Fine Arts – MFA

Why study this course?

With the global art city of London and its hundreds of galleries on your doorstep, this professional practice Master of Fine Arts course will provide you with your own art studio space and access to a wide range of specialist art facilities and equipment. You’ll have the opportunity to pursue professional projects in video art, sculpture, photography, printmaking, ceramics, painting or any other art or design practice.

As well as raising your public profile by creating your own online and social media presence, you’ll have the opportunity to exhibit your work and to work in a group on a final, professionally commissioned brief from an arts organisation or design company. The MFA course is designed to give you the professional skills needed to pursue the vocation you have chosen in art or design and make a living from your practice.

More about this course

The structure of our MFA postgraduate course is simple and effective. It focuses on improving your practice within specialised studios where you’ll work on projects over the academic year.

A supportive environment

You’ll study in well-equipped workshops, specialist studios and informative tutorials and seminars. Unlike many other university postgraduate art and design courses in London, we’ll support your studies by providing you with your own studio space at no extra cost.

Modern facilities

The School of Art, Architecture and Design provides you with access to outstanding facilities, equipment and specialist workshops including:

• photography darkrooms
• metalwork and woodwork workshops
• 2D and 3D art spaces
• printmaking studios
• digital imaging equipment
• textiles workshops
• 3D printing and laser-cutting
• video and film editing facilities
• sound recording studios and many more

Effective learning

Throughout the year, you’ll gain insights into the art and design worlds via guest lecturers from a wide range of public and private sector organisations. There will also be case study reviews, workshops, exhibitions, events and site visits across London and further afield.

The modules on this postgraduate degree will develop your professional practice and collaborative working skills. You’ll also heighten your public profile through the creation of a website and social media profiles that will publicise your work.

Becoming a professional

We’ll show you how to establish a professional framework for your practice that will guide your organisational skills, build your reputation and increase your chances of future commercial success. This includes learning how to propose, research, develop and execute your master’s level project to the highest level of professional standards.

There will be opportunities to exhibit your work at different points throughout the year including our summer show. Each module contributes to the creation of your final major project to be exhibited in June. This is followed by a summer spent entirely on a collaborative professional commission, briefed by an arts organisation or design company and undertaken in a group.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:

Networking (core, 20 credits)

Project Development (core, 40 credits)

Project as Professional Practice (core, 60 credits)

Research for Practice (core, 40 credits)

Sustainable Practice (core, 20 credits)

Where this course can take you

The MFA qualification helps you establish yourself as an artist or designer, either self-employed or working professional. You can use the experience gained to self-organise and network to win contracts, commissions and shows. Our professional practice and networking module will help you learn how to do this.

You can also use the MFA qualification to help you to find work with major employers in the art and design sector such as:

• Artsadmin
• Pentagram
• The Tate
• The Royal Academy
• Tom Dixon
• Arts Council England
• Heatherwick’s
• The Venice Biennale
• Sotheby’s
• Conrans

You can also use the MFA to go on to study for an art and design PhD. A PhD can help you get into a higher education art or design career to teach or research at art universities all over the world.