BA (Hons) Fine Art Bachelor's degree at the University of Derby
BA (Hons) Fine Art at University of Derby is recognised as a nationally recognised UK degree and has received Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
About this course
Join us to work with leading artists and educators in developing your creativity through experimentation with media, materials and ideas to emerge as a confident practising artist. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Fine Art is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Derby, based in Derby Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Creative arts and design graduates from this provider, 100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 59% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £23,500. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 30; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 100% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 4 modules
- Introduction to Studio PracticeCore40 credits
Module details
This module introduces you to the nature of the fine art studio – its culture, underpinning philosophies and work ethos. You will begin to learn these key ingredients of fine art practice through engagement with guided practical and exploratory studio-based activities. Emphasis will be placed on how to initiate creative practice from given starting points within an outlined workshop framework. Media and materials will be explored as part of this process, both as investigations into deepening studio practice and as a set of discrete technical based workshops. You will be encouraged to reflect on your work and begin to understand how to draw on a wide variety of sources as a means of underpinn
Assessment: Coursework
- Experimentation and CuriosityCore40 credits
Module details
You will begin to clarify your emergent studio practice through self-initiated and self-directed research into areas of interest, both in terms of potential themes and concepts you wish to express, and practical ways and means of doing this. You will use this module to test out workshop media, process explorations undertaken in the Introduction to Studio Practice module, by applying these to areas of developing practice. Reflection on your own and others’ work will continue to develop, with the placing of your practice in wider historical, social and artistic contexts. By the end of the module you should have the beginnings of a coherently developing practice within an area that potentially
Assessment: Coursework
- Extended ContextsCore20 credits
Module details
In this module, you will be introduced to mixed / multi-media and site-specific practices within the field of contemporary fine art, which begin to explore varying methods of working within differing contexts. As part of this, the potential for group work will be explored. You will be required to make a personally initiated exploration of given areas from technical, theoretical, contextual, conceptual and creative perspectives. Extending your choice of areas of media development and how work is sited will challenge you to broaden and deepen your ongoing studio practice.
Assessment: Coursework
- Contextualising PracticeCore20 credits
Module details
In this module, you will begin to learn how to locate contemporary fine art practice-based course material. This will primarily be through looking to external sources and documenting this in notebooks/sketchbooks. Tutors will guide this sourcing and the research will be underpinned through class-based delivery of art theory. This is designed to enable an awareness of contemporary fine art practices and consider your own emergent practice in relation to this. Notation of primary and secondary source material in notebooks/sketchbooks will move toward more critical articulation through a piece of writing.
Assessment: Coursework
Year 2 4 modules
- Locating PracticeCore40 credits
Module details
Drawing on studio work articulated at the conclusion of Level 4 you will develop your visual language and develop your practice to begin building a personal creative voice. You will identify the beginnings of a clearly expressed critical framework establishing your area of studio practice within the broad field of contemporary fine art. There will be further investigation and experimentation in your chosen area of media development as a means of developing technical and conceptual aspects. An ability to self-initiate, source appropriate materials and technical approaches is essential to this module.
Assessment: Coursework
- Staging: Engaging AudienceCore40 credits
Module details
This module will deepen work outlined in the Locating Practice module, into a clearly articulated and coherent whole. There will be a development of a body of work that shows clear analysis of areas of concern and synthesis into a visual language, through exploration of appropriate forms – allied to ongoing risk-taking. Through a refinement of your personal self-critical voice, you will develop the ability to identify areas of weakness and find strategies for overcoming them. There will be a sense of resolution in the work that forms the basis for refinements to come at Level 6. There will be a further investigation and experimentation in your chosen area of media development as a means of r
Assessment: Coursework
- External Professional ContextsCore20 credits
Module details
This module will challenge you to continue the development of your studio practice within an external professional context. The focus will be on a choice of media, methods and materials which will help extend your ongoing practice, in relation to an external context. You will be encouraged to consider the imaginative possibilities of working in and from the landscape, gallery, museum or other site-specific location. You will be encouraged to develop your notions of site-specificity and appropriate working practices relating to collaborations with host institutions as part of your developing practice. Additionally, this module will provide you with the opportunity to relate your academic know
Assessment: Coursework
- Practising TheoryCore20 credits
Module details
Stemming out of studio practice, and through sourcing external references you will locate your developing studio practice within current contemporary fine art practices. This will build on methodologies engaged in at Level 4 where notebook/sketchbook work will be the primary resource into which source material, reflections and critical analyses will be formulated. Class-based sessions will continue to underpin the theoretical dimension of the study. Critical reflection and a coherent piece of writing will be synthesised from the ongoing reflections in notebooks/sketchbooks.
Assessment: Coursework
Optional placement year 1 modules
- Placement Learning and Professional DevelopmentCore20 credits
Module details
This module forms part of the placement year typically completed between the second and final stage of a degree programme. The module provides a framework for the development of reflective skills appropriate to all areas of professional practice including for example aspects of problem solving such as objective setting, planning, negotiating, demonstrating, and reflecting. The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of work completed within the organisation and future employability planning. During the module students will develop a reflective portfolio where they record the skills, knowledge and experience developed during the placement experience and evaluate how this wil
Assessment: Coursework
Year 3 3 modules
- Resolution and SynthesisCore80 credits
Module details
You will initiate, develop and resolve a sustained studio-based practice of clear personal inquiry. You will demonstrate a critically clear intention as to the direction of the work, with ongoing refinement of a deepening conceptualisation and sophisticated use of media, materials and processes, with clarity of the connections between these. You will demonstrate your development of aesthetic awareness and critical appreciation of the work of others in relation to own practice to a high degree. In the second half of the module you will synthesize elements in the resolution of a body of work that clearly articulates your personal practice at a professional level. This work will provide the pos
Assessment: Coursework
- Professional PracticeCore20 credits
Module details
This module stems out of professional development work undertaken through ongoing studio practice modules at Levels 4 and 5 in respect of vocational training for the professional fine artist, including the examination of the place of the artist and the artwork in modern mediated culture. You will develop a working knowledge of the presentation skills needed to negotiate a place for individual work in wider contexts. You will gain an understanding of means of presenting own work professionally in a public context with regards to applications for projects to be considered within the creative industries. You will be encouraged to make informed and critical judgements of individual skills in rel
Assessment: Coursework
- Critical EnquiryCore20 credits
Module details
This module requires you to undertake a critical inquiry into your practice as an emerging artist. You will investigate key aspects of your work in relation to the wider field of international contemporary and/or historical art. By situating your own practice alongside those of artists who share similar preoccupations, and within the critical discourses in which such work has been interpreted and evaluated, you will be better placed to identify and articulate what is original and distinct about your own. You are expected to engage critically with the ideas of acknowledged cultural authorities – artists, critics, curators, theorists, historians, philosophers, and so on – in order to explain,
Assessment: Coursework
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course develops your creative practice by encouraging experimentation with media, materials and ideas. You'll usually begin with visual studies and design principles, learning colour, composition and form, alongside hands-on work in materials and processes, from printmaking and textiles to digital fabrication. Contextual studies ground your work in art and design history. As you progress, studio practice becomes central, where you'll develop sustained projects and a personal direction. Year 2 typically introduces digital and emerging media tools, and you'll engage with live briefs and real-world collaborations. In your final year, you'll specialise deeply in an area such as graphic design, illustration, fashion and textiles, fine art, UX and digital, or another discipline. Your course culminates in a self-directed major project, positioned in a degree show, alongside professional practice modules that prepare you for creative industries or self-employment.
Who it's for
This course suits students with an interest in fine art practice and visual enquiry. Most accepted students have held A-levels or equivalent qualifications; typical entrants had a UCAS tariff of 96–111 points. Check the university's funding pages for information on bursaries and scholarships.
University & format
The BA (Hons) Fine Art is a 3-year full-time degree at the University of Derby, a public university based at Derby Campus. Teaching is in English. The course is delivered by a recognised UK degree-awarding body, and the university holds a Gold award for teaching quality from the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 90% |
| another higher-education qualification | 5% |
| Other | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code W100). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Derby →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £23,500 | £22,000 – £26,000 | 30 |
| 3 years after | £18,500 | £14,500 – £22,500 | 335 |
| 5 years after | £23,500 | £18,500 – £27,500 | 335 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 30; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 30; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 17% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Web and Multimedia Design ProfessionalsSOC 2020 214 · 11% of published destinations · ASHE median £32,574
- Design occupationsSOC 2020 342 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £35,957
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 170; response rate: 57%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £23,500. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.5 out of 10: NSS 89.3% · in work or study 100% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of Derby
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Derby Campus - Markeaton Street
1,938 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Derby from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £17,500 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
This course lists IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area). If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Derby’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Derby and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Derby
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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