Synergies in our Postgraduate Art Programme - incorporating MA Fine Art, MA Photography, MA Art and Science, MRes Art: Exhibition Studies, MRes Art: Moving Image, and MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy - create a dynamic context for exploring practices and issues within contemporary culture.

In its extended full-time mode MA Fine Art gives you the flexibility to access London's richly varied opportunities for work and study while maximising your personal and professional development.

MA Fine Art provides an extensive final unit of 120 credits (45 weeks) enabling continuous development and realisation of a significant programme of work.

MA Fine Art supports and is shaped by:

• Diversity of professional directions, aspirations and cultural perspectives
• Reflective research-based practice including writing as practice in fine art
• An interrogation of what informs making and how making generates knowledge
• Independent study and practice and critical reflection on definitions of art and its potential within social space
• Exploration of the parameters of contemporary art, building on knowledge of the contexts and frameworks of practice
• Dialogue to determine the conditions of possibility for contemporary art.

MA Fine Art lasts 60 weeks structured as two consecutive periods of 30 weeks each (i.e. two academic years) in its 'extended full-time mode.'

MA Fine Art is credit rated at 180 credits, and comprises 3 units. Unit 1 (40 credits) and Unit 2 (20 credits) run concurrently and last 15 weeks. Unit 3 (120 credits) follows after the completion of Units 1 and 2 and runs for 45 weeks.

Students successfully achieving Units 1 and 2 may exit at this point with the award of Postgraduate Certificate.

All three units must be passed in order to achieve the MA, but the classification of the award of MA derives from the mark for Unit 3 only.

In year one we expect you to commit an average of 40 hours per week. In year two your study is predominantly self-managed but we expect you to commit an average of 20 hours per week. Across the two years, therefore, you're expected to commit an average of 30 hours per week.

Course rationale

Artists today recognise the breadth and diversity of the social, cultural, economic and technological contexts for contemporary art. This MA Fine Art course engages with and contributes to change and development in the expanded field of art. Although its core concern is with practice, it promotes the hybrid nature of current art practices by exploring the boundaries of, and the interface between, art and critical ideas.

MA Fine Art actively promotes its identity as a multidisciplinary course focusing on criticality and process through a flexible, mobile approach to contemporary fine art practice and its discourses. We support innovative and experimental practice through the application of ideas, media and materials. At graduation you'll have achieved a resolved level of critical thinking, deepened your understanding of contemporary debates and research methods, and made your practice more professional.

International contemporary art increasingly celebrates the integrated nature of theory and practice. Central to your experience of the course is a growing awareness of the relationship between these elements. MA Fine Art provides a unique and challenging environment in which to establish agendas that will shape the cultural environment of tomorrow.

Course outline

MA Fine Art combines an innovative experience of fine art practice with the integral development of research and writing skills. You can work in and across disciplines that include painting, video, film, installation, sculpture, photography and electronic media.

MA Fine Art emphasises individual learning by negotiating an approach to practice and theory with you. It means you'll be able to locate your practice in the professional and intellectual contexts within which you'll operate as an artist. This commitment to individual practice acknowledges the international models of art practice that inform contemporary art's debates.

MA Fine Art attracts applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. Influences from this diverse intake resonate within each cohort and are key to driving the course's agendas and debates, transcending disciplinary or cultural boundaries. The postgraduate course's critical approach is based on theoretical and analytical discourses that, in today's global art world, reflect influences from beyond Europe and North America.

From the outset, an essential programme of study develops your research skills and knowledge of research modes in art-related fields. Your learning extends across our Postgraduate Art Programme, offering invaluable opportunities for peer association and familiarisation with the college's research community. Research underpins the critical exploration of your work, its structuring, context and communication, and drives insight into contemporary cultural debates.

MA Fine Art supports the development of your thinking and practice through a study plan or 'study statement', introduced and developed during the first 15 weeks. The statement helps you manage your individual practice and articulate concerns as they arise or develop. Your practice is supported through lectures and seminars exploring key theories and critical issues with a range of specialist staff and visiting speakers.

Your study statement, considered alongside work in progress, leads to an agreed individual study programme for Unit 3. This programme addresses your learning and aims as a whole, taking in ideas, research methods and projected forms, as well as the theoretical and professional contexts for your practice.

Unit 1 - Introduction to Critical Practice

Drawing on tutorials, critiques and technical workshops, this unit enables you to orient and develop your practice by investigating and implementing practical and critical processes in line with the aims set out in your study statement.

Seminars focus on critical reflections on art, contemporary debates and current themes, developing your ability to evaluate and progress your practice in relation to external bodies of knowledge while building articulacy in critical discussion and writing. You're encouraged to identify, analyse and engage with creative problems.

Your practice is supported and challenged through group discussion. Workshops equip you to implement your studio practice in tandem with your developing critical awareness. There are opportunities to work with key institutions - you're encouraged to engage with these both individually and collaboratively in line with your developing professional interests.

Your work in progress informs the production of your study statement, supported by studies in the parallel Unit 1, addressing issues of relevance, validity and feasibility.

Unit 1 is assessed through a body of written and practical work, including your study statement. Feedback at this point confirms your study programme or advises on developments as appropriate.

Unit 2 - Thinking as Practice (Research Methodologies 1)

This unit, common to all courses within our Postgraduate Art Programme, helps you engage with the postgraduate and research community at CSM.

Unit 2 introduces the fundamental research skills that enable you to make informed decisions about appropriate methods to use in your chosen area of study and your professional future. The unit examines specific research skills and different kinds of research. Skills and knowledge areas covered include interviewing, literature search and review, archival skills, software for use in research and e-resources, feasibility studies, data analysis, referencing, citation and bibliographic conventions, and ethics. Seminars and workshops emphasise participation and the building of core research skills through practical exercises and small group projects.

Lectures ask how arts research and discourse is developed, shared and understood. The focus is on methods of learning, thinking, evaluation and interpretation as both practice based and theoretical forms of enquiry. The diversity of research activity at CSM provides a broad range of models and examples, with particular attention given to the place of practice in research projects.

Unit 3 - Realisation of Research and Practice

This unit has two parts. You'll undertake the first in the second half of year one and the second (more independently) in year two. The unit's 45 weeks represent a major opportunity to bring your practice to a level of resolution. The first 15 weeks focus on your developing practice according to objectives defined in your study statement and the aims of your research paper. The unit takes an ambitious approach to practice, heightening your awareness of current ideas in the professional arena.

Work in progress is reviewed at the end of year one. Outstanding issues affecting agreement of your study programme are negotiated and resolved at this point. Your study agreement includes a commitment to forms of submission and to appropriate mentoring and supervision arrangements.

During year two you're supported in the production of a body of work for exhibition, and in the completion of your agreed written work. Support takes the form of tutorials, technical advice, and bookable workshops.

A spring term exhibition or symposium bringing together staff and peers from across the Postgraduate Art Programme, as well as professional practitioners and critics, challenges you to debate key questions arising from your work. Student directed, this initiative offers useful experience of the skills required to organise a professional event and to present and discuss your work.

By the end of Unit 3 your exhibition and written work reflects a synthesis of reflexive, conceptual, practical and professional abilities. Your mark for Unit 3 determines the classification of your MA award.

Our Postgraduate Art Programme offers valuable opportunities to build transferable professional knowledge and skills. The exchange of perspectives with others through shared units, reading groups and debates helps establish stimulating and productive networks.

The focus on proposing and developing a major independent programme of study is supported by a shared professional practice lecture series featuring guest speakers plus opportunities to attend symposia and critique work in progress across subject areas. The Postgraduate Art Programme has wide-ranging links with professional organisations, collections and galleries, and includes opportunities for interaction and networking according to your personal career direction.

Career possibilities for fine art graduates have expanded in recent years in line with increased opportunities in contemporary arts generally, in London and internationally. Alternative pathways for MA Fine Art graduates include residency programmes, performance festivals, teaching, and practising in the community. There are also opportunities in critical writing, curating and further research degree study.

Recent MA Fine Art alumni activity demonstrates the breadth of student activity within the subject, with many of our fine art graduates prominent in galleries, competitions and events.

In 2007 Mark Melvin won the Nationwide Mercury Art Prize, Gemma Pardo was selected for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries, and Ayan Farrah founded Front Room Projects. In 2008 Sachiyo Nishimura was selected for New Contemporaries. In 2009 Maurice Citron was part of the Saatchi New Sensations show with his work being seen on Channel 4, and New Contemporaries showcased work by students Johanna Piesniewski and Hannes Ribarits. In 2010 graduates exhibited widely - shows included Bibi Katholm at 2 Taekker Space, Berlin, and the Vegas Gallery, London, and Filipo Caramazza at Hayles Gallery, London. Students Francesca Simon and Gwen Yip were shortlisted for the John Moores Painting Prize 2010.

Selection to MA Fine Art is determined by the quality of your application (including a written indicative study statement and supporting material). You'll also need to meet the minimum entry requirements as indicated below, but please note that these qualifications alone won't be sufficient to secure entry to the course.

Minimum entry requirements

We consider applicants who have already achieved an educational level equivalent to an Honours degree. You can demonstrate this educational level by:

• Having an Honours degree or an equivalent academic qualification
• Having a professional qualification recognised as equivalent to an Honours degree
• Prior experiential learning, the outcome of which can be shown to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required
• A combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning that, taken together, can be shown to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required

English language requirement

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend you send us an English language test score together with your application to prove your level of proficiency. If you have booked a test or are awaiting your results, please clearly indicate this on your application form. When you have received your test score, please send it to us immediately. The standard English language requirement for entry is IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in any one paper, or equivalent. For further information visit the Language Centre website.
 
Applicants who will need a Tier 4 General Student Visa should check the External English Tests page which provides important information about UK Border Agency (UKBA) requirements. 

What we look for

We're seeking imaginative, resourceful individuals who are committed to exploring art practice.

Student selection criteria

Your application, indicative study statement and supporting material will be assessed for:

• The quality of the applicant's practice
• The appropriateness of the applicant's skills, experience and practice to the area of interest identified for development in the course
• Effective communication of intentions, purposes and issues
• The level of contextual awareness and expression of perspective
• The potential for realisation of the stated objectives within the timeframe of the course and envisaged resources
• Evidence that the applicant has the confidence and ability to benefit from and contribute to the learning environment at postgraduate level.

The interview (for applicants selected following submission of the application form, indicative study statement and supporting work) is used to evaluate the extent to which a candidate demonstrates:

• A thoughtful and responsible approach to practice
• The capacity for independent research
• Appropriate critical and reflective abilities
• An awareness of the cultural and social context within which they practice
• Appropriate communication skills
• A preparedness to participate collaboratively in debate, practice and presentation

Portfolio and interview advice

Your portfolio should be in the form of up to 20 images of your work on CD or slides (4Mb limit per image). Those working in film and video should submit a compilation show reel (DVD) lasting not more than ten minutes. Please label your work carefully with your name, title and, if appropriate, the duration. The total amount of work you submit must fit in a posting bag measuring a maximum of 30cm x 48cm. Although we treat all work with the greatest care and respect, we cannot accept responsibility for any loss of, or damage to, the work you submit.

References and interviews help determine whether your personal and professional aspirations are compatible with the aims and outcomes of the postgraduate course. The interview also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate an objective, critical and reflective relationship to your work. If possible, it's a good idea to bring examples of current work (e.g. since application).

MA Fine Art welcomes discussion with potential applicants about the appropriateness of their initial proposals. We encourage applicants to use every opportunity to make contact with us before applying.

Home/EU and International applicants

Download your MA Fine Art application pack:

• MA Fine Art application pack - international [Word, 0.5mb]
• MA Fine Art application pack - home/EU [Word, 0.5mb]

Each form contains detailed information about the application process.

Your application must include:

• A completed application form
• Copies of your latest qualifications certificates
• An indicative project proposal (This is an initial outline proposal of your intentions for the course. A template is provided to help structure this.)
• Two references, at least one should be an academic or professional reference
• Documentation of your work in the form of up to 20 slides or images on CD (4Mb limit per image) and/or relevant documentary material (eg DVDs max 10 minutes duration) and appropriate supporting information. Text files should be in Word 2007 or PDF format. This should evidence your current creative practice.

Please ensure your application is complete. If you're sending references separately, please state this clearly. We recommend you send your application by recorded mail. Due to the large number of applications we get, we cannot send confirmation that your application has been received.

Further information for International applicants

Our website includes all the information you need to successfully apply. However, if you still have unanswered questions about the admissions process, please contact us. Email: international@csm.arts.ac.uk 

The University has a dedicated team to help prepare you for your studies. For help on visa requirements, housing, tuition fees and language requirements visit the University's International section.

The Language Centre offers international students quality language training from qualified and experienced teachers. The Pre-sessional Academic English Programme is available to all international (non-EU) students who have been offered a place on a full time course at the University of the Arts. For further information visit the Language Centre website.

We also offer a number of short courses that enable students to improve their portfolios and English skills before applying to their chosen course. For further information visit our Short Course section.

Home/EU applicants please send your completed application to: Student Administration, MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London, Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA.

International applicants please send your completed application to: International Office, MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London, Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA.

When to apply

Applications can be submitted throughout the academic year. Places are limited, however, so we advise you to submit your application as earlly as possible to avoid disappointment.

Home/EU applicants who wish to apply for the Arts and Humanities Ressearch Council (AHRC) bursary should apply to the college before 1 March. 

Deferred entry

Entry can only be deferred in exceptional circumstances. Please contact us before submitting your application if you're considering applying for deferred entry.

What happens next?

We read and consider all application forms and personal references. Please note we give particular attention to your Project Proposal and references.

Subject to your meeting the entry requirements and consideration of your application form, preliminary selection is based on your study statement and documentation of work and supporting information. You may then be invited to attend an interview. For candidates applying for external funding, interviews will be scheduled prior to funding body deadlines.

Can't attend the interview?

If you're a home/EU or international applicant unable to attend for interview, the MA Fine Art Course Leader would hope to discuss your application by telephone.

In the case of applicants unable to attend for interview and unable to discuss their application by telephone, a decision regarding the offer of a place on the course will be made on the basis of a review of the application materials. We keep notes about decisions made following the initial application review and the interview process.

Selection is by two members of staff (normally the Course Leader and one other), and offers of places are made on the basis of our selection criteria. Applicants are informed of the decision via either the Student Administration or the International Office.

Open days

Open days are a great opportunity to meet staff and students and to find out at first hand about courses, teaching and student life. Visit the open day section for dates to book your session. Bookings can only be made online, not by phone or email.