Jan 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

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Entry requirements

MA applicants are required to hold a first degree in Fine Art at second-class Bachelor's level or above, or its overseas equivalent, and are required to satisfy the school that they have an appropriate level of academic achievement. Exceptionally, an applicant with a first degree in a related subject (such as Art History) will be considered, but evidence of a high level of achievement in the chosen studio discipline will also be required.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The MA Fine Art programme provides a diverse, intellectual and experimental environment in which Fine Art graduate students develop their potential as professional artists and researchers in their chosen studio area. Students are supported to expand their critical awareness within the context of Fine Art and to situate their practice within the wider cultural and social context of the contemporary world. The Slade's MA Fine Art programme supports interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to art making.

Who this course is for

Having received a good grounding in art or a related field at undergraduate level, the emphasis for graduate students is on advanced personal research as a thorough preparation for professional practice and/or further doctoral study in the field.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The Slade School of Fine Art at UCL is one of the UK's leading university departments for research in Fine Art, approaching the study and practice of Fine Art within an experimental, discursive and critical context.

All academic studio staff are artists, actively involved in research as well as teaching, and have a diverse range of research interests and expertise.

The UCL Slade School of Fine Art’s location enables easy access to unparalleled learning resources including major galleries, museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and theatres.

Students also benefit during the course from the Slade Careers Programme, which allows you to consider the wider professional aspects of art making in relation to your work.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Recent former students include Jenkin van Zyl, Ed Atkins, Ming Wong, Marianna Simnett, Zeinab Saleh, Sofia Mitsola, Shen Xin, Phoebe Boswell and Alvaro Barrington.

Employability

The programme aims to develop students' individual potential within the critical and cultural context of Fine Art. It also provides an excellent foundation for further doctoral research. Recent graduates have established international careers as professional artists through participation in public exhibitions, publications and research events, receiving commissions, gaining gallery representation, winning prizes and residencies, as well as developing artist-led initiatives. Others have roles in related careers worldwide, such as curation, museum and gallery management and education.

News and achievements of alumni including recent graduates are profiled on the News section of the Slade School of Fine Art website.

Networking

The Slade provides graduate students with opportunities to enhance existing skills and to develop new practical and technical skills, in the context of expanding their individual creativity and critical awareness in preparation for careers as practising artists and within related fields.

The Slade has established partnerships and networks working with external organisations and professionals in the field of art.

Teaching and learning

On the practice-based programme, students develop their work and research through individual and group tutorials, critiques and seminar presentations, and technical guidance. The taught component is delivered through lectures, seminars, critiques, individual and group tutorials as well as technical workshops.

Students must complete and pass the end-of-year practice-based assessment in their first year, assessed through a portfolio of work in order to progress into the second year.

Assessment is by review of practice-based work, and art history and theory coursework including a report.

Contact hours are comprised of one-to-one tutorials, group tutorials and group critiques, which are scheduled during the autumn and spring terms. In addition to this, there are a wide range of other activities such as cross-School events, technical and research workshops, access to technical facilities, talks and tutorials from visiting lecturers and Contemporary Art Lectures.

Modules

The MA Fine Art is an integrated degree programme and does not have a modular structure. In the first year, you will follow the practice-based programme, which includes regular critiques and seminars.

You will take two History and Theory of Art courses, one in the autumn term and one in the spring term. During the summer, you will work on the research essay independently.

The second year culminates with an assessed degree exam of practice-based work.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

The Fine Art MA (240 Credits) is an integrated degree programme and does not have a modular structure. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Fine Art.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Slade School Q&A

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Our live online Q&A's offers an opportunity to ask a panel of Slade Graduate tutors about the MA/MFA programme and how to apply.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Slade School Q&A

—

Our live online Q&A offers an opportunity to ask a panel of Slade Graduate tutors about the MA/MFA programme and how to apply.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £15,100
Tuition fees (2024/25) £34,400

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

The Slade has a media store where media equipment can be borrowed. You will need to supply your own materials throughout the course, including for the final degree exam. The cost of materials will vary depending on each student’s individual practice.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

The Slade School of Fine Art has a range of prizes, scholarships and travel awards available to graduate students. These include partial fee waivers for Home and International students amongst other funding opportunities. Following the interview process, successful candidates will be considered for Slade Awards, which are competitive.

For further information about MA and MFA funding, please visit the Slade's Fees and Funding pages.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Please note that due to the competition for places, applications will not be accepted after the deadline. You must also submit a portfolio. Details for portfolio submission will be sent to you once you have submitted your UCL application. Applicants will be considered for Slade scholarships as part of the admissions process.

There is an application processing fee for Slade School of Fine Art programmes of £35 for online applications and £60 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Fine Art at graduate level
  • why you want to study Fine Art at the UCL Slade School of Fine Art
  • how you will use the programme, staff and resources to develop your practice
  • how your academic and/or professional background has prepared you for the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with your portfolio and essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to demonstrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Late applications will not be considered under any circumstances. All candidates are required to submit a portfolio with shortlisted candidates being invited for interview by the Slade.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art

slade.enquiries@ucl.ac.uk

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