Undergraduate Course 

Discover your artistic potential on a course at the forefront of contemporary fine art practice.

Join us to work with leading artists and educators in developing your creativity through experimentation with media, materials and ideas to emerge as a confident practising artist. You will develop your individual artistic practice in our outstanding modern studios, working within and across a wide range of artistic disciplines. Our tutors are highly respected and internationally renowned artists, researchers and educators who will inspire and enthuse you. We will equip you with the professional skills to fulfil your ambitions as a practising artist or to pursue careers in fields ranging from community arts to curation. 

A female with blue hair in a red coat and glasses stands in front of an abstract fine art lightbox installation in a red booth

You’ll be pushed to be your best. There really is no limit to what you can achieve here with a great choice of workshops and materials. A dedicated studio space gives you the opportunity to try out ideas and create new work.

Rebecca Cuff
BA (Hons) Fine Art student and Cavendish Arts Bursary recipient*

*Rebecca Cuff with work from her ‘Plastica’ series which combined acetate, paint, photography and a lightbox. Read about Rebecca's experience as a mature student exploring new ways of working in art.

A colourful installation made from yarns of wool hangs suspended and overflowing in a studio with the female creator sat next to it
A bearded male in a check shirt and a beanie puts some finishing touches to a rope sculpture made from plaster which is suspended on string from the ceiling of a studio
A female paints large colourful abstract pieces in a studio environment

Students Amy Vallance, Daniel Cranage and Nikki Romanik.

A brown haired male in a purple t shirt wearing blue gloves leans over a desk in a print studio

Be inspired by how Shane has launched his fine art career

Our broad range of facilities has equipped Shane to push boundaries in his work.

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Interactive sculpture in Ilam Park

Watch our students create interactive sculptures in Ilam park near Ashbourne.

All students engage in creating conceptually challenging art that pushes the boundaries of personal expression.  What makes our programme unique is the emphasis we place on ‘making’ skills in developing a studio practice regardless of the discipline engaged in. A key strength of the programme is having an intake of 30 students per year in order to ensure we have a close-knit community of art students that can be fully supported. It is because of this close support that we have excellent retention, high numbers of good degrees, and positive student feedback.

A significant part of this course is spent in our modern studios where you explore your own individual ideas and experiment with different working methods, materials and processes. We provide you with your own dedicated and permanent studio space from which you will work throughout your time on the course.  

The wide-ranging facilities on offer encourage you to explore a variety of paths in your artistic practice – everything from painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and installation to sound, film and video, digital media and performance. You have access to resources such as our industry standard Apple Mac suite, a large printmaking studio, darkrooms, music studios, and workshops for large-scale projects involving plaster, ceramics, wood and metal.  

We offer an outstanding specialist Art and Design Library, a print bureau for professional fine art printing, and a digital media equipment centre from which you can borrow industry-level video, film and photography equipment.

Visiting Professor Yan Wang gives a demonstration of Chinese portrait painting with BA Fine Art student Richard as a model

Visiting Professor Yan Wang gives a demonstration of Chinese portrait painting with BA Fine Art student Richard as a model.

Fine Art student Richard Lapthorn

The Fine Art Studios are a bustling creative environment. Each of us is given a space directly appropriate for our artistic needs. There are also workshops in everything from analogue photography to casting in bronze.

Richard Lapthorn
BA (Hons) Fine Art
Close up of a man wearing an apron forming a tall object on a potter's wheel
A small bust is held in tongs and removed from a smoky container as it's been glazed
A male stands in a mustard yellow t shirt holding a paint palette and paint brush stood in front of a black line painting of a lion

Fine Art student Richard is developing his skills across disciplines

From sculpture to painting, Richard is experimenting as an artist in our wide-ranging facilities.

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Britannia Mill, Derby Campus

Where Heritage Fuels Creativity

A blend of history and innovation, Britannia Mill is home to our arts, textiles, and creative courses, sparking new ideas in a historic setting.

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What you will study

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Kedleston Road, Derby Campus entrance

Undergraduate Open Days

The best way to find out if studying at Derby is right for you is to experience an Open Day. Get a feel for the city and campus, tour our first-class facilities and see where you could be living.

Book your Undergraduate Open DayBook your Undergraduate Open Day

How you will learn

A student working on artwork in the fine art studio at Britannia Mill

Fine Art studios

As a Fine Art student, you will have a permanent base within the recently refurbished Fine Art studios at the historic Britannia Mill site.

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Art from Degree Show
Person offering support to a student Person offering support to a student with a laptop Student smiling with tutor Tutor smiling with student and laptop

Helping you reach your full potential

Our Personal Academic Tutoring programme supports your academic journey, helping you achieve your goals and unlock your potential.

Explore the programme

Who will teach you

Cameron Jinks

Programme Leader

Awaiting staff photo

Cameron Jinks

Cameron is a Senior Lecturer in Commercial Photography.

View full staff profile

Entry requirements

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

RequirementWhat we're looking for
UCAS points72
A LevelDDD
T LevelPass
BTECMMP
GCSEGCSE Maths and English are preferred, however if you don't have these qualifications you will be able to undertake Maths and English at Level 2 as part of your course of study
Access to HEPass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 0, Merit: 24, Pass: 21
English language requirementsIELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)

Offers will be made initially based on your application, including predicted grades and/or grades you have already achieved. You may be given the opportunity, within your offer letter, to submit a portfolio. If you submit a strong portfolio we will make you an unconditional offer, to reflect the quality of your work and your potential.

Additional entry requirements

Fees and funding

2025/26

 Full-timePart-time
UK

£9,250 per year

N/A

International

£16,900 per year

N/A

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

How to apply

Please look at our application deadlines before you apply.


UK students

If you are in Year 13 and applying for a full-time undergraduate course (including our joint honours courses), we recommend that you apply through UCAS.

Apply through UCAS

If you are applying to study part-time, or already have your qualifications, or wish to join at Year 2 or 3, you should apply directly to the University.

Apply directly to the University

Careers

We will nurture your artistic and creative independence, ensuring that you graduate as a self-motivated, resourceful and versatile fine art practitioner. Many of our students go on to become long-term practising artists – undertaking residencies, opening studios, exhibiting nationally and internationally, and lecturing.  

The skills you develop will be valuable across the creative economy so – apart from furthering your development as a practising artist – you could progress to careers in areas such as curatorship, art therapy, community arts or teaching. 

Our graduates also regularly choose to advance their knowledge on Masters programmes nationally and internationally, including the MA Arts at Derby.  

Fine Artist Paul Cummins is a University of Derby graduate who has gone on to curate one of the most memorable WWI exhibitions, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.

Getting you career ready

Your degree is only part of your story.

We're here to help prepare you for life after university.

Career Support Image

96%
of UK graduates are in employment or further study.

Top 5
for employability.
Uni Compare Annual Student Review Rankings 2025.

87%
of UK graduates say their current activity is meaningful.

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

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Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

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Full-time

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