Ruth Glasheen work, MFA Fine Art student at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation

Fine Art

MFA (Master of Fine Art) - Blended delivery

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Award: Master of Fine Art
Duration: 2 academic years, blended delivery
School: School of Arts
Campus: Blended delivery - West Dean | Online | Independent study
Scholarships and bursaries: See available funding

The MFA (Master of Fine Art) is an advanced two-year full-time masters of fine art designed to further advance students' capacities in practical, theoretical and professional domains, with an emphasis on specialist studio practice. MFA students will establish and refine core concerns and ambitions, as well as subjecting the work to critical scrutiny and self-reflection. Interdisciplinary practices are encouraged and supported, as well as those focused on a single discipline such as Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Drawing, Tapestry and Textiles.

The Blended Delivery MFA follows the same general programme specification as the  fully on-site MFA programme, with a greater degree of flexibility to fit around your existing practice or commitments. Students attend a series of ten one-week, on-site study blocks, in combination with interim access to a range of online resources (making use of both synchronous and asynchronous delivery) throughout each academic year. Each one-week study block will typically include practical sessions, one-to-one or group tutorials, critiques and lectures. During these blocks you will also have access to a shared study space in the Fine Art Studios, and the opportunity to make the most of the College’s specialist facilities including a print room, dark room and sculpture courtyard.  

Learning environment

  • Blended Delivery MFA students are provided with a large shared workspace in the Edward James Studios for each on-site study block
  • Excellent staff-to-student ratio with regular tutorial support
  • Specialised lectures, seminars and workshops with regular visiting lecturers and artists
  • Expert support from workshop technicians during study blocks
  • Professional development - gallery visits and other external events
  • Contact with a regular series of professional Artists-in-Residence 
  • An immersive environment with rich connections to art history, particularly Surrealism, through the legacy of College founder Edward James

You can expect

  • Support in consolidating studio practice to a high standard
  • Access to facilities, workshops and expertise for the fabrication of artworks relating to the individual student's ambitions.
  • Access to a large studio and outdoor facilities during each study block, make it possible to realise ambitious work
  • Opportunities for innovative approaches to studio practice so conceptual ideas can be tested and informed using selected media
  • To develop originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the Fine Art
  • Systematic understanding and critical awareness of current debates in contemporary art practice
  • To develop aptitude for professional practice, independent research or employment, including opportunities for public exhibition

MFA units include:

  • Studio work units run consistently throughout the MFA programme
  • Creative Research Strategies (18-weeks) - with access to the on-site Edward James Archive to develop new work and supporting research.
  • Art Research and Criticality - lecture series with support in research skills 
  • Professional Practice - supports you in preparations for the Summer Shows and include workshops dedicated to Artist Statements, documentation, profile building and curator-led critiques.

Interdisciplinary study

Students are encouraged to collaborate with other College departments, particularly the full-time programmes in the School of Conservation, making the most of the wide range of specialist knowledge, materials and equipment that is available.

Course structure

Learn more about the programme structure of each semester and the breakdown of study blocks. 

Course units

Year 1 / Semester 1 (18 weeks)
Block 1
September/October on-site Induction week
(off-site)
Block 2
October on-site Mon: MFA 1A – Creative Research Strategies – Workshops/Tutorials
Tues: MFA 1C – App. of Phil. Aesthetics – Tutorials/Independent Study
Weds: MFA 1C – Studio Work I – Visiting Artists/Workshops
Thurs: MFA 1B – Creative Research Strategies – Lectures/Seminars
Fri: MFA 1C – Studio Work I – Critiques / Independent Study
(off-site)
Block 3
November on-site As above
(off-site)
Block 4
December on-site As above
REVIEW
Block 5
January on-site As above
(off-site)
Block 6
February on-site As above
ASSESSMENT
Year 1 / Semester 2 (18 weeks)
Block 7
March on-site Mon: MFA 3C – Art Research and Criticality – Workshops/Tutorial
Tues: MFA 3C – Studio Work II – Critiques/Independent Study
Weds: MFA 3C – Studio Work II – Visiting Artists/Workshops
Thurs: MFA 3A – Art Research and Criticality – Lectures/Seminars
Fri: MFA 3A – Studio Work II – Critiques/Tutorials/Independent Study
(off-site)
Block 8
April on-site As above
REVIEW
Block 9
May on-site As above
(off-site)
Block 10
June on-site As above
INTERIM EXHIBITION/ASSESSMENT

 

Year 2 / Semester 1 (18 weeks)
Block 11
September/October on-site Induction week
(off-site)
Block 12
October on-site Mon: Studio Work III – Workshops/Tutorials/Independent Study
Tues: MFA 5A & 5C – Dissertation/Studio Work III – Independent Study
Weds: MFA 5C – Studio Work – Visiting Artists/Workshops
Thurs: MFA 5A – Dissertation - Lectures/Seminars/Tutorials
Fri: MFA 5C – Studio Work III – Critiques/Independent Study
(off-site)
Block 13
November on-site As above
(off-site)
Block 14
December on-site As above
REVIEW
Block 15
January on-site As above
(off-site)
Block 16
February on-site As above
ASSESSMENT
Block 17
March on-site Mon: Studio Work III – Workshops/Tutorials/Independent Study
Tues: MFA 5A – Dissertation – Independent Study/Tutorials
Weds: MFA 5C – Studio Work – Visiting Artists/Workshops
Thurs: MFA 5A – Dissertation - Lectures/Seminars/Tutorials
Fri: MFA 5C – Studio Work III – Critiques/Independent Study
(off-site)
Block 18
April on-site As above

Contact hours

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops, individual and group tutorials, critique sessions, oral and written presentations, and external visits.

On the Blended Delivery MFA the division of learning hours, on-site and online periods breaks down as follows:

  • Three one-week, on-site blocks each term (10 per year including induction week)
  • Online delivery
  • Independent study

On each of the Blended Delivery MFA study blocks you will have around 11-12 contact hours per week, typically consisting of:

  • 2 hours of lectures
  • 1 hour of seminars
  • 2 hours of one-to-one/group tutorials
  • 1-2 hours of critique sessions
  • 4 hours of practical workshops
  • 1 hour of external visits (on average)

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars, workshops or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-directed study. Typically, this will involve:

  • working in your own studio (or the on-site studio during study blocks)
  • developing supporting material and research portfolios
  • undertaking research in the library
  • reading journal articles and books
  • working on specific unit assignments
  • preparing presentations and self-assessments.

Overall workload

33% of your time is spent in scheduled teaching and learning activity
Scheduled teaching and learning: 785 hours
Independent learning: 1615 hours

International study trips

The College continues to monitor travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with regards to any international travel. At this time, all international travel which includes study trips will be subject to agreement by the College.

Term dates
Lester Korzilius exhibition at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation

Exhibition opportunities

Each year students stage a series of public exhibitions, including pop-up exhibitions, an annual fundraising exhibition and the celebrated Summer Shows that are held at the College and one other location, recently London. Through these, students develop skills in the requirements of exhibition management, such as production, installation and marketing. 

As well as being encouraged to exhibit externally, both locally and nationally, during their studies, students have the unique opportunity to propose installations within West Dean House and West Dean Gardens. Project proposals are encouraged to reflect the rich heritage of West Dean and the legacy of College founder Edward James. See the 2018 installations

School of Art Credit Thom Atkinson.jpg

School of Arts

Explore and expand your work in a uniquely immersive environment with its own connections to art history. Our School of Arts students enjoy specialist studio spaces dedicated to painting and drawing, sculpture and tapestry and textile-based work as well as exceptional exhibition space.

School of Arts

Fees and funding

2025/26 Course Fees - UK & International Students

  • £3,000 per term (£9,000 per academic year)

Lunch, accommodation and other living expenses are additional. Find out more

A £250 course fee and £200 accommodation deposit (if residential) is required to secure your place. Details will be provided to you in your offer. Fees are billed termly in advance. Please see the Terms and Conditions for further information.

We may routinely increase our course fees from year to year for one-year courses as well as courses lasting two or more years and may review and change such course fees without notice.

Student scholarships and bursaries are available.

find out more about funding

Entry requirements

The following qualifications will be considered for entry on to the MFA:

  • An Honours Degree or equivalent qualification in Fine Art or a related discipline
  • Relevant work experience in an arts-related field which demonstrates your ability to study at postgraduate level
  • Portfolio: including evidence of current practical work, sketchbooks, documentation, and evidence of critical writing
  • An appropriate level of engagement with current debates in contemporary arts and making is required
  • English language: CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) Level 2 or IELTS 6.5 or above.

How to create a portfolio

Do you need help creating a portfolio to apply for Master of Fine Art? Read our portfolio advice to learn about the general requirements, what we look for in a good portfolio, and what it should reflect.

How to apply

Applications for this course can be made by submitting a completed application form and emailing it to: [email protected].

Any questions?
Email [email protected]; call us on: (01243) 818 300 and select option 1, or read more about our Admissions processes.

Tutors

Dr David Stent, Fine Art tutor at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation

David Stent

Subject Leader - Fine Art

Dr David Stent is an artist, writer, curator and performer. His practice has drawn on various media, from drawing and painting to film, video, sonic and sculptural installation. He holds a PhD in Fine Art from the University of Reading, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

Philip Sanderson

Subject Tutor - Tapestry, Fine Art
Studio Leader - West Dean Tapestry Studio

Philip Sanderson is Leader of the Professional Tapestry Studio and a Subject Tutor on the MFA in Fine Art. He is also the Tutor for the Tapestry Foundation Diploma and a short course tutor. During his time at West Dean Philip has translated the work of a number of artists into large-scale tapestries including Marta Rogoyska, John Hubbard, Tracy Emin, and Eva Rothschild. 

Sarah Hughes Tutor at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation

Sarah Hughes

Programme Coordinator - BA (Hons) Art and Contemporary Craft
Subject Tutor - Fine Art

Sarah Hughes is the Programme Coordinator for the BA (Hons) Art and Contemporary Craft, and a subject tutor on our Fine Art programmes. Sarah, is an artist and composer with an interest in spatial practice.

George Charman teaching at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation

George Charman

Subject Tutor - Fine Art & Art and Contemporary Craft

George Charman is an artist and lecturer based in London who teaches on the GD and MFA programmes at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation. Charman's practice-led research focuses on embodied social knowledge, exploring connections between dialogic social experiences and physical sensation in modes of creative production/fabrication.

Rebecca Partridge - MFA Tutor at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation

Rebecca Partridge

Subject Tutor - Fine Art

Rebecca is an artist, writer and curator who has been exhibiting internationally since graduating from the Royal Academy Schools in 2007. While primarily a painter, her interests include cross-disciplinary approaches to landscape, contemporary Romanticism, synaesthesia and perception, with current curatorial research into the connections between contemporary painting and historical Land Art. She has been a lecturer at West Dean since 2012.  

Jon Shaw

Subject Tutor - Fine Art

Jon K Shaw is a writer, editor and educator based in southeast London. He teaches in the Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London; City & Guilds of London Art School; and West Dean College of Arts and Conservation.