Overview
Top reasons to study with us
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World Top 50 Arts & Humanities THE World University Rankings 2024
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World Top 100 Art & Design QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
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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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This module is taught through weekly readings and seminar discussions through which you will develop a grounding in key strands of thought relevant to the practice of fine art, and the world in which art is made today. The critical and theoretical texts we discuss are selected for their relevance to contemporary art practices. As the module progresses, students are invited to contribute readings and lead discussions on texts that relate to their own emerging area of expertise and the sites/contexts/archives they make work in relation to.
By the end of the module, you will have a grounding in key strands of critical work and theory relevant to the practice of fine art today, and will have demonstrated your own critical skills in reading, parsing and contextualising contemporary texts, understanding them through the lens of your own discipline and the world your work seeks to operate in.
The module includes discussion around theoretical areas such as Posthumanism, New Materialism, Postmodernism; critical work on art practices and concepts such as Art Writing, Post-Digital, Mobilities, Participatory Art, New Media, Investigatory Drawing; and historical texts by writers such as Walter Benjamin or Audre Lorde, that have been reappraised for a contemporary contexts and become foundational for some of today's artists.
The Fine Art Major Project is the culmination of your Master's program, allowing you to showcase the skills and knowledge gained from previous modules.
You will create a substantial, independent body of contemporary art with real-world relevance. Building on your experiences from the residency module, your final work will be presented professionally, such as in an exhibition, screening, event, or publication, alongside fellow MA Fine Art students.
You will be provided with a studio space suitable for your artistic practice, enabling extensive practical development across various media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, performance, new media, and more. Expert guidance from practicing artists is available.
The module emphasizes one-on-one tutorials and group critiques, with a growing focus on executing professional-level work.
The Fine Art Major Project is the culmination of your Master's program, allowing you to showcase the skills and knowledge gained from previous modules.
You will create a substantial, independent body of contemporary art with real-world relevance. Building on your experiences from the residency module, your final work will be presented professionally, such as in an exhibition, screening, event, or publication, alongside fellow MA Fine Art students.
You will be provided with a studio space suitable for your artistic practice, enabling extensive practical development across various media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, performance, new media, and more. Expert guidance from practicing artists is available.
The module emphasizes one-on-one tutorials and group critiques, with a growing focus on executing professional-level work.
This module is a cornerstone of the MA Fine Art program at Lancaster University, designed to elevate students' professional practice and career prospects.
Amidst a competitive UK art landscape, this module fosters the development of professional opportunities and networks. It focuses on practical experiences, allowing students to interact with host organizations, sites, or departments during residency periods.
Each student collaborates with a specific organization, enriching their practice's real-world relevance. Through weekly meetings, group critiques, and the creation of experimental artworks, students prepare to deliver their final Major Project.
The module leverages Lancaster's unique North West location, fostering connections with prestigious organizations and embracing a legacy of innovation, it propels students journey into the art world.
This module is a cornerstone of the MA Fine Art program at Lancaster University, designed to elevate students' professional practice and career prospects.
Amidst a competitive UK art landscape, this module fosters the development of professional opportunities and networks. It focuses on practical experiences, allowing students to interact with host organizations, sites, or departments during residency periods.
Each student collaborates with a specific organization, enriching their practice's real-world relevance. Through weekly meetings, group critiques, and the creation of experimental artworks, students prepare to deliver their final Major Project.
The module leverages Lancaster's unique North West location, fostering connections with prestigious organizations and embracing a legacy of innovation, it propels students journey into the art world.
Lectures and workshops will introduce a range of qualitative and creative research methods from the arts and social sciences, and discuss their relevance to contemporary art practice. This will include enabling you to distinguish between research for art practice, about art practice and through art practice.
You will challenge and re-evaluate your existing art practice through practical studio work and by critically reading a range of appropriate texts and artworks. This will include arriving at original ideas, appropriate research methods, techniques and concepts through testing, reflection and critical discussion.
Building on this period of practice, and in discussion with potential residency locations, you will develop a research proposal for your Research Residency module.
The research methods training in this module is suitable for students wishing to apply for further study at PhD level, or for professional arts practice.
Optional
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The module introduces you to the role of management in arts organisations and the systems and processes that are present in these businesses. We will explore the different challenges that arts organisations face and reflect on the implications that this has for traditional management concepts.
This module is about the relation of films to history. By examining a selection of films, we will begin with questions such as: What is history? Does history shape our understanding of films? Does cinema change our understanding of history? We will then address major themes concerning ‘the end of history’, history versus fiction, nostalgia, lost time, technology, myth and memory. Background reading will include key texts on history and cinema by film directors, historians, philosophers and film theorists. Films screened on the course might include Lincoln (Steven Spielberg 2012), Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000), Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994), No (Pablo Larraín, 2012), The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1963, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962), Germany Pale Mother (Helma Sanders-Brahms, 1979), Rosetta (The Dardenne brothers, 1999).
The module will provide students with a broad knowledge of the practices, structures and institutions that define cinematic practice and theory. Students will be introduced to an advanced understanding of contemporary debates regarding historical and cultural theories of cinema and history, and the relevance of these debates to contemporary society. By the end of the module, students should have a broad understanding of the role of cinema in shaping historical events and vice versa.
This module aims to explore and reconfigure the ways in which climate change is understood through a focus on the social, rather than the scientific-environmental discourses that have dominated the policy and politics of climate change. This module give you a wide-ranging and intensive introduction to the politics, cultures and theories of climate change research in the social sciences and humanities. You will be able to critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives on a range of climate change debates and present alternative arguments.
This module is designed to introduce you to contemporary methodological issues, key approaches, practical techniques, and case examples relating to the study of media.
Many different methods are used in media, and that variety is reflected in this module. To explore research practice in this discipline, we look at textual and discourse analysis, visual analysis, ethnography and participatory approaches, but place a strong emphasis on engaging with issues of identity, differences, power and experience in the hyper-complex media and cultural environments that we live in.
To give you a taste of particular research methods and approaches, we draw on recent examples of media and cultural research done here at Lancaster, and encourage you to explore their theoretical and practical implications.
We aim to have a number of invited guest speakers on this module, and you will have the opportunity to discuss and critically evaluate different methodological approaches and learn how to draw on these approaches as a starting point for your own research. It is our aim that you acquire a good understanding of the key elements in planning and carrying out independent research projects.
In this module you will explore different aspects of digital audio and music cultures, in theory and in practice. The aim is to learn to think critically and creatively about the role that digital audio practices and technologies play in the current media landscape. The module contains both theoretical and practical components. You will engage in critical theoretical discussions on different aspects of digital audio culture. You will also have the opportunity to learn how to work with digital audio editing software and recording technologies. In the end, you will work together with group members to create a short podcast or audio documentary in which you reflect on a digital audio topic that you choose.
Digital media provide outlets for critical and compelling storytelling. In this module, we aim to develop your understanding of different core topics that have to do with digital journalism techniques, production values, journalistic tenets, and intersections of practice and critical issues within international journalism communities. You can learn how create journalistic packages, from the written word to video.
Current debates over issues such as plastic and food waste, fracking, loss of biodiversity or climate justice – and the protest movements and campaigns that have arisen in response – provide tangible evidence that the relationship between society and the environment is a difficult and often controversial one. This module examines the role that sociology and social theory can play in helping us to understand that relationship better and explores the range of approaches that have been developed in environmental sociology. Studying the environment sociologically opens up a host of interconnected social, cultural and political issues. Whose knowledge counts? How can we handle unquantifiable risk? What role should technology play? And what about democracy, freedom, diversity and justice? Using lectures and seminar discussion, the module will lead you through the resources of sociology and social theory to enable you to think through these questions in relation to some of the most urgent environmental issues facing societies today.
In times when hope and fear about the environmental crisis alternate in our minds, when social and political change play havoc with our interpretation of the historic worlds we inhabit, it is crucial that we examine critically and creatively the ways and means by which such a crisis has come into existence. To do so, the module builds bridges across disciplines.
The module combines a place-based approach (Lancaster, the Morecambe Bay, and the Lake District) and an analytical focus centred on the dissonance and convergence of temporal scales. We seek to answer two questions in close dialogue with students:
- To what extent is the dissonance between the different timescales of the Earth system, the social and built environment, and the human imagination a contributing factor to political inaction and cultural indifference?
- In what ways can we better integrate these timescales while retaining the rigour, criticality, and creativity of the disciplines used to study each?
The module will explore topics such as tidal systems, coasts and estuaries; floods; the rise, fall and rebirth of particular narratives of change; ruins and memory; risk and CO2 trading; glacial archaeology and informality and hope.
This module runs as an intensive workshop usually in the summer term... It offers an advanced introduction to feminist technoscience studies, focusing on theoretical and empirical developments, as well as key debates. It will ask what counts as ‘science’ and ‘technology’, how are they imagined and practised, and how scientific and technological knowledges are produced, circulated, and deployed.
Theoretical debates will be introduced and investigated through a specific empirical topic, chosen each year to reflect the particular expertise of tutors, for example, feminism encounters biotechnology; feminism and the non-human; bodies, cyborgs and prostheses; genomics, kinship and kinds; virtual and effective technologies.
How are gender, sex and bodies understood in contemporary sociology and feminist theory? How do feminist theorists and social scientists address questions of difference, representation and performativity in their research? In this module, we engage with the work of particular theorists (enabling you to acquire skills in close reading and critical discussion), critically evaluate relevant empirical findings, and explore current issues of importance to sociology and feminism. Topics include medicalization and health, race and racism, sex and sexuality, bodily autonomy, and reproductive choice. The essays you write then give you scope to follow your own interests in more depth by using the reading lists provided and undertaking independent research.
How do writers recreate place - real or imagined? How do readers imaginatively inhabit place? This module explores elements of place writing and New Nature Writing, looking at domestic space, urban space, the countryside and the ‘edgelands’ that lie in-between.
We will encourage you to develop your own creative work and reflect upon the different dimensions of place writing and ‘literature-as-place’. A critical interpretation of texts will allow you to reflect upon the authorial decisions made and the effects you seek in your own creative projects.
Indicative study themes:
- What is place, or ‘place writing’? Who invented it? How does that relate to ideas of space? Recent ideas of wilderness, the old emphasis on walking, the New Nature Writing.
- The archive, the curatorial and the imaginary museum. Key text: Jonathan Meades Museum Without Walls
- The city, the countryside, and the spaces in between. Key texts: Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts Edgelands, Jean Sprackland Strands
- Deep place – the natural world in our midst, and the nonhuman viewpoint. Key text: Charles Foster Being a Beast
- Occupying imaginary worlds: cinema’s parallel universe, and the journey through landscape. Key text: Geoff Dyer Zona
‘Reality is movement’ Henri Bergson observes in Creative Evolution (1911). This module explores how the im|mobilities of people, goods, money, information, resources, policies shape the individual and collective, human and more-than-human, local, global, planetary and interplanetary realities we experience.
Mobility capital, mobility justice, mobility transformations are some of the key concepts we will explore. The module provides opportunities for you to experiment with mobile methods and how they shape the study of physical, imaginative and communicative mobilities of, for example, migration, tourism, work, and love. Decarbonising transport, the need for a digital ethics to govern the im|mobilities of data, and the multiple refugee crises across the world are examples of the global challenges that we will address. We will also consider issues of creative inspiration for activism and ‘affirmative critique’.
This module explores key theoretical, methodological, and ethical issues in researching migration, migrants’ experience, and the effect of migration on origin and receiving societies. Through the use of case studies, you will have the opportunity to examine, in-depth, several topics in contemporary migration research, and related methodological and ethical considerations. Topics covered may include: are we living in an 'age of migration'?; how do we define 'migrant' and why does it matter?; borders; citizenship; migration as a reproductive justice issue; ethical considerations when researching migration; the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in researching migration; and more.
This module is an introduction to the UK cultural landscape and key themes in the arts and creative sector. It provides an understanding of the environment within which arts organisations operate and the strategic challenges they face. We will consider how business strategies are developed and implemented in this sector and develop a critical understanding of the environment that arts managers and leaders work in.
The fluidity of the contemporary 'nation' has complicated our understanding of international cinematic production, distribution, and exhibition. These cross-culture and cross-border interactions and encounters are best understood within the field of contemporary transnational film studies. This module explores a variety of the key concepts, debates and theoretical approaches to film studies which problematize the idea of ‘national’ and ‘world’ cinemas. This module provides an overview of debates that have recently emerged in the field of translational cinema while covering a range of approaches to analysing films that fall under this paradigm. This module will look at films from different national and regional contexts, films about immigrant identities, transnational encounters, cosmopolitanism and citizenship, terrorism, border politics, legality and race.
Some of the topics may include:
- Approaches to Transnational National Cinema Studies
- The Nation and the Region
- Genre Crossings
- Migration and Border Crossing
- Different national and regional cinemas from across the Globe (British Cinema, German Cinema, Nordic Cinema, Korean Cinema, Hong Kong Cinema, Japanese Cinema, Russian Cinema, Palestinian Cinema, Iranian Cinema, Lebanese Cinema, Turkish Cinema, Egyptian Cinema, Algerian Cinema, Senegalese Cinema, Nigerian Cinema, etc.)
Fees and funding
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2025/26 entry fees have not yet been set.
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There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
Scholarships and bursaries
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2025-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2024-entry applicants as guidance.
Check our current list of 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.