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Fine Art

Entry requirements


This course accepts A-levels only in combination with a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or equivalent one-year intensive art and design or fashion-related course.

This course accepts the IB Diploma only in combination with a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or equivalent one-year intensive art and design or fashion-related course.

MPP in the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in subjects such as Art, Art and Design, Design and Technology or Fashion.

This course accepts Scottish Highers only in combination with a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or equivalent one-year intensive art and design or fashion-related course.

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About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subject

Fine art

Artists create the cultural resources of our shared future. On BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, we recognise the breadth of possibilities in contemporary art, and will challenge you to develop an experimental practice. You will work in one of four pathways – 2D, 3D, 4D or XD – which encompass studio practice, theoretical studies and personal and professional development. This course is part of the Art programme.

The artist studio is an experimental space where cultural conventions can be challenged. Rather than following a medium-based or a general fine art course format, our BA Fine Art course focuses on innovative forms of practice. It will provide you with the skills and knowledge to redefine and interrogate your chosen cultural and artistic fields.

BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins is organised into four pathways: 2D, 3D, 4D and XD. Each encourages you to develop your work in relation to different forms of practice rather than within the limitations of a single medium. The pathway structure itself also embodies an interdisciplinary approach. You will engage in cross-pathway projects, as well as cross-programme events in the College and University.

As a site for constant reinvention, the studio is addressed in a variety of ways. It's framed as a laboratory, performative site, social space and discursive environment. The studio becomes an ambiguous territory which shifts between production, exhibition and interpretation.

On the course, you will work on outward-facing projects and various forms of collaboration. There will be experimental forms of exhibition-making. Research and theory are also key to the course, leading up to a final dissertation. Teaching on the course encompasses theory, writing and practice. This structure mirrors the essential skills of a contemporary, practicing artist – with a need for communication as much as making.

**About Central Saint Martins**

Central Saint Martins is a world-renowned arts and design college which brings together a diverse range of creative practices under one roof. It is known for breaking new ground and asking difficult questions. Across nine programmes of study, the College champions the power of imagination, curiosity, diligence, ambition and risk-taking. It challenges the cores of its disciplines, encouraging collision and exchange across boundaries to create unexpected outcomes. It aspires to give students the confidence to unearth ideas and formations that might provoke and disturb accepted norms. The Central Saint Martins community is dedicated to constantly discovering new ways of thinking, making and doing.

Situated in King’s Cross, Central Saint Martins sits at the heart of a dynamic part of London: Google, The Guardian, Tom Dixon, Universal Music, Camden Council and many others are both neighbours and partners. Students are empowered by the College’s world-class teaching, technical and support staff as well as inspired by their individual practices and industry experience.

Central Saint Martins is often recognised for its academic excellence. In 2017, the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design was awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, and the College was named best provider of both undergraduate and postgraduate fashion education in the Business of Fashion’s Global Fashion School Rankings in 2016 and 2017 consecutively.

Courses sit within nine programmes: Access and Progression to Higher Education; Art; Culture and Enterprise; Fashion; Graphic Communication Design; Jewellery, Textiles and Materials; Performance; Product, Ceramic and Industrial Design; and Spatial Practices.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
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:

Central Saint Martins

Department:

Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London

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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.

47%
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

67%
Staff make the subject interesting
69%
Staff are good at explaining things
70%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
55%
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

64%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
67%
Course specific equipment and facilities
34%
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?

70%
UK students
30%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
91%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
B
A

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

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.

£15k

£15k

£21k

£21k

£24k

£24k

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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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.

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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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