Contemporary Fine Art

University of Salford

United Kingdom, Salford

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945

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Home/United Kingdom/Salford /University of Salford/Contemporary Fine Art

University of Salford

United Kingdom , Salford

Key Facts

Program Level

Master by Course Work

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Course Code

Course ID N/A

Campuses

Main Site

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake DeadlinesSeptember-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 1 year(s)

Tuition Fee

GBP 17,520 / years

Next Intake September-2026

Contemporary Fine Art

About

Introduction

In a nutshell

Our Contemporary Fine Art Masters is a course that emphasises how making is informed by theory to enable you to view, critique, and challenge the way we experience the world and culture. This is a practical subject supported by ideas and research. There is a strong emphasis on professional practice, particularly within an international context. Greater Manchester has the fastest growing creative sector outside of London, and culture is the beating heart and soul of a city brimming with amazing museums, galleries, project spaces, and studios. The course will also look at how you can position yourself outside the region and develop an international profile.

At the heart of the programme is creative play and creative thinking. You will have the opportunity to explore a range of art practice and learn how to question, explore, and define your identity as an artist. Studying within our fantastic studios and workshops at the New Adelphi campus, you can be creative, learn new skills, and develop your talent to transform your potential in art. You will have access to print, textiles, photography, wood, and metal workshops, and well as the latest cutting-edge industry technology in our digital labs. We also have state-of-the-art sound recording studios and film studios at our MediaCity campus.

You are taught by practising artists, each with national and international reputations within the art world. We have partnerships with University of Salford Art Collection, Open Eye Gallery, Tate Liverpool, HOME, Hot Bed Press and the Turnpike Gallery. The programme is also supported by a wide range of regional curators, artists, and arts professionals. Students are also eligible to apply to our Graduate Scholarship Scheme that offers mentoring, a small bursary, and free studio for a year with one of our partner organisations including Castlefield Art Gallery.

This course is part of our suite of MA Art and Design programmes, which means you also get the opportunity to work collaboratively on a few modules with students from Socially Engaged Art, Socially Engaged Photography, Visual Communications, and Creative Technology. We welcome and support you to work in a cross-disciplinary with your peers, echoing the way professionals work within the creative industries today.

International applicants: Please check the international intakes page for the latest information and application dates.

You will:

Be mentored and given tailored feedback from practising artists and academics who are experts in their fields
Gain a professional understanding of how the arts industry works, while developing the skills you need to promote your work
Graduate with a strong portfolio of work that represents the techniques and transferable skills you’ve mastered throughout this course

International

students accepted

Our Art and Design students used sustainable design to create solutions around the emerging climate problem with Extinction Rebellion Art Group and Design Manchester.

Explore the outputs from students that study on this course

Bag People

In your final year you'll present your achievements to industry, staff, your peers, your family and friends at the Degree Show event.

You’ll study at our New Adelphi building and join an Art and Design community where you’ll be supported and mentored.

We’ll expose you to practical workshops led be experienced demonstrators where you can learn new skills

Winners at the Create Student Awards 2022

You’ll graduate with friends that share your interests

This is for you if...

You want to go on a journey to build and improve your portfolio of work

You want to develop the professional skills to carve out a successful career in the arts

You’re looking for a Contemporary Fine Art course that offers the flexibility of both full-time and part-time study

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Requirements

What You Need To Know

APPLICATION PROCESS

To gain a place on this MA Fine Arts course, youâll have to submit a personal statement and meet our entry requirements when you apply.

Within your Contemporary Fine Arts Masterâs personal statement (up to 500 words), weâll want to understand:

What motivates you and what current experiences do you have in terms of art and design and contemporary fine art?
How have you been involved and what did you do?
Do you have any knowledge in the arts sector; are there any projects that inspire you?
What are your future goals; is it to work in the arts sector, for example?
Why is the University of Salford and this Fine Art masterâs degree the right choice for your future goals?

All applicants will be asked to provide us with a portfolio of work - this will be documentation of any relevant visual materials/projects completed within the last 4 years, whether studio practice, site-specific or public realm based artwork.

Standard entry requirements

To join this MA you should have a second class honours degree, 2:2 or above.

Interview
Personal statement as detailed above
Portfolio

For international students

If you are an international student and not from a majority English speaking country, you will need IELTS of 6.0 with no element below 5.5. We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.

We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course.

Alternative entry requirements

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.

The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.

Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

English Program Requirements

Equivalent qualifications

English language requirements are shown on individual course pages. Generally, this is shown as an IELTS grade, however we accept a range of equivalent qualifications.

As a general guide:

For undergraduate courses we require IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum 5.5 in each component) or equivalent

For postgraduate courses, we require IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum 5.5 in each component) or equivalent

For the International Foundation Year, we require IELTS 4.5 (with a minimum 4.0 in each component) in UKVI IELTS for UKVI (Academic)

The approved equivalent qualifications list includes the following:

Secure English Language Tests (SELTs)

University of Salford English language courses

Regional-based qualifications

Majority English Speaking Countries as deemed by UKVI

Medium of English Institutions

Applicants who require a Student Route visa to study in the UK may require evidence of a Secure English Language test rather than an examination or qualification due to visa requirements, as deemed by the UK Government Home Office, Visa and Immigration (UKVI).

Career

Employment and stats

What about after uni?

Employment

As a result of the body of work you’ll have built up during your MA Contemporary Fine Art studies, and the experience you’ll have gained from exhibiting and building your creative network, you’ll be in a great position to move forward with your plans for a career in the industry.

Many of our graduates continue with their creative careers, with many choosing to establish their reputation by building on the connections they’ve made within local creative communities across the region. Our previous students have also successfully exhibited in a range of venues or been proactive in initiating art-based projects. Others have secured artist residencies in both the UK and abroad.

It is not uncommon for graduates to support their practice via teaching or demonstrator roles in further or higher education establishments, or to find work within museums and galleries. But professional opportunities don’t end there. Equipped with a range of transferable skills, our students have also entered a variety of related professions in education, community development, healthcare and enterprise.

Further study

Graduates showing strong academic and research skills can pursue a further academic research path through our doctoral (PhD) programmes on a full-time or part-time basis subject to a satisfactory proposal.

Career Links

Our MA Art and Design programmes have great working relationships with key cultural organisations within the north-west. These include the Center for Chinese Contemporary Art, Hotbed Press, Islington Mill, Castlefield Gallery, International 3, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Artworks, Mark Devereux Projects and HOME.

Opportunities for student collaboration range from an artist in residence positions and exhibition opportunities to volunteer at the organisation, live projects and mentoring. Members of staff from the organisations visit to provide careers advice and guidance as well as inviting our students to events and talks with professional artists at their venues