MA Fine Arts

You will be encouraged to respond to contemporary discourse surrounding the production and distribution of art works, engaging with questions relating to the evolving role of the artist within society and the increasingly hybridised ways in which artists work.

A vibrant studio culture is a distinctive aspect of our MA provision. The aim is to provide a stimulating forum for staff and students to exchange ideas, share ongoing reflection, and challenge assumptions about what forms their work should take and how it should be experienced. You will receive tutorials, group critiques, seminars, visiting lecturers, workshops, visits and tours, and work on live briefs and collaborative projects with external partners.

The course will enhance your position as an independent artist with a range of professional practice skills. Developing practice-based research methodologies will also prepare you for further post-graduate study.

• Applicants should have an personal understanding of their particular discipline and be able to demonstrate their ability to sustain research at MA level.

   

• Applicants should be (or about to become) graduates. Preference will be given to good honours graduates although exceptional applicants from a non-academic background will also be considered.

   

• Professional makers, designers, photographers, craftspeople and fine artists who wish to reposition their practice may also qualify.

   

• Applicants should submit a short proposal of up to 500 words, detailing why they are applying to the programme of study, supported by a portfolio of current practice, which will form the basis of discussion within the interview.

Students will be well equipped to operate successfully as professional practitioners in their chosen specialist field, or may consider continuing in education via teaching or PhD study.

Recent MA students have gone on to open private galleries, work at V&A and show work at the Coventry Biennial.

Through this course you will have links to local, regional, and national visual arts organisations.

Those include including New Art West Midlands, Herefordshire Visual Arts Network, Meadow Arts, Canwood Gallery, the Sidney Nolan Trust and the Manchester Contemporary.

You may be eligible for a Postgraduate Masters Loan.

Postgraduate Loans are available from Student Finance England as a contribution towards course and living costs. If you are studying over two academic years, the loan will be paid equally across 2 years (MA Contemporary Crafts). Each year’s amount will be paid in three instalments 33%, 33% and 34% directly to you.

Students must be aged under 60 years old at the start of the academic year to be eligible.

You should be able to apply for a Postgraduate Loan from the end of June 2022. For more information about Postgraduate Master Loans, please visit www.gov.uk/masters-loan

You can find more information on course fees and funding via the link below.

Open Evenings are a great opportunity to visit the campus, meet the teaching staff and get to know other students joining the course.

Postgraduate Open Events are informal in nature. They feature a campus tour from the course leader, followed by time in the studio space. 

We publish a list of dates for the upcoming year in October.

We encourage applications from students from diverse range of qualifications and life experience. 

We will take into consideration the knowledge and skills that you have developed inside and outside the classroom, as well as your previous qualifications. 

All applicants will interview with the course leader. The interview is an opportunity to demonstrate your passion and potential, and your reason for applying as well assessing whether this programme is appropriate to your interests and aspirations.

If you have any questions, you can arrange an informal chat with our admissions team by contacting registry@hca.ac.uk.

After applying, the admissions team will contact you to arrange an interview date.

They will also include guidance on what to include in a portfolio - which you will bring to discuss at the interview.

Portfolios are an opportunity to showcase what interests you, and what you would want to explore further on this course - and a jumping off point for discussion at interview.

There is an internal progression bursary that reduces tuition fees to £6,600 for HCA graduates.

To qualify, you need to have completed an undergraduate course at HCA within the last two academic years. 

If you want to check if you are eligible, you can email our Registry team at reigistry@hca.ac.uk.