Fine Art MA

The MA in Fine Art at the University of Leeds encourages you to engage in critical reflection of your work and of contemporary artistic production, leading towards an independent, ambitious and critically informed body of practice, sustained by intellectual rigour. Studying Fine Art is essential in an evolving and dynamic contemporary society; it offers new ways of thinking and being which challenge how one operates in the world.

You will be expanding your practice as part of a community of practice-research approaches and developing and honing your professional relationships. At the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies (FAHACS), you will be embedded in a large community of artists, art theorists, historians, and museum professionals, in one of the largest British graduate schools for art and art theory outside of London. Being part of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures also encourages broader contexts for your research and practice.

The course provides you with a supportive environment for developing a sustained practice, offering you space for rigorous academic enquiry, for expanding professional relationships, and for cementing an ambitious body of work, thus contributing to the cultural and creative sectors both nationally and internationally. Throughout the degree, you will be immersed in the vibrant contemporary art context of Leeds and the wider region, which provides numerous opportunities for engaging with arts-related events. The course adopts an artist researcher ethos. Approaching the practice as research and supporting your practice development by rigorous academic study enables you to make an informed decision throughout your studies on whether you wish to progress towards advanced research in the arts (such as a PhD qualification), or a professional arts practice (such as a career as a visual artist), or engage with other arts-related professional activities. Our aim is to ensure that you are well equipped for your chosen pathway, whether that is as a practicing artist, an arts professional, or a researcher, and prepare you for the challenges of a career in the visual arts. The curriculum is built around three interrelated components: art practice, collaborative approaches, and public-facing outcomes. In the first Semester, you will examine and expand your work contextualising your practice in relation to contemporary art discourses. This is a time for experimentation and critical analysis. You will undertake Expanding Practice (30 credits) where you will explore processes, materials and methods and begin to crystallise your position. An optional theory module of your choice (30 credits), allows you to benefit from our specialisms in art history, theory or museology, supporting the development of critical thinking skills. In Semester 2, you will undertake a second optional module (30 credits) and the Research Study module (30 credits). In the latter, you will engage with your work through critical writing, examining a topic of choice related to your art practice. Throughout the year, you will undertake Practice in Public (60 credits) which will support you in building professional networks appropriate for your practice, and in producing your work in the public realm. All modules work together to enable you to develop the necessary competencies and skills to achieve the MA degree.