Course information

Entry requirements

UCAS code

W190

Length

3 years full-time

Department

Art

Course overview

Please note: This programme is no longer accepting applications for 2024 entry.

This degree aims to equip you with creative, interpretive, critical and analytical skills, so that you can participate in and contribute to the expanding field of contemporary art.

Why study BA Fine Art at Goldsmiths

  • You'll make and study contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment

  • We'll equip you with the skills that will help you develop independent thought and confidence in your practice, as well as transferable skills suitable for employment in the creative industries

  • You'll have your own studio space from day one, and will have access to excellent facilities including specialist art practice areas

  • All staff on the programme are practising artists, curators and writers, here to respond to the work that you make and to help you understand how it contributes to, and challenges, the critical debates that exist in the study area and beyond

  • Since 1990, former Goldsmiths students have been nominated for the Turner Prize more than 30 times, and have won the prize on 8 occasions.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Adham Faramawy (Home/EU applicants) or Lucy Clout (international applicants).

Watch videos about your course

What you'll study

Note about optional modules (if available): The below is indicative of the typical modules offered, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. The module content and availability is subject to change.

What you study

The programme has two elements:

Studio Practice (75% of the course)

You’ll have your own studio space from day one with access to excellent facilities and technical advice. Studios are not divided by year or discipline, so you will be studying alongside students from all stages of the programme working in a wide variety of media, including:

  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Constructed textiles
  • Printmaking
  • Sculpture
  • Stitch
  • Fabric
  • Photography
  • Printed textiles
  • Video
  • Installation
  • Performance

Studio teaching is supported and complemented by workshop areas, which will introduce you to the techniques and skills relevant to the practical development of your work. 

You’ll have regular individual and group tutorials with your own tutor, with other tutors, and with visiting artists. You will also present your work for discussion with a larger group of students each term.

Critical Studies (25% of the course)

The lecture and seminar series in Year 1 offers a space for exploring and examining the historical and critical context in which art is made, seen and understood. The seminar options from which you can choose in Year 2 engage and extend your critical skills, enabling you to develop your ability to analyse, judge and write about contemporary art. Tutorials will guide your essay writing in Years 1 and 2, and will support the completion of your dissertation in Year 3.

All staff on the programme are practising artists, curators and writers, here to respond to the work that you make and to help you understand how it contributes to and challenges the critical debates that exist in the study area and beyond. We support your development and creativity and help you acquire independent learning skills. This approach requires you to be committed, to thrive on constructive criticism exchanged between staff and students, and to participate in discussing your own work and that of others.

Teaching style

This programme is taught through intensive studio and research art practice, tutorials and mixed-year studio practice presentations. You'll also attend lectures and seminars where you'll hear about ideas and concepts related to specific topics, and where you'll be encouraged to discuss and debate the issues raised. 

You'll be allocated a studio space that will be the focal point of your activities. Students from all three levels share the studio spaces, providing valuable peer support. You will determine the nature of your practice and, with guidance from the tutorial staff, be encouraged to work in any medium that you choose.

The following information gives an indication of the typical proportions of learning and teaching for each year of this programme*:

  • Year 1 - 12% scheduled learning, 88% independent learning
  • Year 2 - 9% scheduled learning, 91% independent learning
  • Year 3 - 6% scheduled learning, 94% independent learning

How you’ll be assessed

Studio practice coursework is continuously assessed through individual tutorials and group seminars. This is complemented by studio presentations at Year 1, viva voce at Year 2, and a final exhibition at Year 3. Critical Studies is assessed through essays (Years 1 and 2) and a dissertation (Year 3).

The following information gives an indication of how you can typically expect to be assessed on each year of this programme*:

  • Year 1 - 93% coursework, 8% practical
  • Year 2 - 85% coursework, 15% practical
  • Year 3 - 100% coursework

*Please note that these are averages are based on enrolments for 2022/23. Each student’s time in teaching, learning and assessment activities will differ based on individual module choices. Find out more about how this information is calculated.

 

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

Please note: It is not possible to transfer onto year two of this degree from another Higher Education provider. This programme also does not accept applications for deferred entry.

Our entry requirements for this programme are usually:

  • Successful completion of three A-levels, International Baccalaureate or an equivalent qualification
  • PLUS successful completion of an Art and Design Foundation diploma
  • Portfolio of work

OR

Successful completion of a Foundation Diploma, BTEC Extended Diploma in Art and Design (completed by the end of the academic year preceding entry).

Please note, students applying directly from A-Levels who have not completed an Art and Design Foundation or BTEC Extended Diploma in Art and Design will not be eligible for this programme.

Mature students without formal qualifications who have relevant experience are also welcomed.

International qualifications

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

Selection process

After submitting your application you'll be asked to upload a portfolio online. If selected for interview, you'll be asked to bring along a portfolio of recent work and an essay. Find out more preparing your portfolio

Alternative qualifications

See our full list of undergraduate entry qualifications.

Fees & funding

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

From August 2021 EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for 'Home' fee status. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will be classified as 'International' for fee purposes, more information can be found on our fees page.

  • Home - full-time: £9250
  • International - full-time: £27500

If your fees are not listed here, please check our undergraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

We offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries, and our careers service can also offer advice on finding work during your studies. Find out more about funding your studies with us.

Facilities

Facilities

Our spectacular Ben Pimlott Building provides purpose-built teaching space on campus, including some of the art studios, lecture theatres, and digital media practice areas. The studios benefit from generous floor-to-ceiling windows. The department provides space for:

  • art studios
  • performance work
  • installations
  • temporary projects and exhibitions

There are also a range of art practice areas for: 

  • 3D printing
  • Casting
  • Constructed textiles
  • Fine art print
  • Graphics and time-based media
  • Metal
  • Photography and moving image capture
  • Stitch and fabric
  • Print and dye
  • Wood
  • Ceramics

You also have access to College-wide facilities.

Studios

All students have their own studio space. This is a place in which to work, to meet and spend time with other students, and to have tutorials. It's also a base from which to organise your work in other parts of the college – such as the various art practice areas, the workshops, and the library – as well as your research visits to galleries and exhibitions in London.

The studios are occupied by students from all three years of the course. This arrangement maximises opportunities for conversation and exchange, and helps to encourage sharing of knowledge, interest and experience between students.

Student work

BA Fine Art degree show
BA Fine Art degree show
BA Fine Art degree show
BA Fine Art degree show
BA Fine Art degree show
BA Fine Art degree show
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Rosie Hastings artwork

Rosie Hastings

I hope to dismantle the mythologies of "straightening devices", pushing gender perception into a queerzone where masculinity is no longer anchored in the male body.

Read more

Careers

Skills

All our undergraduate programmes will give you the skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. These skills will also be of use in other career paths you may wish to follow. You'll develop the following transferable skills:

  • critical and analytical skills
  • creative and practical skills
  • ability to express ideas clearly
  • IT skills

We provide you with a series of opportunities for specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation. Our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work beyond Goldsmiths through external networks while they are here. 

Careers

Many graduates have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, winning major prizes and exhibiting around the world. The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates. Seven of the prize-winners have studied here: Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen, Mark Wallinger and Laure Prouvost.

The interdisciplinary nature of the programme will enable you to work in a variety of fields (eg media, museums, education, the music business, and academia) and progress to a variety of careers, including:

  • practising artist
  • art historian
  • arts administrator
  • gallery curator
  • arts journalist
  • teacher
  • lecturer
  • writer
  • conservationist
  • designer

You can read more about potential career paths after graduation on our Department of Art careers pages. Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths