Fine Art Practice

This Level 5 Foundation Degree embraces a full range of disciplines, reflecting the diversity of studio based creativity today.

Whether you're driven by materials, making and physical outcomes or by more ephemeral activities, you have the freedom to work in the materials and methods of your choice, including: drawing, painting, ceramics, constructed textiles, printmaking, illustration, photography, installation, intervention, performance and digital technologies.

This Foundation Degree is awarded by Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

It is planned to replace the existing Foundation Degree with a new Level 6 BA (Hons) Degree to begin in September 2026. Please contact the college for more information. We are accepting applications for both courses pending approval of the new degree.

About the course

This course has been designed to develop your creativity through projects that stimulate and challenge, while allowing time and space to develop your own work.

Practical workshops allow you to make creative media choices within your personal studio work, developing your own creative practices with an academic understanding of both historical and contemporary ideas and issues.

On this multidisciplinary course, we'll teach you some of the skills and knowledge required to carve out a career as a practising artist or gain employment in a variety of arts-related jobs. There will be opportunities to explore professional practice through visits and contacts with professional creatives. You'll also take part in an exciting live external group project, gaining a real world perspective on working with clients and exhibiting. The course culminates in a final exhibition showcasing studio practice.

Our dedicated tutors are highly-experienced educators and active creatives with national reputations for excellence in their own field.

Studio-based Modules

We encourage you to work in the materials and methods of your choice to evolve your artistic skills and grow an understanding of the critical position of your personal creative work. You will explore how what you do can contribute to life in the 21st Century in a world with ever-shifting subject boundaries. You will make, share and discuss art works and build your own creative voice as well as learn ways to collaborate and work with other creatives and organisations.

Professional studies Modules include:

-self-promotion via web presence and social media
-exploring how to exhibit and curate
-presenting your work online as well as in traditional and non-traditional spaces
-the scope for applying for potential funding/grants
-looking at how the law can affect creative practitioners
-professional practice with guest speakers sharing how they operate in the creative industries
-mapping and finding your position as a creative in the 21st century

Assessment

Assessment is continuous throughout the course. Work is organised into practical and written projects. These are then graded and fed back to students with written and verbal feedback. The course culminates in a final exhibition. There are no exams.

Bursaries

We want our courses to be accessible to students from any background, so we’ve put together a cash support package in the form of non-repayable bursaries to provide financial help where it’s really needed.

Qualification

Level 5 Foundation Degree in Arts (FdA) in Fine Art Practice - awarded by Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

Your career and progression

After the Foundation Degree, you could progress onto our Level 6 BA (Hons) Art and Design (Fine Art) top-up degree. Alternatively, you could progress to the second or third year at another university of your choice.

This degree can open up a wide range of careers within the creative arts' industries such as freelance illustrator/artist or community artist. There is also scope for finding work in various creative institutions and other public agencies.