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Fine Art

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DD

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMM

UCAS Tariff

96

Applicants will be be assessed by a portfolio interview

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Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Fine art

The BA Fine Art course at the University of East London offers  a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary learning  creative  environment for students wishing to specialise in making  contemporary  art that will lead to broad career paths in the cultural and creative industries. 

As part of the unique Visual Arts subject area, we understand how contemporary art can engage with many disciplines. Our course  is taught by practising  artists, curators, cultural directors and writers;  many of whom have international exhibition or publication profiles, experience working with public and private organisations, who share their practice and expertise with the  students. The programme provides opportunities to engage with external organisations and practising creatives in our Detour Ahead, Cultural Manoeuvres, Guest Lecture series and visits. 

Our students work across a range of disciplines including painting, sculpture, installation, video, photography, printmaking, film, new media involving 3D scanning, virtual reality, augmented reality and robotics. 

We're proud of our reputation for igniting the talents of brilliant fine artists with the help and support of some of the biggest names in British art.

The foundation year is perfect if you want a degree in fine art but you don't meet the standard entry requirements. First we prepare you for your degree during the foundation year, bringing you up to speed with academic skills and a firm grounding in the subject, then you can go on to do the full undergraduate degree.

Our fine art students work across a range of disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, film, photography and performance. What exactly distinguishes fine artists? Well, they usually work independently, without a client. Their work may stand out for its beauty or meaningfulness thanks to innovative practice or a high level of craft or conceptual skills. Experimentation and risk-taking are an essential part of their individualism, too.

The emergence of such singular talents has long marked out UEL's fine art course as exceptional. We've been well known for nurturing ground breaking artists since the Chapman brothers started making their dramatic impression back in the 1980s. It's the diversity of our students and staff, with their wide, vastly differing backgrounds and experiences, which helps make this a uniquely rich and fascinating course.

Modules

Year 1: Design Investigation 1 (Core), Design Integration 1 (Core), Contextual Studies (Creative Writing) (Core), Research into Practice 1 (Core), Experimentation and Application 1A (Core), Experimentation and Application 1B (Animation) (Core)

Year 2: Professional Life 2 (Mental Wealth) (Core), Design Investigation 2 (Core), Design Integration 2 (Core), Contextual Studies 2 (Core), Advanced Experimentation and Application (Core), Advanced Practice (Core), Optional placement (Optional)

Year 3: Mental Wealth: Professional Life 3 (Rising East) (Core), Integrated Technology (Core), Independent Major Project Part A (Core), Design Investigation 3 (Core), Research into Practice 3 – Contemporary Practice in Fine Art (Core), Research into Practice 3 – Extended Research Project (Core)

For more information about individual modules, please visit our course pages via the link below.

Assessment methods

At the end of the first term in your first year you'll deliver a presentation of your work to a panel of two staff members. No mark is given at this stage you'll receive oral and written feedback.

You'll repeat this at end of the second term in your first year, but this time you'll be awarded a mark.

In your second year you'll participate in the second-year show and discuss your work with two tutors. A mark is then awarded.

In your third year you'll present the best of your work in the degree show and a panel of all the academic team members agree your mark.

The marks at each level are moderated by a team of external examiners.

Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,580
per year
International
£14,580
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Docklands Campus

Department:

School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering (ACE)

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

60%
Fine art

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Art

Teaching and learning

73%
Staff make the subject interesting
60%
Staff are good at explaining things
60%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
60%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

67%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
73%
Course specific equipment and facilities
40%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
96%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Art

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
53%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

38%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
7%
Teaching and educational professionals

Quite a few students of fine art have already retired and are taking the degree for the excellent reason that they love art, and they're willing to pay to study it. You should bear this in mind if the stats you see feature particularly low employment rates. If you need to earn a living once you've finished your fine art degree, be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common - about one in six fine arts graduates were working for themselves. Also common are what is termed 'portfolio careers' — having several part-time jobs or commissions at once - and many courses actually help you prepare for freelancing. One in ten of last year’s fine arts graduates had more than one job six months after graduation — over twice the average for graduates from 2015. Graduates from these subjects are often found in arts jobs, as artists, designers, photographers and similar jobs, or as arts and entertainment officers or teachers — although it's perfectly possible to get jobs outside the arts if you wish, with jobs in events management, marketing and community work amongst the most popular options.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Art

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£19k

£19k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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