About this program
MA Fine Art
MA Fine Art at Chelsea is designed to help enhance the making, criticality and articulation of your practice. It aims to expand your work’s audiences and contextual reach. Experimental studio practice and individual inquiry are activated in professional contexts. These challenge what art is or could be, how art is communicated, and how artists can develop their practices in forward-thinking and culturally progressive ways.
Admission requirements
English Language Requirements
All classes are taught in English. If English isn't your first language you must provide evidence at enrolment of the following:
- IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking (please check our English Language Requirements)
The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:
- BA (Hons) degree or equivalent academic qualifications
- Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
- Personal statement
- Portfolio of work
Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and personal statement.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the university website.
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Program content
Unit 1 - Establishing a community
This unit is an introduction to your course, the college and the university.
- Inductions to learning resources at Chelsea
- To use the studios as a flexible space to produce work, foster dialogue and collaborate
- To be introduced to the concept of communities of practice’. This means that every practitioner is a participant within the arts community - at Chelsea, in London and globally
- Off-site activities including professional practice workshops and introductions to London’s emerging art scene
- To develop your own practice and ideas through participating in dialogue and knowledge sharing with your peers
- To work collaboratively on exhibitions and events with your peers
- To continually make work in a professional context for a public audience
- To take part in a group show that is open to the public. This will take place at the end of unit 1 in the studios at Chelsea
- To be assessed on your participation in the unit 1 exhibition and your contribution to the online course publication
Unit 2 - Making your work public
This unit is structured to foster an intensive period of practice development. It is designed to help you refine your ideas and how to articulate them to different audiences.
- A lecture and seminar series to help you situate your ideas within contemporary dialogues and debates
- Writing workshops to help you approach writing as an integral part of your practice
- To create an online professional portfolio that will include your completed work, CV, artist’s statement and other relevant information
- A series of professional development workshops will help you in thinking about exhibition strategies and project management
- To take part in and organise an off-site live project with your peers
- To present work in the college postgraduate show
- To submit a formal proposal for your unit 3 self-directed live project
Unit 3 - Locating and sustaining your practice
This unit is about progressing your career ambitions and will take place entirely off campus.
- To develop a proposal that outlines how you plan to progress your professional practice during the unit
- To be assigned and supported by an advisor, who is an arts professional
- To explore how you might activate your practice within an external context that you have chosen and identified as appropriate to your development. This may include setting up a studio collective with other students from the course, or operating within a professional context within London, the United Kingdom or abroad
- To be assessed on contributions to the online course publication, your online portfolio and end of unit presentation
Note: 120 Credits must be passed before the final unit is undertaken.
Scholarships & funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Program delivery
MA Fine Art is offered in full-time mode and runs for 45 weeks over 15 months, with a break over the summer. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study.
Tuition
- The full tuition fee of 2022/23 for local students is £12,280 per year.
- The full tuition fee of 2022/23 for International students is £25,880 per year.
Qualification
- Exhibition making and publishing
- Field trips
- In-studio consultancies
- Live projects
- Professional practice workshops
- Technical support
- Theory lectures and discussion forums
Career paths
The course develops students potential to operate as professional practitioners within an international art community, or to progress to further academic research at PhD level.
Many students go on to set up their own studio practice, developing strong professional links with galleries, critics, and curators. Many Chelsea MA Fine Art alumni are practicing artists working at national and international level.
Due to the course's interdisciplinary practical approach, many graduates have expanded or multi-platform careers in related fields such as curating, arts management, art dealing, arts advisory services, theatre, film, broadcasting, music, fashion, education, events management, online media, writing and publishing.
Message the school
About this institute
University of the Arts London
University of the Arts London (UAL) is ranked 2nd in the world for Art and Design according to the 2023 QS World University Rankings®, for the fifth year in a row. It has an international reputation in art, design, communication,...
Why study at University of the Arts London
With multiple sites across London, UAL offers endless opportunities to draw inspiration from this global creative hub.
- UAL has a track record for launching and furthering careers across the creative industries and beyond.
- Graduates are frequently shortlisted for national and global awards ranging from the Turner Prize to the Oscars.
- UAL is home to more than 2,400 postgraduate students.
- The university offers a wide range of theoretical and practice-based research programmes leading to a PhD or MPhil.
- UAL is ranked among the UK’s top research universities, with 83% of research conducted by UAL students and staff graded as world-leading.
- UAL has a diverse student community, with students drawn from over 130 countries across the globe.
- Students are encouraged to draw inspiration from London’s world-famous art galleries, museums and theatres.
- UAL’s dedicated support service offers useful advice for international students including guidance on funding, visa applications and accommodation.
Contact info
University of the Arts London
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