MA Fine Art
  • MA Fine Art

    Course length: Full-time 1 year, Part-time 2 years

    A supportive environment that encourages artistic innovation, exploration and debate awaits you on our MA Fine Art Master’s degree course.

    As a postgraduate student at Norwich University of the Arts you’ll accelerate your artistic practice, exploring the role of the artist in society and testing your ideas against contemporary issues and critical debates.

    Master your skills in a stimulating environment

    You may choose to specialise in – or combine – areas including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, spatial and time based practice. You’ll master skills relevant to your artistic interests and you’ll be supported in the development of wider expertise, from exhibition and presentation to ethics and audience awareness.

    Working alongside students from other postgraduate degree courses at Norwich, you’ll be part of a community of artists, makers and visiting artists that forms a stimulating and active research environment.

    Unrivalled fine art heritage

    Norwich University of the Arts has a long and well-established reputation as one of the leading providers of fine art education in the UK. Our students and graduates have been selected for countless prominent exhibitions and prizes, including Bloomberg New Contemporaries, MOSTYN Open, Aesthetica Art Prize, Signature Art Prize, Jerwood Drawing Prize, and the Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprise.

    Our strong links with local, regional and national galleries, museums and festivals mean you’ll have the chance to contribute to debates around contemporary practice. You’ll hear from visiting artists as part of the Fine Art Lecture Series. Our very own East Gallery provides a showcase for high-quality public exhibitions that augment the MA Fine Art experience.

    Graduates work in a broad range of careers including

    • Practising Artist
    • Artist-Curator
    • Exhibition Organisation
    • Arts Administration
    • Teaching/Lecturing
    • Research/PhD Study
    • Research/PhD Study

    MA Showcase

    Discover the work of some of our our postgraduate students in their MA Showcase at Norwich University of the Arts.

    All courses run as a blend of on-campus and digital teaching and learning, and follow current UK government safety advice. Applicants and students will be notified directly if any changes need to be made.

    Visit the Degree Show website

    Entry requirements

    Entrants should normally have achieved a BA (Hons) / BSc Degree of 2:1 or above (or its equivalent), in a subject related to your proposed course of study.

    Applicants who hold a Degree from another discipline may also be considered for entry, subject to the submission of a satisfactory portfolio of art, design or media-related work in support of their application.

    The offer of entry onto a Masters Degree (MA) is based on an expectation that you have the potential to fulfil the aims of the course of study and achieve the standard required to successfully complete the award.

    Portfolio guidance

    Show us your best stuff. Tell us what you still want to achieve. Your portfolio is your chance to paint a picture of where an MA at NUA could take you.

    You should aim to bring about six pieces of work that demonstrate your learning, progress and creativity. The interview panel will be interested in seeing sketchbooks, notebooks, publications, catalogues, blogs or websites that relate to your practice.

    We know that for some people an MA application is a change in direction and some work may only be in a developmental stage. We also know that for those in the final year of undergraduate study completed Major Projects may be unavailable or unfinished, in which case we welcome representative images of work in progress.

    You can choose to bring original work with you or show a digital portfolio using your own device and on a USB drive, DVD, social media platform or through website platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Prezi, Behance, Dropbox, personal websites or blogs. If you choose to present your portfolio digitally please notify us in advance of your interview. If you wish to submit a digital portfolio ahead of your interview we can only accept PDF documents or website links by email.

    Tips on preparing your portfolio:

    • Your portfolio should be presented in a logical and ordered manner
    • It’s important to include a range of creative work that demonstrates your compatibility with the MA course you have applied for
    • The interview panel will be interested in seeing sketchbooks and notebooks as well as finished work
    • Physical examples of practice (printed matter, objects, painting, sculpture etc.) are acceptable at interview, but larger pieces of work should be shown as photographs or digital submission
    • Film, video and animation work should be 2-5 minutes long
    • Include any links to relevant websites or blogs that contain your work
    • Your application includes a 500 word written statement, but you might wish to include other examples of your written work (for example an undergraduate essay or a research report) that relates to your chosen subject
    • International applicants interviewing by Skype should submit a digital portfolio (see above) in advance and/or supply URLs to digital portfolios or online blogs that showcase your practice.

    2023/24 University fees for new entrants

    Norwich University of the Arts will assess students’ tuition fee status using the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs

    Students from the UK or Ireland and EU students with ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status will be charged ‘Home’ fees if they meet the relevant residency requirements.  They will usually be eligible for a postgraduate loan from the UK government.

    Students who do not meet the necessary residency requirements will usually be charged ‘Overseas’ fees and will not be eligible for the UK government postgraduate loan. Since 2021/22, this includes new entrants from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status, because the UK has now formally left the EU.

    Fee status Course Annual fee
    Home Postgraduate degree (full-time) £9,250
    Home Postgraduate degree (part-time, over 2 years) £5,780 per year
    Home MArch Architecture (full-time, over 2 years) £9,250 per year
    Home MArch Architecture (part-time, over 3 years) £6,167 per year
    Overseas Postgraduate degree (full-time) £18,000
    Overseas MArch Architecture (full-time, over 2 years) £18,000 per year

    For Home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2023, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.

    Financial support for UK students in 2023

    Postgraduate Masters Loan

    For 2023, UK nationals and EU nationals who have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status may be eligible for a government loan towards course fees or living costs. Both full and part-time Masters degree students can apply for the Masters loan.

    NUA alumni, staff and feeder staff discount

    Home NUA alumni are eligible for a £1,000 discount on NUA postgraduate degree fees. For the purposes of this discount, alumni are those who have completed a course with us at undergraduate or postgraduate level, but excluding short courses.

    All NUA staff and art teachers at high schools or sixth form colleges are eligible for a £1,000 discount on NUA postgraduate degree fees. As long as this status applies at the time that they start the course, we will honour the discount for the duration of the course, even if the person subsequently leaves their employment.

    How to apply

    Applications to our postgraduate courses should be made directly to Norwich University of the Arts using a Postgraduate Application Form.

    Postgraduate Application form 2023-24 – Word format

    Applications should be returned to admissions@nua.ac.uk

    Terms and conditions

    When should I apply for an MA course?

    There is no official deadline for applying for a postgraduate course. We would recommend you apply by 25 August (at the very latest) of the autumn you wish to start. This will allow time for your interview to take place and the necessary paperwork to be processed if you are successful in achieving a place. International students requiring a visa should apply as soon as possible in the year they wish to start. Email our International Team for more information.

    Find out more about applying.

    Students
    MA Fine Art graduate Joseph Doubtfire at Norwich University of the Arts

    Joseph Doubtfire

    "The really interesting thing about the MA is that it’s practice-led. Practice is absolutely your main focus and this exciting process is about shaping and reshaping what you do."

    MA Fine Art

    Lecturers

    • Marjolijn Dijkman (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Rehana Zaman (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Cécile B Evans (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Adam Burton (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Alec Cumming (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Steve Baker (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • John Wallbank (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Milika Muritu (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artists and Co-director of Cell project space
    • Rosa Tyhurst (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist and Assistant Director Limencello Gallery
    • Ruth Claxton (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artist
    • Susan Sluglett and Anthony Faroux (Visiting Lecturer)

      Artists and Jerwood Painting Fellows 2013

    Need help? Chat to our friendly recruitment team

    Book a place on an Open Day, or to find out more about how to apply for a course at Norwich University of the Arts, please give us a call.

    #WE
    ARE
    NUA

    Top 10 for
    Teaching Quality

    by the Times and Sunday Times 2022

    Top Two UK
    Creative Arts
    University

    by The Complete University Guide 2023

    Uni of
    the Year

    for Student Retention -
    The Times and Sunday Times 2020

    Go back to the top of the page