BA (Hons) Fine Art (with foundation year)*

• Includes a foundation year to establish skills in many areas of fine art practice and prepare you for further years of study.
• We have vibrant studio spaces set within a traditional Art School environment, allowing students to test out ideas through making.
• Small group sizes allow for individual support.
• Our experienced tutors are passionate about their subjects and regularly produce and exhibit their own work, both nationally and internationally, as well as writing about art practice in books and journals.
• We have strong links with a range of galleries and other exhibition spaces in Wales and the rest of the UK.
• Opportunities to study abroad or take part in projects with an international dimension.
• Students are encouraged to exhibit their work and to gain knowledge from high profile visiting artists.
• *1^st in Wales for overall satisfaction and top 20% in the UK (WGU analysis of unpublished 2018 NSS data) 

Year 1 (Foundation Year)

The foundation year will introduce you to the key elements of art and design, including design practice, applied and fine art.  You will explore the creative thought process relating to various art and design disciplines, developing your ability to put ideas down on paper quickly.  There will be a range of practice assignments which will increase your recognition of strong ideas and original concepts.

Modules

• Introduction to Art and Design
• Introduction to Applied Art
• Introduction to Fine Art
• Creative Thinking
• The Skills You Need
• Contextual Studies

Year 2 (Level 4)

The first year of the programme initially provides the opportunity to explore a variety of specialist activities offered within Fine Art as a broad based first year experience. You will examine how artists process ideas through a combination of making and critical evaluation while learning to relate your experiences to those of other artists. 

Modules:

• History and Context
• Creative Futures 1
• Visual Communication
• Fine Art Media and Techniques
• Ideas and Concepts 
• Language and Practice
  
  

Year 3 (Level 5)

In this year, modules enable students to consolidate and extend their learning with more advanced techniques and processes that challenge them to experiment with a variety of media and methods of communication. You have the opportunity to explore the areas of Fine Art practice you are most interested in within workshops led by a skilled practitioners working within the field.  Having developed an awareness of what is possible, you may then choose to specialise in an established area of practice such as drawing, painting, video, digital media, sculpture or printmaking or to adopt an interdisciplinary approach.

Modules:

• Critical Thinking
• Creative Futures 2
• Material, Form and Content
• Visual Art Practice (Fine Art)
• Specialist Study (Fine Art)
  
  

Year 4 (Level 6)

The final year modules require more critical, analytical and lengthier negotiated studies where students can determine their own career path and have the opportunity to negotiate a year plan which places them with more responsibility over what projects they undertake. This is closely monitored through regular critiques, seminars and tutorials.

Modules:

• Dissertation 
• Creative Futures 3
• Negotiated Practice (Fine Art) 
• Fine Art Degree Project
  
  

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.

BA (Hons) Fine Art (four years including foundation year)

UCAS code: W100

Our general requirement for the foundation year is 48 UCAS tariff points but all applications are considered individually and we consider work experience, vocational training/qualifications, as well as motivation and potential to succeed.

The Fine Art programme team welcomes applications from anyone who can demonstrate a commitment to the subject and the potential to complete their chosen programme successfully. This can be established by showing appropriate academic achievements or by demonstrating that they possess the knowledge and ability equivalent to the academic qualifications.

An admissions tutor considers each application individually. All candidates will either be individually interviewed or invited to an applicants’ day where they will have the opportunity to display a portfolio of their work.

Experience may also be taken into consideration, particularly for those applicants who do not meet the academic requirements above, depending on the extent and depth of subject knowledge.

If you have studied in another European country, please check the Entry Requirements for your qualification.

International Students - BA (Hons) Fine Art (four years including foundation year)

If you are an international student please visit the countries page and select your country to see the relevant academic and English language entry requirements.

Students from overseas, who are unable to attend an interview, are invited to send their portfolio of work digitally for consideration.

Teaching and learning

Wrexham Glyndŵr University is committed to supporting our students to maximise their academic potential.

We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments. Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.

Most modules are taught predominantly through a combination of studio instruction and guided self-initiated work. Levels of taught contact are generous and are between 16 hours per week in level 4, 14 hours per week in level 5 and 12 hours per week in level 6.

The staff team hold mid-semester assessment monitoring meetings to discuss student progress across programmes, consider how best to support their progress, share good practice, identify problems and take any remedial action that may be necessary before summative assessments. These monitoring meetings also ensure parity and equivalence of assessment across the programmes.

Our Careers & Employability service is there to help you make decisions and plan the next steps towards a bright future. From finding work or further study to working out your interests, skills and aspirations, they can provide you with the expert information, advice and guidance you need.

Fine Art like all of our Art and Design undergraduate programmes has a strong vocational and academic ethos that aim to ensure graduates acquire a range of vocationally relevant skills. Integral to this ethos is the responsibility to ensure that our graduates have a portfolio of abilities and attributes which will allow them to thrive in the 21st Century workplace. It takes into account the fact that the future needs of the creative industries are likely to be very different, and aims to prepare ‘independent learners’ who on completion of their studies are able to flourish within increasingly diverse professional contexts.

We pride ourselves on the high level of realistic and practical experience of working in the professionalcreative environment that you can gain while you are on the programme. Student are encouraged to initiate, organise and participate in off-site projects and engage in professional opportunities including commercial activities that have the potential to launch their career in Fine Art.

Many Fine Art graduates go on pursue careers in independent art practice, fine art conservation, teaching in further or higher education or in primary and secondary schools, gallery or other forms of exhibition work, public or community arts or as education officers, art therapists, researchers, artists agents, technicians or in arts management.

You do not have to pay your tuition fees upfront.

Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s tuition fees for 2020/21 for a full-time undergraduate degree course are £9000 per year.

The fees you pay and the support available will depend on a number of different factors. Full information can be found on our fees & finance pages. You will also find information about what your fees include in the FAQs section of those pages. 

You can see the full programme specification here. 

*Subject to validation As part of its continuous quality assurance and enhancement, the University has new and updated courses in development. The details of these courses are in the process of being finalised and are awaiting their turn in the approval cycle, known as the ‘validation’ process. As soon as the programmes are validated the details of the course will be confirmed. The majority of new courses that are still ‘subject to validation’ are approved by their validation process; however, this is not guaranteed and should the course not go ahead as planned, or be significantly amended, you will be informed by the university and assistance will be provided to those who have been offered a place to find a suitable alternative course either at Wrexham Glyndwr University or at another provider.