MFA in Fine Art
The MFA in Fine Art is a two-part programme designed to instigate professional excellence by subjecting the making of work, the ideas and concepts involved, and the works of art themselves, to artistic and critical scrutiny. This will include individually directed research, in order to review, consolidate and strengthen your individual position as an artist.
2 years full-time, or 4 years part-time, or 3 years combined full-time and part-time.
Application deadline: 1 December 2011; we may consider late applications if there are vacancies. You shouldn't normally expect to receive a decision until the end of March.
Please enclose documentation showing your current work. We prefer you to send up to 20 images only (on CD [Mac compatible] saved as jpegs), or a PAL video showreel of no longer than 10 minutes (on DVD; please do not send Quicktime movies, only DVD format). Slides and supporting material should be securely packaged and clearly labelled with your name and address; Goldsmiths cannot accept responsibility for any loss/damage. Please see Returning your work.
Post portfolios to: MFA Fine Art Portfolios, Admissions Office, Goldsmiths, New Cross, London SE14 6NW. You must write 'MFA Fine Art Portfolio' and your name on the outside of the envelope so that it can be matched with your application. Only complete applications together with portfolios can be considered. We examine portfolios, and may then invite you to attend an interview. We may ask international (non-EU) students who cannot attend for interview to supply additional examples of work.
You'll be able to arrange for collection of your portfolio up to three months after receiving a decision or by 31 July at the latest. Due to space limitations portfolios not collected by this date will be disposed of.
Find out more about applying
Applicants for Year One full-time and part-time (home/EU only) Diploma stage: undergraduate degree of at least second class (or international equivalent) plus experience as an artist.
Applicants for entry directly onto Year Two full-time and Year Three part-time of the programme (home/EU only) routes must show through interview and portfolio that they have established a professional practice in the field and have already fulfilled the criteria demanded at the end of Year One of the programme through professional experience.
Requirement for part-time study: you need to have your own studio space in which to work over the four years of the programme. As a condition of admission to the part-time programme, applicants from outside London will normally be expected to maintain a studio in London for the duration of the programme.
If your first language is not English, you normally need a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS (including 7.0 in the written element) or equivalent. Find out more about our English Language requirements.
We ask you for a deposit of £450 to secure any offer made to you after applying for the programme. The deposit will be credited against your tuition fees when you enrol. You will only be required to provide a deposit if you are offered a place, you don't need to pay a deposit to apply.
AHRC
Students have been successful in many fields including media, museums, galleries, education, the music business and academia. Many have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, and have won major prizes and exhibited around the world. The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former graduates. Six of the prize winners have studied here – Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger.
Our Art programmes aim to equip you with the necessary skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. In addition, these skills are of use in other career paths you may wish to follow.
Please see Tuition fees.
Why not visit one of our Postgraduate Art Open Days? You can also visit our Exhibitions and Events Archive.
Contact David Mabb
Students accepted on to the programme work in a variety of media areas including: painting; sculpture; printmaking; installation; performance; text; textiles; fibre arts; digital media; and video.
What you study
The programme is divided into two parts:
Year One (Diploma stage) can be taken either full-time for one year (until late July), or part-time for two years (until late July in both years). It enables you to establish a professional practice by achieving a firm sense of direction for your work and its concerns.
Year Two (MFA stage) can be taken either full-time for one year (until late August) or part-time for two years (until late July, and then until late August in the final year). This stage of the programme enables you to bring your practice to a level of professional excellence.
Students who have already established a professional practice in their field and wish to develop it to the level of professional excellence are able to enter directly into Year Two of the programme on either a full-time or part-time basis.
You may also take advantage of an exit point at the end of Year One of the programme and graduate with the Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art.
The programme will enable you to understand your work in terms of a professional practice, and encourage you to identify and develop your individual position as an artist. It therefore places a strong emphasis on student-centred learning, particularly in the studio seminars and personal tutorials based on studio practice, and a self-directed critical studies essay.
A lecture programme will contribute to your understanding of concerns relating to contemporary art in broader contexts, and you will be expected to inhabit and explore your own personal concerns.
If you are an international student and would like to study a 'tailor-made' programme (for up to a year), you may be interested in applying for an Associate Graduate Studentship.
Register your interest
If you register your interest in this programme we will keep you informed about open days and send you relevant further information. If you subsequently decide to apply for this programme you will be able to use the same login details to apply.
Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, UK
Telephone: + 44 (0)20 7919 7171
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