Fine Art Degree BA (Hons)

Program Overview

The BA Fine Art (Hons) degree at the University of Northampton provides students with the opportunity to explore contemporary fine art practices across various disciplines in a supportive studio environment. With a focus on developing students' own artistic voice and exploring career options within the arts, the program prepares them for further study or employment in the creative and cultural industries. The program includes international study visits, exhibition opportunities, and a guaranteed paid internship.

Program Outline

You will be part of a diverse group of students, each of whom bring their own unique experiences and interests to this Fine Art course, making our supportive studio environment a great place to find your own artistic voice. In our first-year modules, you will gain experience and confidence with various media and concepts, and start to develop your own personal practice which you will then build upon over the next two years. Throughout your Fine Art degree, we will support your journey with tutorials, seminars, study visits and opportunities to participate in live projects, competitions and exhibitions.

Outline:

Year 1:

• Traditions of Fine Art Practice (60 Credits): This module introduces students to the traditions of art studio practice through a schedule of briefs, workshops, and micro-projects.
It covers materials, processes, and theoretical approaches associated with fine art.
• Possibilities in Fine Art Practice (60 Credits): This module encourages students to develop confidence across a range of analogue and digital contemporary fine art techniques and processes.
It includes artist-led debates and focuses on building research and presentation skills.

Year 2:

• Exhibiting and Connecting (60 Credits): This module encourages the development of individual art practice and explores how artwork engages with audiences in a gallery context.
Students are introduced to gallery curation, exhibition design, and related theories and business models. It covers theories, exemplars, and business models appropriate to a range of practices, alongside career paths within the wider arts sector.

Year 3:

• Art and Criticality (20 Credits): This module consolidates the student's creative and theoretical interests through an articulation of their own practice within a critical framework.
It involves an independent investigation and analysis of artists and conceptual positions within the field of Fine Art relevant to the individual student.
• Careers in the Arts (20 Credits): This module enables students to develop their working knowledge of the creative and cultural industries, provides them with a range of skills and strategies to prepare themselves for the external world, and requires the student to take practical actions to progress their career within the arts sector or related field.
• Fine Art Exhibition (80 Credits): This module consolidates creative and theoretical interests through an exhibited body of work that demonstrates a refined approach to art practice, consideration of appropriate exhibition format and audience, and the integration of relevant theory and debates.
The exhibition is supported by "statements of practice" tailored to a range of audiences.

Study Visits:

Study Visits are a key feature of the BA Fine Art course. Students have benefitted from international study visits to Paris, Venice, Barcelona, Berlin, and New York, as well as UK visits to spaces such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Henry Moore Institute, BALTIC, Nottingham Contemporary, the Liverpool Biennial, Folkstone Triennial, and IKON Gallery in Birmingham. They are regular visitors to the Venice Biennale, the oldest and largest visual art festival in the world.

Exhibition Opportunities:

Students exhibit their work regularly throughout their studies, both in studios and project spaces, but also at other venues in the region. In recent years, UON Fine Art students have exhibited work at NN Contemporary (Northampton), MK Gallery (Milton Keynes), and nearby Lamport Hall and Delapre Abbey.

Teaching:

• Tuition from practicing artists who publish and exhibit nationally and internationally.
• Close relationship with the Fine Art team and technical demonstrators.
• Diverse group of students to work alongside in studios.

Careers:

• Employability is central to the Fine Art degree, with specialist modules in the second and third years of study that prepare students for the next steps in their careers.
• Students benefit from guest speakers who introduce a range of career options including freelance artist, curator, art therapist, art teacher, gallerist, and other areas of arts management.
• Many students go onto master's study, including the University's own MA Fine Art course.

Other:

• The BA Fine Art degree at UON has been designed to contribute towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
• The course has a real focus on your future career, with employability modules in Year 2 and 3 of the course.
• Students receive a laptop when their course begins (UK fee payers only).
• The course includes a guaranteed paid internship with the Northampton Employment Promise.
• HP laptop and software included with this course for eligible students.

2024/25 Tuition Fees Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 24/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UK – Full Time: £9,250 UK – Part Time: £1,540 per 20 credit module UK – Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250 International – Full Time: £15,200 International – Integrated Foundation Year: £15,200 Additional Costs Costs for study visits vary but are always competitive, with UK trips would typically costing £10-50 and overseas trips normally in the region of £300-450. 2023/24 Tuition Fees Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 23/24 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UK – Full Time: £9,250 UK – Part Time: £1,540 per 20 credit module UK – Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250 International – Full Time: £14,750 International – Integrated Foundation Year: £14,750 Additional Costs Costs for study visits vary but are always competitive, with UK trips would typically costing £10-50 and overseas trips normally in the region of £300-450.