Fine Art with Integrated Foundation Year

Develop your skills by entering the creative industries on an Integrated Foundation Year degree.

If you’re interested in taking on a new subject that you’ve not had the opportunity to study in depth before, or have been out of education for a while, then our Integrated Foundation Year courses might be for you. These four-year courses include an introductory year to help you build the core skills needed for specialist degree-level study.

This is a chance for you to let your imagination run wild and explore your creativity, expand your professional skills and develop enhanced subject knowledge in the domain you want to study. We’ll help nurture your expertise in problem solving, risk-taking, designing and making as you develop your abilities through five core modules.

After your foundation year, you’ll have a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, a developed practical and technical skill set and the confidence to excel in your chosen degree subject when you join other students for the rest of your course.

Harness Falmouth’s renowned fine art expertise, which champions critical exploration. Realise your artistic vision and ambition on our renowned Fine Art degree, which champions curiosity and encourages critical exploration of historical and contemporary art practices, cultural issues, contexts and debates. With access to studio space and facilities including 3D, printmaking and time-based media work- shops, you’ll evolve your own practice through a rich variety of mediums. By graduation you’ll have an industry-ready portfolio and the ability to effectively present your work to the world, building the foundations for an enduring career.

You will:
Develop technical, design thinking and production skills in your chosen specialism.
Learn teamwork, leadership and project management skills through a variety of learning environments.
Develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills through the development of unique and innovative projects.
Complete your chosen degree over a four-year period.
Work in a fine art studio space from day one, with access to excellent facilities including 3D, printmaking and time-based media workshops
Collaborate with industry partners such as Newlyn Art Gallery and Tate St Ives
Develop professional practice skills, learning to identify opportunities, take initiative and sustain a viable long-term career in the arts and beyond
Evolve your fine art practice through opportunities such as field recordings, voice laboratories, self-publishing projects, specialist workshops, guest lectures and performances
Collaborate with peers and staff to produce group exhibitions and an online arts festival
Build an industry-ready fine art portfolio

On this studio-based Fine Art degree you'll delve into culture and theory, evolve your practice and gain vital professional skills. Learning from experienced practitioners, you'll investigate contemporary and historical art practices, theories and debates. You'll also develop the skills to effectively present your work to the world. Throughout the course, you'll collaborate with staff and peers to plan and deliver public exhibitions.

Foundation Year:
In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules: three short modules in the first study block and two in the second (one short, one long). These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of both creative practice and your chosen specialism. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

After your foundation year, you'll have a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, a developed practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen degree subject when you join other students for the rest of your course.

Modules:
Explore
Technique
Apply
Industry
Launch

Year One
In your first year, you'll join technical workshops and inductions to kick-start approaches to artistic practice. With a focus on co-creation, you'll collaborate with your peers to develop a range of ways to think about, self-initiate, and develop your practice. You'll also investigate contemporary and historical art contexts, developments and debates. At the end of the year, you'll go on to develop and deliver a group exhibition.

Modules
Press Play
Practice in Context 1
Initiating Practice
Practice in Context 2

Year Two
In your second year, you’ll expand your horizons of what art practice is and can be, and how this translates to professional contexts. You’ll further your understanding of research by exploring the relationships between sources, methodologies, themes, and ideas in support of your evolving practice. You’ll also continue to develop the academic and cognitive skills required to develop thoughtful and critical practice, in both visual and written forms.

At the end of the year, you’ll work in teams to produce a public-facing arts event. To do this, you’ll utilise vital professional practice skills including collaboration, team working, negotiation, persuasion, liaison and project management.

Modules
Situating Practice: Studio
Situating Practice: Art Discourses
Testing Ground: Art Encounters
Testing Ground: Collaboration
Testing Ground: Studio

Year Three
In the third year, you’ll work to establish a professional level of agency over your own creative practice. You'll complete an extensive research project that addresses the question of ‘research as practice’; providing an opportunity to scope the embedded methodologies and theoretical frameworks of your practice. You’ll then mobilise this research to produce a professional, public-facing final exhibition.

Throughout the year, you’ll be supported to develop your professional practice skills, expand your industry and research networks, and find opportunities to test your practice in the real world.

Modules
Practice as Research
Entrepreneurial Practices: Agencies & Audiences
Realisation
Sustaining Practice

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

Foundation Year assessments are 100% coursework based.

Assessment will take place at the end of each module, and you'll get feedback and evaluation throughout the year. You'll be assessed through visual, verbal and written assignments, including your portfolio and a reflective journal. In your foundation year all assessments are pass/fail to encourage students to take risks and engage with the feedback provided.

Progressing in your specialism
Students studying on courses with an Integrated Foundation Year must successfully complete and pass all foundation modules before they can progress to the next stage of their course.

Your specialism
You'll be assessed with practical exams and coursework.

Assessment methods
Practice-based modules will be assessed on the presentation of visual work, including preparatory work
Critical studies modules will be assessed on written assignments
In the final year you’ll be assessed on your dissertation and your studio-based module - culminating in an exhibition of your final-year work