- UCAS Code: W101
- Level: Undergraduate
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Full Time (3 years)
- Location: Margaret Street
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
Our Fine Art degree gives you the support of professionals to choose your own creative journey and flourish as an artist, curator, teacher or working in other creative fields.
Situated in our historic Grade I-listed art school, based in Margaret Street, you'll enjoy the freedom, space and support needed to establish your own artistic voice.
There are no set pathways to learning and this means you’ll have genuine freedom to experiment in any media appropriate to your ideas.
What's covered in the course?
This course encourages you to experiment in or across painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, installation, film and video.
You'll be supported throughout your studies by our experienced and talented tutors and technical staff - all professional artists in their own right.
As well as learning important skills for your future career development from our practical and professional practice modules, you’ll also be introduced to the context and curation of art.
You will enjoy our close links to the Ikon Gallery, Ort Gallery, New Art Gallery Walsall and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and be inspired by the studios and galleries set up by former students, such as The Lombard Method, Grand Union, Stryx and Ort Gallery.
The course concludes in a public professional exhibition of your practical work supported by individual websites.
Why Choose Us?
- Birmingham School of Art is celebrating 130 years of art at Margaret Street – its Grade I-listed building has been the inspiration for countless artists and practitioners of international reputation over the years. There has also been a multi-million pound investment in facilities for photography, casting, woodwork, metalwork, silk screen, etching, 3D printing, laser cutting, and printed and constructed textiles.
- You'll instantly become part of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media’s 6,000-strong student community, and you will be supported by our highly experienced staff, who are all nationally and internationally active artists.
- You will curate exhibitions, have the opportunity take part in work placements and exchanges, and go on national and international study visits.
- Each year the onsite project space, the International Project Space (IPS), will be the hub for a series of residencies, exhibitions and events, and we will work with a number of local, national and international partners to deliver a range of projects with our students.
Open Days
Our Virtual Open Day for this course will take place on 22 November 2020. Book now and we will email you with a link to the Virtual Open Day for your subject area of choice.
Register your interest
This course is open to International students
Discover Birmingham School of Art
Visit our School site for more student work and extra information.
Where our students go
Our students have gone on to work in jobs such as:
- Artists
- Graphic designers
- Teaching and other educational professionals n.e.c.
Entry Requirements
We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.
Essential Requirements
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112 UCAS tariff points from A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels. |
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| LEVEL 2 QUALIFICATIONS | ||
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| IELTS | Minimum overall score of 6.0, with 6.0 in writing and no less than 5.5 in the remaining three skills. | |
| LEVEL 3 (and above) QUALIFICATIONS | ||
| A Level and Advanced VCE |
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| AS and AS VCE | Considered with a maximum of 3 other Level 3 qualifications (AS Levels must be in different subject to A-Levels) to obtain 112 pts | |
| Access to HE Diploma |
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DMM | |
| Foundation Studies (Art and Design, and Art, Design & Media) |
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| IBO Certificate in Higher Level |
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| International Baccalaureate Diploma |
Obtain a minimum of 28 points overall |
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| Irish Leaving Certificate (Highers) | Pass the Irish Leaving Certificate with a minimum of 112 tariff points, achieved in five Higher level subjects. | |
| OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma | DMM | |
| Scottish Advanced Higher |
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| T-Levels |
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| UAL Extended Diploma in Art & Design | Merit overall | |
| UAL Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production & Technology | Merit overall | |
| UAL Extended Diploma in Performing and Production Arts | Merit overall | |
| Other qualifications | ||
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If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. |
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Additional information for EU/International students
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In addition to qualifications, applicants will also need to submit a good digital portfolio. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In addition to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table. |
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| EU/Non-EU (International) Qualifications | Requirements | |
| IELTS |
6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands. If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information. |
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| International Baccalaureate Diploma (or equivalent, including internationally accredited Foundation courses). | ||
International students who cannot meet the direct entry requirements can begin their degree studies at Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC).
Mature Applicants
Applications from mature students (21+) with alternative qualifications and/or considerable work experience will be considered on their merits.
From A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels
Don’t meet our entry requirements?
You could apply for a foundation course or a course at our International College. These routes have lower entry requirements and act as the bridge to a full degree. To find out more, please select your status:
- UK students
- International students
Award: BA (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 years
- £9,250 per year
- Apply via UCAS
Award: BA (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 years
- £13,200 per year
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Guidance for UK students
UK students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
Applying through UCAS
Register with UCAS
Login to UCAS
Complete your details
Select your course
Write a personal statement
Get a reference
Pay your application fee
Send UCAS your application
International students
There are three ways to apply:
1) Direct to the University
You will need to complete our International Application Form and Equal Opportunities Form, and submit them together with scan copies of your original academic transcripts and certificates.
2) Through a country representative
Our in-country representatives can help you make your application and apply for a visa. They can also offer advice on travel, living in the UK and studying abroad.
3) Through UCAS
If you are applying for an undergraduate degree or a Higher National Diploma (HND), you can apply through the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
You can request a printed form from your school or nearest British Council office. You will be charged for applying through UCAS. Birmingham City University’s UCAS code is B25 BCITY.
Portfolio Guidance
If your application is progressed, you will be asked to submit a portfolio of your creative work. Your portfolio is your opportunity to show us examples of your work and creative interests to support your application.
If you are a UK home-based student this can be submitted digitally or you can physically bring it in. Please see our portfolio guidance page for tips and advice on putting your portfolio together.
If you are an EU or International student you will be asked to submit a digital portfolio as part of your application. Please see our international portfolio guidance page for guidance on how to create and submit your portfolio.
Personal statement
UK / EU students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.*
The personal statement gives you a crucial opportunity to say why you’re applying and why the institution should accept you.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Course choice
Why does this course appeal? What areas are of particular interest?
Career plans
If you have a specific career in mind, say how your chosen course will help you pursue this goal.
Work experience
Mention any work that is relevant to your subject, highlighting the skills and experience gained.
School or college experience
Highlight skills gained at school/college, eg summer schools or mentoring activities.
Non-accredited skills or achievement
eg Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Enterprise scheme.
You should also mention your future plans – if you’re planning to take a year out, don't forget to give your reasons. Talk about any subjects you’re studying that don’t have a formal assessment and any sponsorships or placements you’ve applied for. And don't be scared to add in details about your social, sports or leisure interests.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
*Non-EU students are not required to submit a personal statement when applying for this course.
Additional costs
Our courses include activities such as performance, exhibitions, field trips and production of works or artefacts which may require you to purchase specific equipment, instruments, books, materials, hire of venues and accommodation, or other items.
Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £50 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. All our students are provided with 100 free pages of printing each year to a maximum total value of £15.
Accommodation and living costs
The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.
Worried about personal statements?
If you've got no idea where to start or just want to check you're on the right track, we’ve got expert advice and real examples from our students to help you nail your personal statement. You can even download our ultimate personal statement guide for free.
Financial Support
We offer further information on possible undergraduate financial support. This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University.
Year one
The first year introduces you to practice and context, workshop methods through projects, seminars and field visits. You will begin to develop your own language, interests and understanding to enable you to establish a practice. Your practice is supported by presentations, seminar discussions of historical and contemporary themes and ideas, and collaborative practices with other students in the school or faculty. Modules explained:In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits). |
Year two
The second year is about further exploration and development, testing out ideas and taking risks. You will strengthen your own fine art identity through experimentation and reflective discussion in the form of individual and group tutorial sessions. You will also engage in a range of live projects, collaborative activities and placements with the additional option of an international exchange. Modules explained:In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits): |
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules. |
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Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
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Year three
Our Professional Practice modules give you the confidence to consolidate your theory and practice and create a body of work which is a platform for your future career. Our graduates include award-winning professional artists, designers, curators, teachers and professionals within Birmingham's thriving creative industries sector and beyond. Modules explained:In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits). |
On our Fine Art course, you will be encouraged to experiment and investigate ideas which develop your individual creativity.
With no rigid pathways, the course gives you the chance to work in areas such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, film and video.
Reviews
These independent reviews show what our students really think:
"Birmingham is good But the university is Better! I have loved my experience here and met so many new people. IT is better than what I expected. My course is amazing and the lectures are inspiring. My only advice would be to choose this university."
Emma
www.whatuni.com
We are currently establishing a collaborative partnership with the Hong Kong Design Institute which will lead to future cultural visits and project opportunities.
Erasmus scheme
If you are interested in undertaking part of your studies abroad, the Erasmus scheme may be of interest to you. It allows higher education students to study for part of their degree in another European country.
It is open to undergraduates in their second year (or above) and offers a unique opportunity to enhance your CV and experience new cultures. If you study with us you will have access to an Erasmus co-ordinator, who can provide information about which institutions we have links with.
Further Study
You could progress onto a range of postgraduate studies, including an MA or PGCE. You could also potentially go straight to doctoral research study. The MA Fine Art programme at Margaret Street is a popular choice among graduating students.
For further information on courses Tel: +44 (0)121 331 5595 or go direct to the courses section of the website.
I AM BCU
Joséphine Hengstwerth
Josephine never planned to study in the UK but after seeing the School of Art, she completely changed her mind and set her heart on BCU.
Enhancing your employability skills
You will learn of range of skills which will be key to enhancing your future employability.
Specifically you will learn to:
- Develop your own practice and how to analyse this in relation to future employment options.
- Identify the relationship of theory to practice and how this can be used to develop your own individual identity.
- Negotiate, plan, exhibit and present to a professional standard.
- Work independently and collaboratively.
- Be a self-motivated, organised, effective learner.
You will also learn skills in a range of workshop practices in relation to individual development, including photography, casting, woodwork, metalwork, silk screen, etching, 3D printing, laser cutting, and printed and constructed textiles.
Professional practice guidance will teach you a range of skills such as CV writing; the use of social media and other platforms for self-promotion, presenting yourself and your work in a professional framework using a range of appropriate communication skills, such as video and various types of presentation software.
Placements
You will have the option of an international exchange, and the opportunity to get involved in a range of projects and placements.
Our students have recently been on placements with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, working with and alongside sculptor Rob Olins on a recent production of ‘The BFG’.
Students have also worked with the sound artist, Justin Wiggan, exploring the university archives in relation to the School of Art to create site-specific work.
The Fierce Festival and the Flatpack Festival regularly work with our Fine Art students.
OpportUNIty
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
Links to industry
Birmingham School of Art has a wide array of links with partner organisations regionally, nationally and internationally. These partnerships will provide work experience opportunities for you and contribute to your learning and teaching activities. Our overseas partnerships often result in opportunities for you to mix with students from different countries and gain different perspectives, as well as opportunities to undertake a period of study overseas.
Regional - Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Ikon Gallery, Eastside Projects, Midlands Art Centre, New Walsall Gallery, The Mead Gallery, VIVID, Capsule, Grand Union, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Library of Birmingham, and primary and secondary schools across the region.
National - Arts Council England, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool.
International - Established links with other significant institutions both in Europe and the USA, as well as in Canada, Russia and Japan.
These include: The Sorbonne, the Metz/Pompidou (France); Studio for Electronic Instrumental Music, The Hague (Netherland); Ars Electronica (Austria); University of Cologne, Free University of Berlin, Leipzig Academy of Art (Germany); University of Ljubljana (Slovenia); MIT List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts College of Art, California Institute of the Arts, University of California (USA); Pacific Centre for Technology and Culture (Canada); Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (Japan); The Laboratorium (Russia).
BCU Graduate+
Through our courses we give you the skills and experience needed to get a head start when applying for jobs. But we offer something extra too – Graduate+.
Our unique programme gives you the chance to develop valuable skills outside of the more formal classroom learning. We award points for Graduate+ activities (including firewalking!) and these can be put towards a final Graduate+ award.
More about Graduate+
Graduate jobs
Fine Art students like this course because the opportunities for them on graduation are immensely broad, and typically students will have multiple roles and jobs.
For example, graduates continue to work as a practitioner while curating and also go on to further study.
To be able to do this requires confidence, resourcefulness, flexibility and the ability to respond to, and create, opportunity.
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
Our international students
Our School is particularly popular with students from China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The school has a Visual Art and Culture top-up course at the Hong Kong Design Institute for BA (Hons) Fine Art students, which began in September 2015.
Our International Office in Shanghai was established in 2007 and we work hard to develop strong working relationships with countries in Asia.
We provide prospective students with a professional and efficient application and student service, and maintain close relationships with former students living in China.
We are the UK’s most successful recruiter for art and design in China and Malaysia, and we run courses in Hong Kong and Thailand.
The course provides the ability to study in one of the UK’s oldest art schools. You will learn to develop your own creative practice in a thriving creative community in the heart of the UK’s second city on a course which mixes traditional surroundings with current international debates.
The ability to develop your own individual practices alongside a range of local institutions and industries will give a unique insight into the culture and markets of the UK.
Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC)
International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.
BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
Birmingham School of Art (an impressive purpose built Grade 1 listed example of Venetian Gothic architecture) was the first major renovation project undertaken by the university (£5.5m refurbishment). The School provides an incredible resource for the production of art and its associated fields of study. The building has a range of facilities available including studios, workshops, specialist art and design library, bookable spaces and lecture/seminar rooms.
Our staff
All of our staff are practising artists, designers and writers, ensuring you will receive access to the latest thinking, activity and professional networks.
Franziska Schenk
Senior Lecturer in Fine Art
Franziska Schenk is an artist and researcher with an MA in Fine Art (with Distinction) and First Class Honours degrees in Fine Art (Birmingham City University), and in Art Education (Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt). A well-qualified, experienced Lecturer in Fine Art at Birmingham City University and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Birmingham.
She is initiator of, and principal investigator on, funded art and science projects focusing on the conversion of nature’s iridescent colour to the painter’s palette – thereby introducing flow, dynamism, transience and an evolutionary element into painting.
Lee Hewett
Lecturer and Module Leader
Lee is an artist, designer, researcher and lecturer who works across a range of disciplines including sculpture, books/publications, web technologies, photography and moving image. Lee has worked on a range of funded research projects, edited journals and also has teaching experience covering a broad range of levels and subject areas including Fine Art, Art and Design and MA modules. He is currently undertaking a practice-led PhD at the Royal College of Art.
Demitrios Kargotis
Course Leader: MA Art and Design Interdisciplinary Practices
Demitrios Kargotis works as part of the design action group Dash n’ Dem. Since 2010, their wide-ranging participatory projects centre on popular education and critical and creative citizenship participation. The open-ended, collaborative structure of their practice explores how co-creation can act as a form of activism that empowers different audiences to confront and reimagine reality.
Dash n’ Dem make work that aims to make politics more assessable and engaging. For instance, providing a group of teenagers at the South London Gallery with a David Cameron lookalike to take over and create their own party political broadcast in the run up to the 2015 UK general election. Or, revisiting an 80’s post-punk compilation cassette Dump it on Parliament produced in opposition to a proposed nuclear waste dump in Bedfordshire, inviting emerging bands today to develop cover versions and write new songs of protest.
Demitrios is also a founding member of Post Workers Theatre (PWT), a collective of designers and artists who produce projects that consider what politically engaged performance could be, utilising democratic forms of production to co-author creative outcomes with a variety of community and educational groups. Their creative goal is to reconsider the history and function of worker’s theatre of the past, and the current conditions for workers today through political, technological and social lenses. The aim is produce projects that can highlight future facing issues of social equality and alternative ways to discuss important issues.
John Wigley
Faculty Collaborative Curriculum Coordinator / Fine Art Lecturer / Associate Professor
John Wigley is a graduate of the Sculpture School of the Royal College of Art and scholar of the British School of Rome, with interests in film and object making, exploring temporality and ‘still lives’. He has exhibited in the UK, Europe and USA.
He is a working artist, a maker and assembler of objects. He is interested in both the role of an artist and the intellectual and physical space required to develop and sustain a practice.
He teaches into the undergraduate BA (Hons) Fine Art course on the first and second year Establishing and Developing Practice modules, as well as the final year Professional Portfolio module. He is also module leader for two new modules: Collaborative Project and Collaborative Practice. They introduce interdisciplinary practice, where the cross-course sharing of knowledge and skills ensure that students have the experience of working effectively in ‘mixed’ teams. It involves some innovative learning and teaching, including the use of online teaching platforms.
Dr Linda Stupart
Lecturer in Fine Art
Linda Stupart is an artist, writer, and educator from Cape Town, South Africa. They completed their PhD at Goldsmiths in 2016, with a project engaged in new considerations of objectification and abjection.
They are interested in the possibilities for writing and making discrete grounded encounters with different kinds of bodies (of knowledge, objects, affect as well as corporeal bodies) as a way to think through less alienated ways of living and thinking together. This comes out of encounters with feminist art, postcolonial, ecological, queer and affect theory, as well as embodied and object-based critical institutional encounters.
Their current work consists of writing, performance, curation, sculpture, drawing, and installation and engages with science fiction, environmental crises, magic, language, desire, and revenge.
Cathy Wade
Course Leader MA Arts and Education Practices
Cathy is an artist, writer and academic whose work is concerned with how art can be created and distributed in collaborative partnerships and through the creation of commons. Her work seeks to understand the experience of contemporary conditions through social practice and is realised as digital video, print, installation, public art, publication, text, drawing, performance and participatory works.