MA Fine Art: Painting

The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:

• BA (Hons) degree in either art and design or drawing-related disciplines, including social and other sciences or engineering
• Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
• Personal statement
• Portfolio of work

Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and personal statement.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

• Related academic or work experience
• The quality of the personal statement
• A combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

For fees and funding information, please see website 

Unit 1: Locating practice within subject

During this first unit, you’ll be introduced to the teaching, learning and research culture of Camberwell College of Arts. Through practical experimentation in the studio, workshops and beyond, you’ll test your ideas and challenge your approaches to making your artwork. You’ll identify your aims and intentions through research and critical reflection. To support this, there’ll be introductions to key practice-based research methodologies.

You’ll interrogate and debate key ideas and developments within your subject and build upon your technical, practical and presentation skills. You’ll extend your network beyond your subject specialism through cross-pathway MA Fine Art lectures, presentations and crits. Alongside these, a programme will support the development of your professional skills.

Throughout the unit, you’ll create a body of work and keep an online journal in which you’ll research and critically reflect upon the ideas that underpin your practice.

Unit 2: Testing beyond subject

In Unit 2, you’ll focus on the creation of new artworks and define your own unique set of creative processes. You’ll have lectures and seminars that explore current debates within art and society. You’ll test your work and research in both subject-specific and cross-pathway seminars, crits and exhibitions. You’ll be encouraged to extend your research methods and to engage with research resources beyond the University.

A series of workshops will explore different approaches to critical reflection and writing about your artwork and research. You’ll continue to equip yourself with a broad range of professional skills and knowledge.

At the end of the unit, you’ll submit a body of work, along with your online journal in which you’ll have continued to articulate your current research while critically reflecting on key developments in your work and the ideas and contexts that shape it. 

Unit 3: Making public

In the first part of this unit, you’ll exhibit your work in a public exhibition to test ideas in front of an audience. Feedback from this exhibition will help you in the continued development your practice, both technically and theoretically.

Your research and learning will be supported by tutorials, crits, seminars and workshops. You’ll continue to develop the professional skills and knowledge to progress to further academic research or employment in the art world, broader cultural industries or other professional environments.

Towards the end of the unit, you’ll work in collaboration with students from across the MA Fine Art pathways to stage a public event where you’ll present your research via one of a range of formats that might include published writing, artist books, workshops, presentations and live events.

You’ll submit a substantial body of work and a public-facing reflective journal, which contextualises your practice within and beyond subject.

Note: 120 Credits must be passed before the final unit is undertaken.