The BA (Hons) Fine Art degree is a progressive and unique student-centred fine art course that enables you to develop, define and perfect your skills as a professional artist.
This immersive, practice-led experience course embraces all possible forms of artistic mediums and while you will be given opportunities to familiarise yourself with contemporary and historical art and their theories, you are also encouraged to find your own unique voice as an artist. You’ll work in an environment where you’ll be supported to nurture and cultivate your artistic potential and grow into confident makers and thinkers, able to navigate through contemporary art and its related fields, such as art curation, art education, and art criticism.
Our dedicated fine art studios are equipped to enable you to accomplish your talent through craft. You’ll be allocated personal studio space and have full access to a range of specialist workshops including sculpture with metalwork, welding, woodworking and casting equipment; print-making with intaglio, dry point, etching, silkscreen, woodcut and letterpress facilities; and a digital print workshop with high-quality large-scale print facilities, high-end scanners and the latest software; as well as photography darkrooms and studios.
You’ll also have access to our media academy facilities, which boasts Mac suites with the latest design software, as well as a media store containing high-definition cameras, video cameras, and sound equipment.
The course has strong industry and community links and you will be given the opportunity to engage in an ambitious programme of professional development alongside your own individual artistic practice - for example, previous students have developed an online profile and designed and ran group exhibitions at a professional gallery within the city.
If you’re looking to study our fine art degree but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the art and design foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress. Find out more about the art and design foundation year.
Who is this course for?
The fine art programme at Solent is ideally suited to students who are interested in refining their artistic skills and familiarising themselves with theoretical frameworks in art.
Applicants should demonstrate a basic level skill set in artistic mediums, and some level of contextual understanding of art practice.
What does this course lead to?
The course is designed to nurture your unique approach and help you grow into a professional artist, film-maker, photographer or performance artist; but also provides support in developing a wide range of exciting career paths, such as art critic, art journalist, writer or poet, theorist, lecturer, school teacher, or art therapist.
YEAR ONE
CORE MODULES
Introducing Practice
Exploring Practice
Developing Practice
Establishing Practice
YEAR TWO
CORE MODULES
Studio Laboratory 1: Imagining Practice
Studio Laboratory 2: Exploding Practice
Studio Laboratory 3: Rebuilding Practice
Being an Artist in the World
FINAL YEAR
CORE MODULES
Consolidating Practice
Achieving Practice
Making a Statement
Practice and Exhibition
You may be assessed by a combination of:
Practical activities
Creative design projects
Design based portfolios
Sketchbooks
Essays
As part of this course, you will study one module at a time, giving you the chance to build a deeper understanding and see the results of your hard work more quickly. With regular assessments and feedback, rather than exams all at once, you’ll also benefit from improved focus, and a more manageable workload.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Southampton, Solent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
• Direct entry to years 2 (Level 5) or 3 (Level 6)
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses.
• Level 5 (year 2) entry
To directly enter the second year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 120 undergraduate credits at Level 4 or a CertHE in a related subject area.
• Level 6 (year 3) entry
To directly enter the third year of this course you need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 240 undergraduate credits (at Levels 4 and 5), a DipHE, Foundation Degree or HND in a related subject area.
Entry requirements for students joining after Year 1: Direct entry to years 2 (Level 5) or 3 (Level 6)
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses.
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | with a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
TOEFL IBT tests taken from 21 January 2026 Minimum overall score of 4.5 with a minimum of 4 in each individual component. TOEFL IBT tests taken prior to 21 January 2026 Minimum overall score of 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component. Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 95 in each component or equivalent.
We understand that each student is unique. At Solent we encourage individuality and have adopted a balanced approach to Admissions, by considering exam results alongside portfolios / interviews or auditions.
Our contextual offer scheme allows offers below our standard academic entry criteria to those who have faced challenges which has impacted their performance and predicted higher grades, by taking into account additional selection criteria such as a strong portfolio, interview or audition.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland & Channel Islands | £10050* | |
| EU | £10500 | |
| International | £18508 |
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries
Email:admissions@solent.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0) 23 8201 5066
Email:student.funding@solent.ac.uk
East Park Terrace
Southampton
SO14 0YN
At Southampton, Solent University
