Fine Art at UCA

Are you ready to question, be critical, be curious and be enthusiastic about testing the boundaries of what constitutes fine art practice? Join us on our Fine Art course at UCA Farnham do all this and take your own work to the next level.

Our course welcomes fine artists who are looking to re-examine their current work and research.

We want you to critically evaluate your practice and the work of others, constantly developing your visual and conceptual thinking. You'll then establish and refine a research project to be developed into either a practice-based or theoretically-led enquiry beyond graduation.

You’ll be guided by a community of teaching staff comprised of professional artists, curators and theorists, who will also actively promote you and your work in the wider world.

UCA Farnham is renowned for its world-leading research and range of first-class facilities, including bronze foundry, printmaking studios, metals, wood and casting facilities and resources. We provide specialist studio spaces for both full and part-time students, and dedicated technical staff are on hand to support individual projects and give introductions to workshop areas.

The MA is also available as an MFA route which offers a further enhanced opportunity for students wanting to develop their professional portfolio to the highest level, or to build a proposal for Doctoral level study, and pursue an academic research career path. Applicants can apply to undertake the full MFA, or undertake an MA and transfer to the MFA at the end of the MA period.  

 

Course entry options

Select from the following options to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

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Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
1 year full-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

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Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years part-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

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Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years full-time
Entry requirements

A recognised bachelor degree or 3 year diploma with a strong portfolio in a relevant subject

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Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years full-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

Close
Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements
Close
Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements

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Discover the stories of our Art students
What you'll study

What you'll
study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

On this course you’ll prepare for postgraduate study with a mix of online and face-to-face learning that will give you the study skills required to complete a Masters course.

Experimental Studio
This unit is designed to encourage you to take an experimental approach to your studio/post-studio practices. You will be challenged to engage in new processes, methods, and ideas outside of your immediate comfort zone to develop advanced and evolving contributions to your practice.

Research Contexts
Exploring the design, construction and expression of art practice as a process of research, in this unit you will be introduced to critical research methodologies which you can then employ in your independent research enquiries.

Studio Practice
You will use this unit to develop styles and approaches articulated at postgraduate level aligning your aims within your own practice. You will consider appropriate theory and themes in contemporary art practice and how it might inform the work that you wish to create.

Professional Contexts
Focused on professional development, this unit engages students with professional contexts through opportunities and/ or projects developed with partner organisations. Through group work and individual research, within this unit students will establish and develop a sense of their position in relation to their identified subjects, interests and practice areas. This unit also includes the opportunity to develop a creative business start-up or collaborative practice project.

Major Project
As the culmination of your studies, you will be able to undertake a sustained, in-depth and critically informed research inquiry. You will define your practice through a substantial body of work and an understanding of how it sits in relation to others — identified industries and/or professional contexts, collaborators, readers and audiences.

The extension of your degree to an MFA means studying this Advanced Practice unit in addition to the units listed above. This unit is dedicated to developing, extending, and furthering your professional practice. Through advance research methods, you will have to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, confidence, and originality that you have developed as a curatorial practitioner. You will be supported in preparing PhD applications, curating exhibitions, organising public events, and seeking external platforms to work with artists and engage audiences.  

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees

MA course:

  • 2025/26 (full-time): £10,500
  • 2025/26 (part-time, year 1): £5,250

MFA course:

  • 2025/26 (full-time, year 1): £7,000 

Tuition fees

MA course:

MFA course:

  • 2025/26 (year 1): £7,000  (see fee discount information)

Tuition fees

MA course:

  • 2025/26 (MA): £18,000
  • 2025/26 (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - Sept & Jan): £17,500
  • 2025/26 (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - May): £8,750

MFA course:

  • 2025/26 (MFA year 1): £11,700

Please note: the fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. For more detailed information about our course fees please see our fees and finance pages

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of financial support information available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Current UCA students and alumni may be eligible for a tuition fee discount.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our scholarships and fee discounts.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of the Course Information Document for details of the costs you may incur.

Explore our Gradshow

Each year, we’re privileged to be able to share our graduates’ incredible work with the world. And now’s your chance to take a look.

Visit the online showcase

Facilities

Fine Art facilities include extensive studio spaces and access to workshops for painting, 2D and 3D laser cutting, sculpture, wood and plaster and mould-making. There are also print studios with relief and block printing, plate or stone lithography, intaglio, letterpress, photopolymer plate printing, and screen-printing. There’s also access to film and photography studios and performance workshops. Our modern library has a wealth of books, journals, special collections and online resources.

View 360 virtual tour

Fine Art studios, UCA Farnham

Print studios, UCA Farnham

Foundry wax and plaster room, UCA Farnham

Library, UCA Farnham

Career opportunities

Our industry links are with publicly-funded galleries and commercial London-based spaces.

We also enjoy links with regional artist groups and artist-run spaces throughout the South East. We work closely with a number of public arts projects throughout the region.

Throughout your studies, you’ll be supported by professional artists, curators and theorists. The department has a rich tradition in the teaching and exploration of fine art, and many of our staff are research practitioners, contributing to the wider development of knowledge within their specialist areas.

Graduates from this course go on to work as:

  • Professional artists
  • Curators
  • Arts administrators
  • Community artists
  • Technicians
  • Lecturers and teachers

You may want to undertake further study or research to specialise even further.

Shamini Holloway

"I was really impressed by UCA Farnham. The environment was great and quickly felt like home, in fact, it still does! The facilities and expertise of staff across all disciplines was exactly what I needed to progress my project to the next stage of realisation."

Shamini Holloway

Entry & portfolio requirements

For this course we will need to see your portfolio for review. You can either submit a digital portfolio or request an in-person portfolio review with the course team. Further information will be provided once you have applied. View portfolio advice

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