Click here to edit using the old editor

BA (Hons) - Fine Art (with integrated foundation year)

Art is more than a skill; it's a language of expression. Our BA (Hons) Fine Art with Integrated Foundation Year degree encourages you to delve deep into your creative psyche to develop art that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also rich in meaning and context. Here, you'll learn to embed your personal experiences and perspectives into your work, making each piece a powerful reflection of your unique artistic voice.

Your journey begins with an introductory foundation year, designed to develop your skills, confidence, and core knowledge in a supportive and creative environment. This year helps you build strong artistic and academic foundations, ensuring you’re fully prepared to progress smoothly into the undergraduate degree.

From here, you'll develop professional-level skills across disciplines such as drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography, filmmaking, and digital media. Whether you prefer working with clay, paint, or digital tools, our course empowers you to experiment and express yourself through your chosen medium.

Our studios provide inspiring spaces for creativity, including a life drawing studio and fully-equipped workshops for 3D printing, ceramics, woodworking, metalworking, textiles, and printmaking, with technicians on hand for training and support.

Our practising artist tutors will support and inspire your studio practice, providing a deep understanding of Fine Art from historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives. You'll develop entrepreneurial skills and have opportunities to showcase your work, visit galleries, create your own space, and curate public exhibitions for valuable professional experience.

Apply via UCAS

Book an Open Day

Carlisle - Brampton Road All

Fine Art (with integrated foundation year) cover image

Course Overview

On this Fine Art degree with integrated foundation year, you’ll develop knowledge and skills across the Fine Art disciplines of drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography, filmmaking and digital media. You’ll have easy access to fabrication facilities in metal, wood and ceramic, as well as our print studio, darkroom and audio/visual labs. Tutors, who are all practising artists, will support and inspire your studio practice with a historical, theoretical and critical understanding of Fine Art.

You’ll learn entrepreneurial skills and be encouraged to exhibit locally and nationally throughout your studies. You will visit galleries of note, may create and run your own space in Carlisle as well as curate and organise numerous public exhibitions of your work – gaining essential professional experience.

You’ll graduate from our Fine Art course with the skills and confidence to make a significant contribution to the artistic and cultural landscape.

On this course you will...

Study inter-disciplinary skills, learning ALL the techniques you need to become a brilliant artist. Including sculpture drawing, painting & printmaking, photography, filmmaking, and even performance.
Be assigned a generous studio space on campus with access to specialist resources and equipment.
Take part in Student Exhibitions from day one: Year 0 Exhibition, First Year Drawing Exhibition, Three Minute Film Festival, Seconds Out and a Final Year Degree Show.
Explore external exhibitions and artistic spaces. Our students run exhibitions across the city, arrange events and run workshops, contributing to the creative and cultural life of Carlisle.

Apply via UCAS

Book an Open Day

Carlisle - Brampton Road All

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
EU / EEA / International
Course LocationCarlisle - Brampton Road
Institute Institute of Education, Arts and Society
UCAS CodeW108
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
Course DurationFull-time: 4 Years
Course Start PointSeptember
AwardBA (Hons)
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysCarlisle - Brampton Road
All

Minimum entry requirements

UCAS Tariff points

UK Tuition fees

£9,535

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£9,790

Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000

Entry in academic year 2026/27

Tuition Fees Policy

What our students say

There is a real sense of community and a small culture within such a small institute which was unique to the university

Fiona Keegan, Fine Art

Originally from Tanzania and studying at Cumbria's Carlisle campus, Fiona talks about why she choose Fine Art.
One of the main reasons I chose University of Cumbria is that it has a friendly, community feel, that you often don’t get from other universities.

Sophie Steadman, Fine Art

Sophie is a current student on Fine Art and talks about her experience on the course.

Sophie Steadman

Course Structure

What you will learn

Our close-knit and supportive community will inspire your creativity and shape your individual practice. In your foundation year, you will work across a range of disciplines and approaches to making, in a small and highly supportive studio environment.

You will develop an awareness of contemporary fine art practices and hone your ability to make, critique and discuss your work and that of others. Our close-knit and supportive community will inspire your creativity and shape your individual practice.

Year one

In your foundation year, you will develop the core skills needed to progress onto our BA (Hons) Fine Art course. During this time, you will work with students from across art, design and media disciplines, exploring your place in the wider creative community.

Introducing Creative Research Practice
Begin to build the knowledge, skills and ways of working to become a creative practitioner.
Seeing, Thinking, Making Meaning
Learn more about the history and theory of the creative arts and work with others to discuss why context is so important.
Ideas, Images and Objects
Begin to apply your skills and develop your own individual creative projects.
Innovation Lab
Work with others to test out ideas through making and breaking to explore innovative ways of working.
Creative Industries Toolkit
Learn more about the industries you will work in and acquire the professional skills and attributes you will need to succeed.
Creative Playbook
Have the opportunity to negotiate your own brief with support from your tutors and apply all the knowledge and skills you have gathered throughout the year.

Year two

In your first year you will focus on the development of your skills across all Fine Art disciplines with practical work playing an important role in informing art theory, as well as critical and historic perspectives.

Materials and Methods
An introduction to the tools and skills needed to make art work(s).
Cultural Contexts
Introduction to the cultural, historical, and social contexts in which creative work from a range of disciplines will be discussed, examined, and analysed.
Application
Develop a personal Fine Art practice in response to the module brief(s), by means of studio practice & contextual research.
Collaborative Practice
Work with other students to explore and practise the skills involved in creative collaboration.

Year three

In your second year, you will develop your skills and address professional fine art practice and current issues. Plus, you will curate and organise a public exhibition of your work, gaining essential professional experience.

Enquiry 1
Learn to direct your own work and develop an awareness of your activity in practical, intellectual, and critical terms as part of the overall process of art-making.
Intersections
Explore Postmodern and Contemporary issues in Fine Art.
Enquiry 2
Develop independent working strategies underpinned by reflective, critical, and theoretical practice.
The Professional Self
Develop the necessary practical skills to present yourself and your work professionally and positively.

Year four

Your final year centres around a curated degree show, where you put your artistic and professional practice skills to the test.

Practice 1
Hone your strategies of research in making and thinking.
Independent Research Paper
Practice 2
Carry out a self-designed, in-depth, and investigative personal project. The culmination of this module will be the public Degree Show for all final year students.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

During your foundation year, you will work closely with a range of specialist creative staff, as well as alongside students studying illustration, graphic design, and photography.

By learning as an integrated member of this creative community you will experience, first-hand, the methods and techniques used by other visual practitioners. This will foster an appreciation of how your work fits into the wider world of the visual arts and provide you with greater confidence, knowledge, and skills as you progress to Level 4 of the programme.

As you enter your degree proper, you will learn through a variety of techniques that foster practical skills and theoretical knowledge. For example, lectures and seminars will take place to encourage discussion and theoretical thinking; while workshops are intended to be a place for experimentation, where you will learn new skills and put them into practice.

How you will be assessed

Assessment in Fine Art does not necessarily signal an end-point for a project. The assessment process, including self-assessment feedback, feedback tutorials, crits, and referral projects, are an opportunity for you to reflect, consider, and learn from your experience in order to continually develop your skills, awareness & practice.

Whilst assessment also functions to, eventually, provide an overall measurement of achievement in the form of the degree classification itself, it is, perhaps more importantly, part of the overall dynamic and continuum of the educational experience as a whole.

As a Fine Art student, you have the opportunity to learn during the assessment process, as you are invited to take part in the process itself. The presentation of a critical, self-assessment statement, and your presence at the assessment event, are important aspects of Fine Art’s learning and teaching dynamic. The expectation is that you will be in a position to compare your own self-assessment, with that provided by staff in feedback, as a means to reflect upon and to consider the development of your critical awareness with respect to your developing practice.

The experience should be viewed as an opportunity to ‘test reality’, in identifying common criteria used by us all on which to base our critical judgments of our work.

Summative and Formative Assessment

Self-Assessment

Throughout the Fine Art course you will be invited to make self-assessment statements, typically at the conclusion of a module. This exercise provides tutors with the opportunity to monitor your awareness of the assessment criteria, and offers an insight into your own critical faculties. It is a valuable opportunity for you to explore your judgment relative to the criteria and assessment philosophy of the course.

Overview

48 UCAS Tariff Points. You can find out more about the tariff and qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.

Qualifications

Entry Requirements

A-levels: A

T-levels: P (D or E) All subjects are accepted for entry to this course

Access to HE: 45 Credits at Pass

Scottish Highers: 48 UCAS Tariff Points

Irish LC Highers: 48 UCAS Tariff Points

Other experience: Pearson Level 3 National Diploma MP

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

When we review your portfolio, we are assessing your ability to benefit from the course you have applied for. Any offers are based on your whole application and the review of your portfolio of work.

Where you have received a conditional offer subject to achieving particular grades/UCAS tariff scores, and do not quite meet these scores, please try not to worry, where vacancies exist our Admissions specialists will review your whole application again and take account of any mitigating circumstances and reassess your suitability for the course.

Selection Criteria

As part of the application and selection process, we are looking for your commitment to this programme. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate your motivation for choosing this course and reflect upon any experience you have gained.

All places are offered subject to successful interview and portfolio. You should present a cohesive portfolio containing a broad range of work and be able to explain at interview what has led you to apply for Fine Art and the attributes you would bring to it.

We are looking for applicants who have an interest in fine art as an arena where ideas about the world can be made manifest through traditional and non-traditional means. We are keen to encourage those of an inquisitive nature who already have some skills (perhaps drawing initially), and are generally prepared to work hard and achieve and develop practical and conceptual skills using a variety of media in order to present and convey their ideas effectively.

The Integrated Foundation Year programme supports your return to education and are specifically designed for students who have the ability to study for a degree but may not have all the necessary qualifications, skills or experiences to join the degree in Year 1.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. The University of Cumbria will make offers to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 – you can check your postcode here) and care leavers, offers will be made at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. (T&Cs apply)

Contact ugadmissions@cumbria.ac.uk for more information.

Returning to Education

If you are over 21 and returning to study after being in relevant employment for a minimum of 3 years and do not meet the published entry requirements for Year 1 of our degree courses, please do not assume you are not qualified to join us. Our experienced Admissions and Academic staff will review your prior qualifications and professional experience to support your application.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK Tuition fees

£9,535
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£9,790
Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000
Entry in academic year 2026/27

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

International Finance

At the University of Cumbria, we offer affordable tuition fees for international and EU students looking to study at one of our main four campuses. No matter your choice of course or career path, our International Team is here to support you.

Funding

Fees for foundation year studies are as stated. Fees for studying beyond the integrated foundation year (years 2-4) will be changed at standard cost.

For information about funding, please visit our undergraduate funding page.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

Stationery, printing and digital storage

Approximately £30 to £40 per year

RequiredPer yearStationery

You should budget for stationery and consumables for personal use. These may include notebooks, pens and pencils, digital storage devices, printing and photocopying. The amount you spend will depend on your study preferences.

Books and journals

Approximately £50 to £300 over the course of your studies

OptionalThroughout the courseBooks and journals

Most core textbooks and journals are available through the University library. You may choose to purchase personal copies of books or other resources used to support your studies.

Some courses recommend particular books or provide an estimated annual budget for purchasing personal copies. Search for your course below for details.

Technology requirements

Cost depends on the equipment and internet service you choose

RequiredThroughout the courseDigital learning and IT

You will need regular access to a laptop or computer capable of accessing the internet and running software such as a word processor and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 is provided as part of your studies. You will also need a reliable internet connection. The amount you spend will depend on the equipment and internet service you choose.

Information on borrowing university laptops

Controls for the spotlight carousel

Location
Carlisle - Brampton Road Campus
Located just outside the city, right on top of Hadrian's Wall, the Brampton Road campus is full of history, buzzing with excitement, creativity, and a sense of endless possibility. The home of creators, entertainers, rule breakers, and change-markers.
Find out more

BA (Hons) - Fine Art (with integrated foundation year)