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Fine Art

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.

60 credits overall in an art related subject with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3. Out of the 45 credits at level 3, Distinction in 24 credits and Merit in 21 credits

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

M2,M2,M2

M2 M2 M2 in three principal subjects

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

Pass, with 30 points overall with 15 points at Higher Level Applications where Higher Level subjects have been studied without the full Diploma, will also be considered on a case by case basis. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP): Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements. Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H3,H3,H3,H3

H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3

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

DD

Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC National Diploma plus B in an A level

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

D

Distinction in the BTEC National Extended Certificate plus BB in two A levels

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

DDM

Distinction, Distinction, Merit in the BTEC National Extended Diploma in an art or design based subject

Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education. Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact Admissions for more information.

We normally consider applicants who offer at least 1 Advanced Higher. Applicants presenting with only Highers will be considered on a case by case basis. Where Highers are taken over two years it might be expected that higher grades are achieved, particularly in any specific subjects required. For example, S5 – S6 (2 years): AABBB (A in specific subject) or S6 (1 year): ABBBB (A in specific subject). Unless a more advanced level (Higher or Advanced Higher) is specified in the stated entry requirements, all applicants will be required to have achieved a pass in Mathematics and English at Standard Grade, Grade 3 or National 5, Grade C, the equivalent of GCSE Grade C/ Grade 4" We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

B

BBB from three A levels or BB from two A levels and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.

UCAS Tariff

120

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Fine art

Explore our specialist arts campus:

One of only a few specialist art schools in the Russell Group, you’ll be inspired to create in our purpose built studios and workshops and learn with expert creative practitioners at Winchester School of Art (WSA), part our University of Southampton community and just one hour from London. You’ll have industry exposure through guest lectures, work on live briefs with companies, explore work placements and internships where graduates have gone on to set up their own design labels or work at prestigious brands across the globe including Selfridges, Saatchi & Saatchi, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, ASOS, Nike and Apple. You’ll be prepared for a wide range of creative careers where 93% of Arts graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes 2020/2021, published in 2023).

Study BA Fine Art:

Develop an outstanding individual fine art practice in a contemporary, cutting-edge discipline built on centuries of tradition. You’ll become part of a close-knit community of artists, supported by inspiring tutors who are committed to helping students achieve their creative goals.

You’ll experiment across all media and choose the areas you’d like to specialise in, such as painting, printmaking, sculpture, performance or digital and lens-based work. Ambitious collaborative projects will enable you to discover new strengths and develop your professional abilities, such as the negotiation of ideas, project-planning, management and leadership.

A career-focused curriculum will help you prepare for your future, with opportunities to meet professional artists at our guest lecture series and to netwrork with industry through our partnerships with the John Hansard Gallery, Hampshire Cultural Trust and a space arts.

Based within a Russell Group university, the course also invites contributions from researchers in other disciplines, such as demography, archaeology and the life-sciences, to spark creative responses to global issues.

Modules

You will study a variety of topics that cover the fundamental aspects of Fine Art and you will have the opportunity to tailor your course to your interests by choosing some of your modules.

Some of the modules you may study include Studio Practice: Materials and Techniques; Framing Your Practice; Business Skills for the Creative Industries; Creative Futures; Professional Engagement.

For further module information visit https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/fine-art-degree-ba#modules

Assessment methods

You will learn through lectures, seminars and practical workshops, and through the Shared Drive projects, exploring concepts and techniques that will inform your own studio practice. Guest lectures and study visits offer additional opportunities to hear from practitioners and develop your understanding of the wider art world.

You will also learn from your peers and develop your own critical skills through weekly group critiques, where students take turns to present their work for discussion. This is an invaluable opportunity to hear others’ responses to your work and explore possibilities for its development.

At the end of each semester you will present your studio work for assessment. The written modules include essays that demonstrate your ability to contextualise your practice.

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
£22,300
per year
International
£22,300
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Winchester School of Art

Department:

Winchester School of Art

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.

90%
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

100%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
100%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
95%
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

89%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
95%
Course specific equipment and facilities
95%
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?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
15%
Male students
85%
Female students
96%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
B

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
97%
med
Employed or in further education
30%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
15%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

£25k

£25k

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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 112-128
Nearby University
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BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
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Same University
University of Southampton | Southampton
Fashion Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here