BA (Hons) Fine Art (Extension Degree)

The Extension Degree has been designed specifically for students from countries outside the United Kingdom. Our aim is to enable you to work independently as an artist, and to generate and develop your own ideas.

• Within a university, the term fine art describes an area of study in which students make and learn about contemporary art (this means art being made and exhibited today). Fine art students might create sculpture, painting, video, performance, sound art, installation, drawing, art writing, or any other mediums to describe their aesthetic and intellectual ideas. The ideas expressed within the artwork are understood to be as important as the medium that the artist has chosen to use.
• On the BA Fine Art (Extension Degree) you'll make and study contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment.
• Through the development of your individual practice you'll be introduced to a range of technical and conceptual skills that will help you to develop your critical judgment and establish the basics of your future work, and you'll undertake English Language study where necessary.
• It's a small, friendly programme, and we place an emphasis on one-to-one tuition and teaching in small groups.
• You'll have your own studio space from day one, and will have access to excellent facilities including specialist art practice areas.
• All staff on the programme are practising artists, curators and writers, here to respond to the work that you make and to help you understand how it contributes to, and challenges, the critical debates that animate cultural practices and contexts today.
• Many Goldsmiths students go on to become internationally successful artists. Since 1990, former Goldsmiths students have been nominated for the Turner Prize more than 30 times, and have won the prize on 8 occasions.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Jacqueline Pennell.

Our entry requirements for this programme are usually:

• Successful completion of A-levels (CC)
• Portfolio of work

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of UKVI IELTS 5.0 (with no individual score lower than 5.0) to study on this programme. (Please note: these requirements are under review for 2025 entry and will be updated by the autumn 2024 term.) If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

Selection process

At application, you'll be required to provide a portfolio of recent work. This informs the selection and interview process. Find out more about the electronic portfolio requirements.

Many graduates have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, winning major prizes and exhibiting around the world.

The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates. Eight of the prizewinners have studied here: Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen, Mark Wallinger, Laure Prouvost and Charlotte Prodger.

The interdisciplinary nature of the programme will enable you to work in a variety of fields (eg media, museums, education, the music business, and academia) and progress to a variety of careers, including:

• Practising artist
• Art historian
• Arts administrator
• Gallery curator
• Arts journalist
• Teacher
• Lecturer
• Writer
• Editor
• Publisher
• Media and communications manager
• Conservationist
• Designer

You can read more about potential career paths after graduation on our art careers page.

Skills

The art undergraduate degrees at Goldsmiths give you the skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. Many of these skills will also be transferable and of use in other career paths you may wish to follow.

You'll develop skills such as:

• Technical skills in art practice areas
• Creativity and imagination
• Independent learning
• Resourcefulness
• An understanding of your own practice and where it sits within historical and contemporary contexts of art
• Critical and analytical skills
• The ability to express ideas clearly
• The ability to work collaboratively and with an awareness of contemporary political and social contexts and debates

We provide you with a series of opportunities for specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation.

Our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work beyond Goldsmiths through external networks while they are here.