Fine Art

MA

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • World Top 50 Arts & Humanities THE World University Rankings 2024

  • World Top 100 Art & Design QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

  • Award-winning, purpose-built facilities

Why Lancaster?

Our Fine Art MA is unique, because combines the experience of studying at the North West’s top art school with a ‘residency’ component where you develop your practice at a leading organisation or festival in the region.

  • Gain valuable insights and direction about your work from our expert team of practising artists
  • Tailor your own residency and learn with curators and experts at Brantwood, National Trust, Eden Project North, Liverpool Biennial, Open Eye Gallery, Morecambe Bay Triennial, Abandon Normal Devices, Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, Wordsworth Trust, The Woodland Trust, Lakeland Arts, and many more
  • Enjoy your own studio space with access to well-equipped workshop facilities and expert technical support
  • Launch your career in art practice by making professional contacts and developing key transferable skills

Want to develop an understanding of fine art through your own lens? Our programme gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate and develop your practice while working with internationally acclaimed artists.

Residency, studio practice and theory

You’ll have the opportunity to develop your research for your own art practice through a specialised residency at a professional organisation. Choose from galleries, festivals, archives or sites in line with your interests. If your work relates to history and nature, for example, you could study the collections at Brantwood (Ruskin Museum). During your residency, you’ll develop a body of artwork in preparation for your final major project.

At Lancaster, you’ll also have access to your own studio space 24/7. You’ll be encouraged to underpin the practical side with theory through reading group sessions, discussions and visiting artist talks. Want to continue working while studying? Consider our part-time option.

Tailored to suit you

As well as the residency, you’ll study some core modules and one optional module in line with your interests and expertise. From drawing and painting to new media and installation, we have a wide range of experts to mentor you. They also cover a diverse selection of subject areas. For example, you could focus on art in relation to the environment and climate change or mobilities and migration.

To add even greater breadth, you’ll have access to modules run by other departments across the University such as sociology, film and creative writing.

Careers

Our MA Fine Art will equip you for a career in art practice at a professional level. Through the combination of practice, theory and research, you’ll also have gained the skills you need to apply to study at PhD level.

However, you might want to pursue a career in another area of the arts and your Master’s degree will give you the transferrable skills to do that.

You may be interested in working in one of these areas:

  • Curating
  • Arts education
  • Public arts administration and management
  • Art and design
  • Creative industries

Whatever path you choose, you can be confident you’ll have developed a thorough understanding of how your specific area of the arts fits in the real world.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 (UK Hons) degree or equivalent in fine art, or a related subject

Additional Requirements

As part of your application you may also need to;

  • Provide a portfolio
  • Take part in an interview

Both portfolio and interview may take place online.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum of 6.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Optional

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £11,960 £5,980
International £24,830 £12,415

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.