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MA Fine Art

Why choose Herts?

  • Teaching Excellence: You will be taught by creative practitioners/artists who are well-connected with national or international standing and expertise (see key staff).
  • Employment Prospects: Graduates have exhibited at Broadway Gallery and St Albans Museum & Gallery whilst others work as curators, teachers, and have set up studios. Some extend study towards a PhD.
  • Industry Connections: We invite industry speakers, creatives, curators, and theorists into workshops to support students in developing creative networks.
  • Entry requirements and key information

    An honours degree (2:2 or above) in a field relevant to the award you want to study. If you do not have a degree, you will need to show you have appropriate professional experience and skills to benefit from the course. We may also be able to take into account accredited prior learning (APL) or accredited prior experiential learning (APEL). If your degree is in a different field, you will need appropriate knowledge, skills or experience in the field you wish to study, or be able to show that you are prepared for intensive new learning. In all cases you will need to demonstrate through a portfolio or interview your preparedness for study at postgraduate level.

    If English is not your first language, you will need a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent.

    For country specific qualifications, please visit our Your Country page.

    If you do not have the required level of English for entry, our academic English courses can help you to achieve this level.

    Institution code

    		 H36

    School of study

    		 School of Creative Arts

    Course length
  • Full Time, 1 Years
  • Part Time, 2 Years

    • Location
  • University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
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  • Employability

    Careers

    The MA Fine Art is designed to enable you to operate successfully as a professional practitioner in your area of specialism. Graduates have gone on to establish studios, exhibit professionally, work as curators, Phd study, teaching, work towards site specific commissions.

About the course

  • Each student on the programme has their own studio space within the shared MA Art studio area. You will be able to work alongside fellow students in Photography, Fine Art, Contemporary Textiles and Contemporary Crafts, as well as students across the School.
  • The School has excellent facilities accessible to all students - darkrooms, print and textiles studio, 3D workshops (including glass, ceramics, jewellery, 3D printing), equipment loan store, and computer suites.
  • All the teaching staff are creative practitioners/artists who have national or international standing and expertise. Invited speakers, artists/creatives, curators and theorists, also add to the creative mix. The teaching staff are passionate about the work we make and the work you make!

Why choose this course?

The aim of the Fine Art programme is to equip you with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to practice at an advanced level, to foster your creativity and enhance your employment opportunities. You will work alongside artists and designers and benefit from contributions from visiting artists, designers, makers, as well as from involvement with our international exhibitions programme and gallery environment. This is the perfect opportunity to develop your individual creative practice and place it within the wider professional context of fine art.

You will work with other students to explore and challenge the boundaries of your practice and, through discussion, explore some of the key ideas that inform contemporary fine art practice. We strongly encourage conceptual experimentation and development of originality in use of materials to explore possibilities and realise the potential of your ideas. Seminars, research methods and debates will help you to advance, as well as technical skills.

Our staff are experienced in research and professional practice, and you will also benefit from contributions from visiting artists, designers, makers and other arts and design professionals, as well as from involvement with our international exhibitions programme and gallery environment. 

 Induction, seminars and social events for students and staff mean that you will be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community, which also includes film makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned artists work with postgraduate students, helping you to develop original and challenging work.

What will I study?

The programme is centered on individual practice and encourages critical dialogue between traditions, disciplines and media. The practice modules develop individual practice through a combination of work-in-progress seminars, tutorials and gallery visits and discussions. A sustained body of creative work forms the basis of assessment, supported by written documentation and assignments. The course is also designed to help you acquire research skills and understand what is going on now in fine and applied arts.

  • Level 7
    Module Credits Compulsory/optional
    Major Study: Fine Art 60 Credits Compulsory
    Discourse and Reflection: Art 30 Credits Compulsory

    • Key staff

    Kerry Andrews
    Programme Leader
    Find out more about Kerry Andrews

    Further course information

    Course fact sheets
    MA Fine Art Download
    MA Fine Art Download
    Programme specifications
    MA Fine Art Download
    MA Art (Fine Art) Download
    Additional information

    Sandwich placement or study abroad year

    n/a

    Applications open to international and EU students

    		 Yes

    Student experience

    At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

    Find out about how we support our students

    You can also read our student blogs to find out about life at Herts.