Art and Technology BA
Study at the intersection of art and technology with this transformative degree, blending artistic practice, creative coding, AI, physical computing, networked technologies, and more. This practice-based Art and Technology BA places you within the prestigious UCL Slade School of Fine Art, and at UCL East – designed for collaboration and disruptive thinking. You’ll explore, experiment and critique technology in the context of arts practice and computational culture, graduating with transferable skills to shape the creative, cultural and tech sectors.
Key information
Entry requirements
- Grades
- ABB
- Subjects
- A portfolio of work is required.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4
Contextual offer
- Grades
- CCC
- Subjects
- A portfolio of work is required.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4
At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
- Points
- 34
- Subjects
- A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5, plus a portfolio.
Contextual offer
- Points
- 30
- Subjects
- A total of 15 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5, a portfolio of work is required.
The English language level for this programme is: Level 1
Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages and International Education.
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who do not have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.
Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.
For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
About this course
This course is for a new generation of artists to create art connected to emerging and disruptive technologies, experimenting in new forms of expression, communication and collaboration. It provides you with the chance to explore the power of creative, critical and computational thinking.
You will learn skills in the following art and technology areas:
- Creative Coding
- Sensing Practices
- Digital Fabrication
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Worlding and Gaming
- Computational Publishing
- Immersive Environments – virtual VR, mixed, augmented or extended reality.
Each year is structured thematically around theory, practice and presentation. These thematic areas are interconnected and designed to enable students to develop an integrated interdisciplinary understanding, as well as art practice through technology, informed by history and theory, experimentation, imagination and research-oriented arts practice.
Adopting a practice-based approach enables students to understand the central role of technology, particularly in the areas of creative computing/computational art and culture. This includes reading, writing/coding/wiring and thinking with technology as critical tools for our times, in recognition of the way in which technology contains material processes and our experiences are ever more programmed. It explores how technology, with its underlying assumptions and biases, influences consumption and production. It highlights that technology is not neutral in its impact or design within digital culture.
All elements of the course are connected to art practice and theory, questioning how certain histories and technologies become accepted as standard “the canon”, focusing on issues of class, gender and race. We explore how power dynamics are structured by and embedded within technologies, and how art practice might be used to critically investigate and challenge this.
As an Art and Technology BA student, you will be part of the UCL Slade School of Fine Art. You will be based at UCL East, joining a community of students studying interdisciplinary degrees across new intersections of arts, humanities, social sciences and science.
We seek to select candidates who, in addition to academic achievement, have the potential and passion to develop a critical awareness and an understanding of art and technology and its contexts. We look for candidates who are self-motivated to take initiative and keen to experiment within our studio-centred learning environment.
Course structure
Each year includes an extended art practice module of 45-60 credits, running across all three terms. These art practice modules are built on self-directed learning, providing the opportunity to engage deeply in art practice. Students will create art through peer learning; collaborative/individual projects; group critiques; seminars; one-on-one and group tutorials; and class-based learning such as artist talks, workshops, and focused technical teaching. Students are treated as artists from the day they begin their studies, there are no projects or themes directing production of work, and tuition is supportive of the individual and their perspective.
Year 1
In Year 1, there are six compulsory modules, including an extended art practice module. The focus is on building a strong foundation in the skills, methods, processes and theoretical frameworks for exploring the intersections of art and technology, supported by studies in histories and theories.
Year 2
In Year 2, there are five compulsory modules focusing on establishing and consolidating your professional practice as an artist while continuing to develop technological skills, tools and methods. A case study module “Find Your Art and Technology Future” complements this process, empowering you to explore your career objectives or project aspirations at the intersection of art and technology.
Year 3
In Year 3, there are four compulsory modules with opportunities to collaborate with professional practitioners or communities on public engagement activities of real-world significance. The year culminates in a final-degree exhibition, where your ideas and work will be unveiled in a compelling display to a global audience, marking the culmination of your artistic journey.
Modules
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
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 is 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.
Compulsory modules
- Creative Computing 0: Coding Practice for Artists (SSFA0015)
- Creative Computing 1: Sensing Practice for Artists (SSFA0016)
- Histories and Theories of Art and Technology (SSFA0018)
- Art Practice 1 (SSFA0021)
- Creative Computing 2: Artificial and Machine Intelligence in Arts Practice (SSFA0030)
- Technology as a Way of Seeing (SSFA0042)
Compulsory modules
- Independent Study in Arts and Technology Practice (SSFA0048)
- Career Structures and Strategies (SSFA0049)
- Art Practice 3 (SSFA0050)
- Engagement, Exhibition, Experience and Display (SSFA0051)
You will learn through a mix of art practice, theory and skills-based learning approaches designed to empower you as an artist. Art practice is developed through practice-based learning with an emphasis on self-initiated work. You will be supported to develop this through one-to-one and group tutorials, seminars, critiques, contemporary art lectures, workshops and one-to-one technical support.
Modules are assessed through a mixture of summative coursework assignments, including essays, reports, creative art projects, portfolios, publications, alongside a final-year public Degree Show.
Learning hours are made up across a variety of formats and each module is different. Formats include lectures, seminars, tutorials, case study, crits, e-learning, student-led contact, independent learning and studio time.
Approximately 6–15 hours per week will be spent attending lectures, seminars, crits, tutorials, workshops and talks. You will also be expected to spend approximately 30 hours per week on independent study, reading and research, creating computational art projects and self-directed learning.
The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you are unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.
Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.
For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.
Fees and funding
| Study mode | UK fee (2026/27) | Overseas fee (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Full time | £9,790 | £42,700 |
UK undergraduate fees for 2026/27 are subject to parliamentary approval and are for the first year only. Fees for subsequent years may be subject to increase: Student Terms and Conditions. UK fees are in line with the Government announcement on fee cap increases. Fees for 2027/28 entry will be published in August 2026.
International undergraduate students benefit from a cohort guarantee unless indicated below, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.
International fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2026/27 entrants.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.
Additional costs
You may incur material costs for pursuing individual research interests in the studio practice modules. Art practices vary widely and being economical and creative in the use of materials is part of the learning process to become a practicing artist.
Assessment is made on the quality of the artwork which is not determined by the cost of the materials. Travel costs will be incurred for attending UCL events on the Bloomsbury campus, including Slade contemporary art and staff lectures. (UCL’s main teaching locations are in Zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and Zones 2/3 (UCL East). Students in Year 2 will need to cover associated transport costs (if applicable) for the chosen case study on a specific organisation, self-directed project, or event. It is possible to conduct the case study remotely, so this cost will vary depending on the individual proposal.
Students will have access to computer cluster rooms, but having a personal computer (PC or Mac) with a minimum specification of 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD storage, and an external USB hard drive with at least 1TB of storage are highly recommended. Owning a personal computer and external hard drive provides greater flexibility, allowing students to work outside of scheduled hours, install necessary software and tools, and store files. This specification is estimated to cost approximately £600 or more. Whilst the course primarily uses free and open-source software, additional costs may be incurred if students choose to pursue individual research interests requiring paid software or specialised tools.
There may be other additional costs such as visiting art galleries, museums or similar as part of field trips for some modules. We recommend students apply for a Student Art Pass (approximately £10) for discounted entry to museums and galleries across the UK.
There may be additional travel and expenses, such as refreshments or meals, associated with an internship or undertaking of project work at an employer’s premises.
For in-person teaching, UCL's main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1–2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2026. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Why study this course at UCL?
You will benefit from world-class teaching and research across the arts and humanities at UCL, ranked 7th in the world for these disciplines in THE World University Rankings 2025 by subject, as well as from creative practitioners working in different fields. You will have access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, including the Institute of Making, the Fabrication Lab, the Computer Cluster rooms, and the co-working and learning Slade Studio at UCL East. These spaces offer exceptional resources for exploration, experimentation and innovation in your work.
Additionally, you will benefit from the vibrant creative cultural hub of East London’s East Bank, and many of London’s galleries, museums, libraries and theatres, which are close to the Slade School of Fine Art in Bloomsbury.
You will be supported in career readiness by UCL Careers and the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries (SCCI) based at UCL East.
Discover Uni
To see official information about this course and others visit Discover Uni.
What this course will give you
You will develop the following attributes to prepare you for a wide range of life and career choices:
- Learning technical skills, alongside an experimental, creative and research approach to fuse contemporary art practice with technology.
- Demonstrating knowledge of digital technologies, such as creative coding, sensing practices, digital fabrication, artificial intelligence, machine learning, worlding and gaming, computational publishing, and immersive environments.
- Connecting art practice and emerging and disruptive technologies and applying them to meet the needs of the creative, cultural and technology sectors.
- Understanding the ethics and politics involved in the relationship between art and technology, including equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Creating digital environments that critically engage with issues of class, gender, race and colonialism.
- Reflective and self-directed learning, key to lifelong and professional learning.
Potential employment destinations for graduates may include the many possibilities contained in the creative art and technology economy, for example: creative technologist, digital artist, art and technology educator, cultural institution roles focusing on the curation, exhibition, and promotion of digital and technology-based art.
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Register your interest in undergraduate study and become part of the UCL community.
Register nowHow to apply
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Step 1: UCAS
Application for admission should be made through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Step 2: Portfolio Submission
Along with your UCAS application, you will also submit a portfolio of creative work.
For further information on Slade’s portfolio submission see: BA Art and Technology Portfolio Guidance.
You will receive precise instructions regarding your portfolio submission following submission of your UCAS application. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in late February or March.
Selection
For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.
Apply for this course
You are applying for the Art and Technology BA course. For application guidance please visit Application guidelines.Course starts: September 2027
UCAS applications open for 2027 entry on 12 May 2026.
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Slade School of Fine Art
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