Study a Painting degree with OCA

Centered around the many practices of painting, our BA (Hons) Painting degree will develop core skills, methods, and approaches to help you explore painting as an essentially materially based process. In exploring the works of other artists you will unpick themes and ideas to apply to your own work.

You will challenge the boundaries of ‘painting’ as a concept through a variety of assignments exploring colour, fluidity, space, and site. Each assignment will help you shape and evolve your own practice. Your studies will be guided by a specialist tutor, a practicing artist in their own right. They will introduce you to, and encourage you to, explore new themes and ideas to inform your thinking.

Our group work and virtual learning environment create space for a diverse, collaborative conversation with peers and tutors. These online painting courses are designed to support, challenge and enrich your studies.

Studying Painting

With an infinite capacity for invention and infinitely mutable, painting is remade by every painter so the future of painting relies utterly on the diversity of painters.

This course is highly student centred with lots of scope for personal choice and designed with a commitment to enabling sustainable onward creative lives.

The vibrant and multifaceted college community meet up via the OCA’s virtual learning environment  and are represented by regional groups across the UK, Europe and beyond.

You can connect in ways that work for you; from visiting galleries together to following a thread in a discussion. A series of personal tutors throughout your degree will nurture and respect your ambitions and help you get to grips with degree level study.

Searching for online courses for drawing and painting? Begin your journey today and study drawing and painting with OCA!

Course Structure

As of September 2021, the BA Hons Painting course will deliver 3x 40 credit units in each Level of the course.*

Level 1

As an open access course, many students will be beginning, with no experience whatsoever, when many others will have been painting for some time before deciding to embark on a degree. The core of this initial stage is the acquisition of skills, with courses designed to allow for the wide variety of ability that characterises the student body. The focus is on your own learning and you will be supported by your tutor understand the nature of the pathway you have embarked on and to develop a toolkit to equip you to unlock the potency of your creativity.

Level 2

Students will be exposed to a wide range of contexts and debates around painting; historical, socio political, psychological, philosophical, formal and material. You will be encouraged to be bold and if necessary irreverent as you remake painting on your own terms within these wider contexts.

Level 3

An intense period of making and researching from a personally designed brief to develop a sustainable and meaningful art practice. Each student is given one to one support from a team of tutors selected in conversation with the programme leader to ensure a good fit for your ambitions. An outward looking period considering curation, audience and a community of practice leads to a real world degree show or other appropriate public iteration of your emerging practice.

*For current students enrolled to a Level of this degree prior to September 2021, existing units across all levels will remain available as ‘teach out’ units to ensure no students are disadvantaged due to the changes. Once enrolled to a new level, students will follow the new degree pathway.

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.

Programme Specification 2023/24 New Curriculum

This Programme Specification is for all units on the new curriculum.

Review Programme Specification here

Programme Specification 2023/24 Running Out Curriculum

This Programme Specification details the units and learning outcomes that are being taught out.

Review Programme Specification here

Painting Accessibility Statements

Accessibility statements give an indication of the type and format of content, teaching, and learning activities on the course, and how these are ordinarily delivered.

Review Accessibility Statements Here

Foundations

£1025

Per course

Level 1 (HE4)

£4,950

For the level

Level 2 (HE5)

£4,950

For the level

Level 3 (HE6)

£4,950

For the level

Total approximate undergraduate fees

Breakdown of costs...

Foundations

£1,175

Per course

Level 1 (HE4)

£5,670

For the level

Level 2 (HE5)

£5,670

For the level

Level 3 (HE6)

£5,670

For the level

Total approximate undergraduate fees

Breakdown of costs...

More Information
  • With the OCA, you can study a BA (Hons) degree in our flexible online learning model at approximately one third the cost of a degree at a traditional physical university.

    Students study and pay for the course on a unit-by-unit basis, so you only pay for the course as you enrol to each unit.

    This course is eligible for a part-time tuition fee loan from Student Finance England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or you can self-fund the course and break down costs even further through the deposit and instalment option.  Find out more about your funding options here.

  • You will require regular use of a computer or laptop and internet access. Most essential reading materials can be accessed through the digital library services and eBooks.

    Students are responsible for sourcing and, where necessary, purchasing any additional software and resources specified. These can be around £400 at Level 1, £500 at Level 2, and £550 at Level 3. Where possible, open or freeware equivalents will be discussed alongside industry standard options.

    You may be eligible for any student discounts on computer equipment and software by using your student email, and you can find out more information about student discounts here.

  • Painting is an open access degree; this means that there are no formal qualifications or experience required to join the course. All you need is a passion for the arts, and willingness to learn.

    All OCA courses require students to be IT literate, have a good internet connection, and have a good standard of English equivalent to CEFR B2. You can review the study requirements here so you’re prepared for online study at higher education.

  • We accept enrolments for our BA (HONS) courses in monthly intakes throughout the year.

    Review the key enrolment deadlines on the link below.



  • Our part-time degree courses are completed on average between 6 and 9 years. The degree is structured into three levels (instead of three years) so you’re able manage study around other commitments.

    Once enrolled, you’ll have a maximum of 12 years to complete your degree course. There are unit and level timeframes within the overall degree time frame, and you’ll need a minimum of 10 study per week to keep on track. To find out more about course duration and managing your time, click here.

  • Your course materials are accessible online through the virtual learning environment, OCA Learn, where you’ll also have access to student forums, a subject space, the student handbook and the online library. You’ll work primarily from a set text of course materials and resources, but can also sign up to webinars, workshops and study groups in addition to your core learning.

    Once you’ve completed the required assignments within a course unit and received tutor feedback, you’ll submit a portfolio of work to an assessment event. This gives you the opportunity to develop your work before you have it formally assessed to achieve credits towards your degree.

  • Upon completing the BA (Hons) Painting degree, you’ll be set with skills to help you navigate the workplace. You could use your practice as a professional artist, illustrator, environment designer, character painter or art-worker, the possibilities are endless. Prospects can help you with a variety of options of where your degree could take you.

    In May 2022 the Department for Culture, Media, & Sport estimated there were some 2.3 million jobs in the UK creative industries, and post pandemic the Creative Industries are growing faster than the UK economy as a whole.

    Creativity is a sought-after skill in today’s job market. Learning this as part of this degree could set you apart from the rest of the pack.

  • The Academic Regulations for Subsidiary Institutions of The Open University are applicable to all taught courses offered by the Open College of the Arts (OCA).

    You can review the Academic Regulations on our policy page.

To Join

Make your mark! Join OCA and the creative community by enrolling here!