Fine Art
MFA or PGDip or PGCert
Key facts
Start dates
September 2023
Location
Course length
Full time: 12 months
Part time: 24 months
Department
Overview
Our Master of Fine Art in Fine Art (MFA) equips you to succeed in a career in the fine arts. It is ideal for independent artists who want to extend their practice with support from practicing tutors. As well as artists looking to extend their career path into:
- curatorial practice in the contemporary arts
- collaborative projects with arts organisations
- arts in socially engaged practices and/or further research.
The course provides:
- postgraduate studio-based arts practice
- critical theory in fine arts
- development of your professional skills and knowledge.
Our School of Arts’ workshops are run by highly skilled, creative Technical Specialists. And offer supported working environments in a range of specialist areas including:
- sculpture
- photography
- video
- sound
- printmaking
- book-works.
You will finish the course with the creative, interpretive, critical and analytical skills to develop an advanced understanding of contemporary art and its social, cultural and historical contexts.
How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
The general entry requirements are:
- a good honours degree, ie an upper second or first, in any subject
- an internationally recognised qualification equivalent to a good British honours degree.
Applicants without a first degree, but with extensive experience in the arts or other disciplines relevant to our programmes may also be considered. Please contact the Admissions Office to discuss this.
Applicants will be asked to provide an online portfolio for consideration before we make any offer (see guidance below in selection process).
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
Selection process
Your portfolio should be 12-15 pages in total and give us an idea of your practice. We place great importance on your portfolio so you should take care to include work that best represents you as an artist.
It should include examples of any undergraduate coursework, particularly from your final year. You may also wish to include work and projects you have undertaken outside your formal studies, or since your graduation.
Please edit your portfolio carefully to present your ideas in a clear and logical way, showing the development of your projects as well as the final work.
Once we have received your application we will contact you to set up an interview, in person, or by Skype if you are not near Oxford.
At this point we will discuss further why you want to do this programme and will request to see previous practice.
If you are not an arts practitioner we will need to hear about other work and experience, and understand how it equips you for this programme.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English, or if you have not studied a higher education degree in English, then an English language level of IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component is required
There is a fair amount of discussion on the programme - both in the feedback sessions and in the weekly seminar-meetings. It is therefore very important to be able to understand and speak English well enough to participate in a group conversation.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Your studio practice space
The School of Arts recognises that at Masters level, studio provision on-campus is not always necessary nor appropriate for all students. Therefore, students may make their own arrangements for a UK-based studio space in which to develop their fine art practice. Students making their own arrangements for studio space will be offered a discount on their programme fees. International students are advised that while they may rent studio space in Oxford, or in a nearby locale, the cost of rental in this area is considerably higher than the discount in Brookes fees associated with locating your own space. We therefore recommend that unless you already have your own studio space set up and supporting your practice, that you use the studio space offered and supported by the university.
Should you wish to use your own space which is already set up and supporting your practice, the University requires that you meet the following conditions before we are able to agree to your use of this space as your named practice studio while you are attending the MFA programme:
You will be required to sign a disclaimer in which you agree to be responsible for your own safety. The disclaimer has been prepared by Brookes Legal Services and may not be amended.
You must attend safety training conducted by the University during the Induction period of the programme.
You recognise that if at any time during your attendance on the programme you are able to transfer to the University studio spaces if there is any question over the safety of your own equipment.
Due to the nature of the arrangements to ensure your safety, the timing of the signing of the disclaimer and the safety training required, students wishing to access this discount are required to pay the full fee when they enrol on the programme, attend the safety training, and sign the disclaimer before claiming a refund to access the discount.
Those students who prefer to work in their own dedicated space within a communal environment may apply for studio space on campus. A key-card access system allows card-holders access to buildings after hours. Each entry and exit is recorded electronically.
Compulsory costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
Art materials |
From £100 |
| Exhibition costs for two professionally displayed exhibitions for public view | From £350 |
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
European or international field trip |
£350-600 |
| Field trips to London and other local venues. | £30 |
UK field trip |
Typically £150-400 |
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
All modules are compulsory, although there is considerable choice of topic for assessments in the theory modules. The practice modules are set out to extend your own work.
Study modules
The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the PGDip and PGCert awards your module choices may be different. Please contact us for more details.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
Teaching methods and approaches include:
- formal lectures
- seminars
- tutorials
- workshops.
There are three main parts to the course. The largest of these develops your individual practice as a contemporary artist. The second develops your understanding of historical and theoretical frameworks and contexts. The third enables your development as a functioning and contributing member of broader local, national and international arts communities.
You will develop as a reflective, practising artist. And you will have a robust and critical understanding of your own work. You will apply current theoretical frameworks of contemporary art practice.
You’ll be informed by the diverse and often challenging practices of nationally and internationally recognised artists, collectives and movements. And pursue specific interests to a greater depth through a process of independent learning.
There is an optional field trip as part of the programme.
Field trips
Field trips are an optional feature of the course and costs are not included in the fees. Please see the Additional costs section of this page for details.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
In the practice based modules, you will be assessed on:
- conception
- research
- development production
- and public dissemination of your work.
In Semester 1 you will take part in an interim exhibition. In Semester 3 you will present a major piece or body of work in a professional context through the MFA show.
Practical work is assessed alongside research and development materials. Theory modules are assessed with written work. Teaching includes some sessions on research and writing skills. You will develop the ability to rationalise theory within contemporary arts practices. You'll take part in a reflective process of articulation to produce a written evaluation. This replicates the expectations placed on professional artists when working with external agencies and stakeholders.
The professional module will support and formalize your career aspirations. You will practice identifying, ordering, prioritising and assessing personal goals within a dynamic work environment.
Research
The teaching staff for the Fine Arts programme contribute to the FAR (Fine Art Research) unit which forms a focus for their research. In addition, other active arts research occurs in the Sonic Art Research Unit.
Visit the School of Arts website for more information about the research groups.
More information about individual research by the teaching staff can be found on the School of Art staff pages.
After you graduate
Career prospects
Graduates from this programme will be well equipped to pursue their practice as independent artists who have a well-developed understanding of the theoretical and professional contexts of the current and contemporary landscape of the arts and creative industries.
This programme is delivered within the School of Arts, which offers a vibrant environment for the creative industries including film, photography, music and publishing. Through the modules, which address practice, theory and professional experience, students are provided with links to engage with employment and further study opportunities, either as independent practitioners, facilitators or participants within a range of group and collaborative practices and contexts.
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.