The MA in Fine Art provides an opportunity to scrutinise and advance your existing Fine Art practice. Past students have worked in a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, writing, printmaking, installation, performance, curation, time-based work and digital art. 

The emphasis of the programme is on studio practice, with theory, context and professional practice integrated throughout. The curriculum is centred around dialogic exchange with dynamic and supportive individual and group work. The production of studio work and material investigation takes place alongside responsive written, aural and/or verbal presentations which contextualises studio concepts. 

Professional practice is embedded throughout the programme, and students test their ideas through public presentation in their location, giving them the skills, ambition and confidence to establish a contemporary professional practice of the student’s choice.

Course Details

  • To gain the 180 credits you require for this qualification, you must study the units in the order shown below and pass the first unit before progressing to the second unit, and so on.

    Unit 1.1 Research and Practice – 60 credits

    The first supports students to develop independent study skills and to examine a range of independent research methods appropriate to their practice. Working in their chosen medium and area of interest, students interrogate their practices through a series of practical approaches within a carefully constructed critical framework that identifies relevant theoretical positions and enables students to develop personal research methodologies.  

    Unit 1.2. Contextual Perspectives – 60 credits

    The second unit is predominantly practice based. Students build upon methods, processes and learning initiated in Research and Practice, moving towards more independent study. Contextual Perspectives invites students to test ideas, developing propositions for reasoned enquiry based on methodologies developed in Unit/module 1.1, framing studio production with a critically defined set of conceptual and theoretical concerns. Students study the breadth of contemporary fine art practice including, but not limited to, writing as making, socially engaged practice, public art and time based work. 

    Unit 1.3. Resolution – 60 credits

    To complete the programme, students produce a substantial body of practical work and accompanying contextual material for public presentation. A programme of critiques, seminars, tutorials and lectures support the students technical, conceptual, methodological and theoretical development over an extended period of study. The unit/module material will support critical awareness to enable students to arrive at a discerned and ambitious conclusion. Students leave the programme with a breadth of intellectual, practical and transferable skills, prepared to continue their practice for personal development and/or professional practice.

    Related Documents

    We regularly review our curriculum; therefore, the qualification described on this page – including its availability, its structure, and available units – may change over time. If we make changes to this qualification, we’ll update this page as soon as possible. Once you’ve registered or are studying this qualification, where practicable, we’ll inform you in good time of any upcoming changes. If you’d like to know more about the circumstances in which OCA might make changes to the curriculum, see our Academic Regulations or contact us. This description was last updated on 14 December 2022.

  • Timeframe

    You will be able to complete this masters qualification within two years. Each unit of study is comprised of 24 weeks of teaching and learning, followed by an assessment period.

    • Schedule Example [coming soon]
    Tuition

    Tuition is provided at timetabled points during the academic calendar, through a mix of: 

    • Synchronous group activities offered as live events with supporting forums
    • Tutorials as 1-2-1 online sessions
    • Feedback reports offered as written or verbal formats
    • Asynchronous group activities within forums or other online platforms

    All forms of tuition offer formative feedback through constructive and well-grounded comments that aims to stretch and challenge learners at set points within the course.

    Course Materials 

    Course materials are delivered through the OCA Learn online learning environment, through a combination of written, audio and audio visuals and links to external online content. To support students across different disciplines, we encourage them to utilise the Skills Hub. Here, they can access tailored skill-building resources to apply relevant content to their ideas and study.

    Coursework

    Coursework entails self-directed individual learning documented through a learning log or online blog, alongside portfolio presentations incorporating a personal framework. OCA Spaces provides students with a secure online journal service to record your learning log. 

    Department Space

    Your degree has an online Department space, within OCA Learn, to help encourage academic dialogue and develop a learning community. This space will offer an overview of your degree, regular group activity opportunities, spaces to ask questions, signposting to additional support and/or resources, and access to your Programme Leader.

    Online Library

    Online library access, reading lists, and additional resources are available via the Library page on OCA Learn. Library support is offered by a librarian, via ‘Ask the Librarian’ forums. Key reading lists are accessible electronically.

  • Through the module there will be critical reviews, either written or audio visual, where students connect practice with research. 

    1 – 1 tutorials or written formative feedback, to reinforce individual understanding and ensure learning is in line with learning outcomes are also incorporated into the module. 

    A summative assessment upon completion of a unit is carried out digitally with students providing links to their online learning logs, images and videos of work and a written or video reflective evaluation.

Admissions Criteria

  • To be eligible to apply, you must;

    To strengthen your application, we also recommend being able to claim for at least 50 criteria points from the list below. For any points you claim against, you will be asked to provide evidence.

    Criteria Points
    Degree in any subject 40
    Degree in the visual arts 50
    Evidenced experience of working in any relevant creative industry or context. For example, as a practising Fine Artist. 50
    Higher National Diploma/Foundation degree or equivalent in Art 30
    Higher National Certificate or equivalent in Art 20
    A-Level Art or equivalent 10
    Other experience or learning, whether certified or not, will be considered on an individual basis

     

  • OCA courses are studied and paid one module at a time with fees being reviewed annually. You will study three 60 credit modules, equating to 180 credits required to complete a masters qualification.

    You can pay for a module fee upfront or break down the payment through a deposit and instalment option. You cannot pay for the all three modules of study upfront.

    2024/2025 course fees will be made available shortly.

  • All applicants to the MA in Fine Art will be required to complete the OCA Master’s enrolment form and submit a written statement with a recent portfolio of artwork to be considered for the course.

    The statement should be between 500 – 1000 words and reason why you wish to study an MA with OCA and what are your aspirations for the course. Refer to your portfolio work and let us know about you as an artist. Your portfolio should include 8 – 10 images of work from last two years, and we advise focusing on the work you would like to develop on the course. It would be useful to include development work to show your methods of working.

    You can submit your application through the ‘Register’ button below.

    Please take into consideration the deadlines for each cohort, which you can review here.

Register

Click here

Ask a question

Click here