If you are interested in studying a graduate fine art course you should already have a good first degree in fine art or a related discipline and a demonstrable appreciation of visual and conceptual issues related to contemporary practice. There is a wide range of approaches to graduate courses in fine art and each university or college will differ in it’s methods and philosophy. Read on to discover which graduate fine art program is for you.

Which Approach?

You should consider whether you want to study a graduate course in fine art within the context of a traditional disciplinary group of say painters or sculptors or whether you would prefer a grouping that is multidisciplinary and therefore reflexive in its relationship to contemporary creative practice. Both approaches can facilitate serious and challenging fine art programs for applicants who are critically aware of their own strengths and preferences. Graduate fine art courses extend each student’s conceptual, visual and technical abilities by providing a serious critical context in which to examine and discuss their ideas and art works.

How Will I Learn?

A fine art program at graduate level will feature tutorials, seminars and critiques that facilitate one to one encounters with visiting artists set against a background of continuous peer group explorations of current art world practice. Needless to say, having direct experience of professional art works through visiting exhibitions will also play an important part in gaining a precise appreciation of how artists express distinct qualities in their works.

Once you have been accepted onto a graduate course in fine art, you are likely to find that you have modules and electives that may be either taught or self-negotiated. Taught modules or units may emphasise peer group examination of your fine art works whilst self-negotiated periods of study will require you to propose and plan research projects and/or practice periods that centre upon your own creative interests. However, underlying all graduate programs in fine art is the assumption that each student is an independent, pro-active artist who will develop their own creative practice by rigorously interrogating and testing their concepts and methods.

Which University or College?

Graduate fine art students are active artists so you will need to ensure that the university or college you choose has the technical facilities that can support and extend your creative practice. You need to consider what is facilities and resources you will need the most in your graduate fine art course. Will you need a drawing workshop, a bronze foundry, a digital audio visual suite, a photographic laboratory; or a good studio space where you can create paintings and sculptures, negotiated access to a combination of facilities, a vibrant visiting lecturer program, and an established school gallery?

A graduate qualification in fine art is the internationally recognised outcome of a successfully completed period of study that usually concludes with a public exhibition of art work. These exhibitions are assessed according to each university or college’s published guidelines which are subject to verification by external examiners and national quality agencies.

Career Options

The career opportunities are very good for fine art graduates. If your goal is to become a self-employed artist then a graduate course will certainly help this happen. Alternatively, you could take up a professional role in education or the wider art world. Studying a graduate course in fine art will set you up for progressing your studies further with a research degree, which you can study in conjunction with academic employment. Some graduates go on to work in galleries and museums. Whatever your career destination, a graduate fine art program will help you get there and whilst enhancing your creative and technical abilities.