Overview 2024
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- Course rules
- CRICOS: 005531K
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For years prior to 2015, please view the Course and Unit Handbook Archive
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Whether you are interested in a specific practice or aspire to a multidisciplinary artistic career, the Bachelor of Fine Arts will prepare you with important skills for a fulfilling future of creativity and innovation.
You’ll gain technical abilities across our range of studio practice options, including drawing and printmaking, object and furniture, painting, photography, sculpture, and time-based media.
Studying Critical Practices and studio-based making will contextualise your practice in the wider art landscape, connecting you to discourses that have shaped artists for over a millennium. As your degree unfolds, you’ll work with our creative community across different artistic disciplines allowing you to dream big, experiment and create.
Course objectives
This empowering, hands-on Fine Arts experience gives you specialist skills that can be applied into a range of exciting contexts and careers. With the added flexibility to choose units across the University, you can develop complementary skills in design, creative arts and health, music, media, and creative writing or explore history, politics, blue and green sciences, and other subjects to inspire your practice.
Learning Outcomes
Practical experience
Learn beyond the classroom
Collaboration is an important part of Fine Arts. Depending on your skills and interests, you could be working across Tasmania’s iconic festivals, behind the scenes at a gallery, interpreting collections, or at a museum handling objects not yet for public display. Along the way, you’ll gain valuable insights into how organisations operate and the diverse career pathways available to you.
Studying in Tasmania, our whole Island becomes your campus. Speak with your unit coordinator about how you can gain practical experience by volunteering in research initiatives, becoming an ambassador, or taking part in a work experience program.
Study overseas at one of our partner institutions
Our international exchange program offers opportunities to study at universities around the world, and it counts towards your degree. Exchange can allow you to have an affordable educational and cultural experience in a foreign country for a semester, or a full year. To facilitate this, we offer a range of scholarships and financial assistance. You may also be eligible for OS-HELP Loans or scholarship funding to assist with airfares, accommodation and other expenses. For more information, please visit Learning Abroad.
Become a Student Ambassador
Improve your communication, teamwork and leadership skills, meet new people, inspire and help others, and developing lasting friendships and networks as a student ambassador. Our ambassadors proudly represent the University throughout Tasmania in schools, at University and community events, and support a range of recruitment and engagement activities. Through the Student Ambassador Program you will have many opportunities for training and professional development, experience in real-world community engagement and outreach, networking, and public speaking, plus end up with a key point of distinction on your CV.
Work placement
The University of Tasmania is integrated into all areas of industry locally, nationally and internationally be it through research or work placement programs. Talk to your course coordinator about finding an opportunity to take part in a work experience, placement, or extracurricular activities during your degree.
Career outcomes
As a designer, people come to me wanting a solution to a problem. We work out the best way of solving that visually, emotionally and commercially.
Graduates from the Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours find employment in a variety of positions within the arts professions, including studio practice, theoretical writing on art, curatorial work, gallery administration, research and teaching, as well as participating in individual and group-generated projects.
- 13.6% Graphic Designers and Illustrators
- 13.5% Photographers
- 10.4% Visual Arts Professionals
ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Postgraduate study
The Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours is a specialised one year course that enables you to deepen your knowledge and research skills. An Honours degree opens up opportunities in the competitive job market and provides a pathway to an academic career. You'll develop superior project management skills and advanced knowledge of research methodologies.
You may be also be eligible to apply for a range of other postgraduate courses including Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas and Masters by coursework and research. Filter the course list by Postgraduate to view the current courses available.
Course structure
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) requires the completion of 300 credit points including:
- 100 credit points of Core units in Critical Practices and;
- A Studio practice major and;
- 100 credit points of Electives or an elective major, such as a major in Sustainability.
In Critical Practices core you will complete 50 credit points at Introductory level and 50 credit points at Intermediate level. Normally, you will complete the introductory level units in your first year of study (or part-time equivalent).
A major is an area of focus in your degree. During your studies, you’ll choose an area that interests you, and then study a group of units related to that area. Find out more at What is a Major?
In the Studio Practice major you will specialise in one art practice. In the major you will complete 25 credit points at Introductory level 25 credit points at Intermediate level and 50 credit points at Advanced level. The studios available are:
- Drawing and Printmaking
- Painting
- Photography
- Object and Furniture
- Sculpture and Time Based Media*
*Sculpture and Time Based Media is only available in Hobart at Intermediate level. Launceston-based students are able to complete this studio, though will need to travel to Hobart to complete FSF218 and FSF219.
In your Elective component you are able to choose from any units which you meet the pre-requisites for, at any level, from across the university. You can also complete additional art practice studio or creative curriculum units in your elective space.
The University is deeply committed to building sustainable futures which is why we've made our Sustainability major readily available in most of our courses. If you want to complete this major, you'll find it under your Electives options when you go to enrol, and you can add it to your study plan yourself. To find out more about the Sustainability major, check the Bachelor of Science.
If you are starting in 2023 you can find your course planner here. Your course planner gives you a visual representation of your course and will help you plan which units to enrol in and when.
For course planners from previous years, refer to the handbook entry for that year.
Critical Practices Core
Introductory
Creating artwork involves encounters with objects, materials, ideas, cultures and other life forms. This unit will involve visits to Museums, Art Galleries and public artworks to investigate the many forms of collection and archive within a community. Public collections include…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for FSA115 Critical Practices in Art: Encounters
Ecologies place us in relationship with other living beings and our physical surroundings, as well as being a way we can talk metaphorically about having a place within a wider network. This unit will introduce you to place, ecology and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for FSA119 Critical Practices in Art: Ecologies
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles, intentions, motives or views. It is written by an individual or a group to reflect their views. A manifesto can express an opinion on a particular issue, a whole worldview or set…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for FSA123 Critical Practices in Art: Manifestos
We exist as embodied beings: bodies are how we move through the world and how we touch, see, and interact with it. The purpose of the unit is to introduce students to the concept of the body and bodies within…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for FSA124 Critical Practices in Art: Bodies
Intermediate
Exhibitions are not only a way to present creative works. They are also a way to make meaning, generate ideas and communicate with an audience. This unit will present key contemporary, historical, philosophical and cultural debates and guide you through…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for FSA221 Critical Practices in Art: Exhibitions
This unit will introduce you to writing as a mode of creative expression as well as critique. It will focus on the wide range of ways artists have used the written word as part of project development and cross-arts experimentation.…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for FSA222 Critical Practices in Art: Writing
This unit invites you to find your way through the field of contemporary art. You will unpick moments of change and transition within a broader context of local, national, and global histories of art, and to see yourself as an…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for FSA223 Critical Practices in Art: Fields
Collaborative work is integral to working in and with the creative and cultural industries. This unit encourages you to take supported creative risks and introduces you to work-integrated learning methods and practices. Students and staff will propose creative projects that…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Studio Practice major
Studio Practices
Introductory units
This unit will introduce you to the techniques of drawing and printmaking as processes of enquiry and creation. You will learn about the technical and material possibilities of both mediums and how to use a studio as both a site…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
The collection. This unit is an introduction to studio-based object design and making. It sets the foundations for designer makers to respond to a world undergoing rapid change. Directed by academic staff and technicians, you will design and make a…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Sculpture and Time-Based Media 1 (STBM 1) explores the integration of objects and spatiality with electronic and time-based media to provide a platform for creative exploration and expression. You are able to focus on a specific medium within this unit,…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Photography 1 will introduce you to the medium of photography. Directed by staff and technicians, in the context of a studio/workshop/tutorial curriculum, you will be introduced to traditional techniques, new technologies and approaches to contemporary practice. Study of this unit…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Painting is a dynamic art form that continues to captivate both artists and audiences alike. This course is tailored to students with a keen interest in contemporary art and a desire to acquire the fundamental principles of painting. By engaging…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Intermediate units
Drawing and Printmaking
This unit will explore the ground as both a site for exploration and a support for expression. You will undertake a suite of practical exercises and projects that provide you with methods, concepts and practical skills for generating new ideas…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit will focus on the body as a site for exploration. The body has been a subject for drawing and printmaking across cultures and time. You will engage with the body through observation and interpretation from life drawing and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Painting
This unit focuses on the development of image-making strategies using paint as the primary medium. Via a focus on image construction and pictorial space, you will explore ideas and concepts in response to a brief. As well as learning about…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit focuses on the development of ideas and images into resolved paintings. You will build on skills acquired in preceding units to explore painting using a range of media and techniques, drawing on historical approaches and recent innovations. The…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Photography
Photography 2A will diversify and broaden your capacity to understand and engage with the methodologies and processes associated with contemporary photographic practice in the expanded field. Through group and individual tasks, you will develop your ability to experiment with aspects…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Photography 2B will diversify and broaden your capacity to understand and engage with the methodologies and processes associated with contemporary photographic practice in the expanded field. Through group and individual tasks, you will develop your ability to experiment with aspects…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Object and Furniture
This unit provides further development in object and furniture design. It reflects a commitment to craft skills necessary for contemporary studio designer makers while also exploring the role of design as a critical practice and way of thinking within a…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
The surface. This unit provides further development in object and furniture design. It reflects a commitment to craft skills necessary for contemporary studio designer makers while also exploring the role of design as a critical practice and way of thinking…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Sculpture and Time Based Media
Sculpture and Time-Based Media (STBM) 2A is focussed on creating Immersive Environments through studio-based creative experimentation and investigation of historical precursors, current practice and related discourse. Students will create installation artworks through experimentation with sculpture, construction, electronic and time-based media…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Sculpture and Time Based Media (STBM) 2B is focussed on Interactive and Participatory Installation through studio-based creative exploration and investigation of historical precursors and current practice and related discourse. Second year STBM involves deep engagement with objects, making processes, electronic…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Advanced units
In this unit you will develop and apply a contextual narrative for a body of resolved work suitable for public exhibition and display. You will engage in the processes and strategies of refinement, which can include iteration, material manipulation, reflection…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
You will be supported and guided in the generation of ideas for art projects through speculative play and experimentation. You will develop an independent Project Proposal through iterations of research, making and reflection. You will develop your creative research practice…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Creative Curriculum
This work-integrated learning unit will provide you with an opportunity to be guided and supported in undertaking a public creative work. As a member of a team, you will be provided with a brief. Your team’s response will be guided…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Winter school | ||||
Responding innovatively to a client-initiated briefs is a critical part of working in the creative and cultural industries. This unit fosters collaborative, responsive interaction with internal and external partners and your peers. Introducing a range of interdisciplinary frameworks, this unit…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Note: This unit is available in your third year of study. Entry to the unit is competitive, and is subject to approval by the unit coordinator. To apply for entry into the unit and relevant grant consideration where appropriate, please…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for HEJ351 Field trip in Creative Industries, Practices and Cultures B
You will be assigned to a work placement in a government, private, or not-for-profit organisation approved by the University. As part of your internship you will, where opportunity allows, contribute to the production, publication and presentation of creative content, while…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Electives
Entry requirements
For Domestic students
We encourage you to apply for the courses you most want to study. If you’re not eligible to enter your chosen course right now, the admissions team will work with you to find the best pathway option.
Enquire online for advice on the application process and the available pathways to study.
Domestic applicants who have recently completed secondary education
Applicants are ranked by ATAR and offers made based on the number of places available. In 2022, the lowest ATAR to receive an offer into this course was 74.8. The lowest ATAR to receive an offer may change from year to year based on the number of applications we receive.
Applicants must also have completed one of the Subject Pre-requisites listed below or equivalent.
Applicants who have recently completed senior secondary studies but have not received an ATAR may still be eligible for admission. We will consider your individual subject results on a case-by-case basis when we assess your application.
Domestic applicants with higher education study
To be eligible for an offer, applicants must have:
- Partially completed an undergraduate course at Diploma level or higher (or equivalent). Applicants must have completed at least two units of study (equivalent to 25 UTAS credit points). If an applicant has failed any units the application may be subject to further review before an offer is made; or
- Completed the UTAS University Preparation Program (or an equivalent qualification offered by an Australian University).
We strongly recommend students have completed previous study in visual arts.
Domestic applicants with VET / TAFE study
To be eligible for an offer, applicants must have completed a Certificate IV (or equivalent) in any discipline.
We strongly recommend students have completed previous study in visual arts.
Domestic applicants with work and life experience
Applicants without sufficient or relevant senior secondary, tertiary or VET / TAFE study can complete a personal competency statement and provide a portfolio of up to ten digital images of recent original artwork in any medium and a statement of interest explaining why you are interested in studying Fine Arts at university.
Subject Pre-requisites
These prerequisites apply to students from all educational backgrounds.
To be an eligible for an offer, you must have studies or experience equivalent to a satisfactory achievement in one of the following Tasmanian Senior Secondary subjects:
| ART315117 | Art Production |
| ART315214 | Art Studio Practice |
| ARA315116 | Art Theory and Criticism (replaces Art Appreciation ARA315111) |
| CGD315118 | Computer Graphics and Design |
| HDS315118 | Housing and Design |
| MED315117 | Media Production |
| TEG315115 | Technical Graphics |
You can enquire online for information on interstate and international equivalents to the Tasmanian senior secondary subject above. If you have not met this prerequisite, you will need to complete a UTAS foundation unit before you start your course.
Provide evidence of pre-tertiary TASC subject/s in visual arts successfully completed (e.g. academic transcripts and certificates of completion).
Special Consideration
If your ability to access or participate in education has been affected by circumstances beyond your control, you can apply for special consideration as part of your application. We will consider a range of factors, including economic hardship, serious medical condition or disability.
We can only approve applications for special consideration where we are confident that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in your studies. If your application is not approved, the UTAS admissions team will work with you to find the best alternative pathway to your chosen course. Special consideration is not available for international applicants.
For International students
All international students will need to meet the minimum English Language Requirements, University General Entry Requirements and any course specific requirements such as pre-requisite subjects, if applicable.
English Language Requirements
This degree requires an IELTS (Academic) of 6.0, with no individual band less than 5.5, or a PTE Academic score of 50, with no score lower than 42 or equivalent.
For students who do not meet the English Language Requirement through citizenship or prior studies in English in an approved country, evidence of an approved English language test completed within the last 2 years must be provided. See the English Language Requirements page for more information.
General Entry Requirements
Admission to undergraduate courses at the University of Tasmania requires the completion of qualifications equivalent to a 12th year of education in Australia.
Please review the equivalent undergraduate entry requirements to see the minimum requirement relevant to your country. The ATAR information for this course is located in the “For Domestic Students” section of the entry requirements on this page.
You can also meet the General Entry Requirement for this course with the following qualifications or prior studies:
- Completion of an equivalent AQF Certificate IV or above
- Complete or incomplete (minimum 25 credit points) of previous tertiary study at Bachelor level or higher
- You may also be required to submit a portfolio and statement if your previous studies are not in a related field.
If you do not meet the minimum requirements, we offer the Foundation Studies Program.
Course Specific Requirements
To be an eligible for an offer, you must have studies or experience equivalent to a satisfactory achievement in one of the following Tasmanian Senior Secondary subjects:
| ART315117 | Art Production |
| ART315214 | Art Studio Practice |
| ARA315116 | Art Theory and Criticism (replaces Art Appreciation ARA315111) |
| CGD315118 | Computer Graphics and Design |
| HDS315118 | Housing and Design |
| MED315117 | Media Production |
| TEG315115 | Technical Graphics |
You can enquire online for information on interstate and international equivalents to the Tasmanian senior secondary subject above. If you have not met this prerequisite, you will need to complete a UTAS foundation unit before you start your course.
Articulation
Students who have complete A1B Diploma of Fine Arts will receive full credit.
Alternative entry pathways
If you do not meet the General Entrance Requirements or course-specific requirements, there are alternate entry pathways to the Bachelor of Fine Arts:
Detailed Admissions Information
Detailed admissions information and advice for all undergraduate courses, including comprehensive, course-level student profiles, is available from UTAS Admissions.
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Cost shouldn’t get in the way of you studying.
If you’re a domestic student, you may be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place in this course. This means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.
You may also be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.
Further information is available at Scholarships, fees and costs.
Student contributionStudent contribution amounts are charged for each unit of study. This means that how much you’ll pay will depend on which units you choose. Find out more about student contribution amounts.
Further informationDetailed fee information for domestic students is available at Scholarships, fees and costs, including additional information in relation to the compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
International students
2024 Total Course Fee (international students): $108,563 AUD*.
Course cost based on a rate of $34,950 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).
* Please note that this is an indicative fee only.
International students
International students are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the annual rate. International students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.
Scholarships
Domestic Students
Each year, the University offers more than 900 awards including scholarships, bursaries and prizes to students from all walks of life, including those who have achieved high academic results; those from low socio-economic backgrounds; students with sporting ability; students undertaking overseas study; and students with a disability. Applications for most awards commencing in Semester 1 open at the beginning of August and close strictly on 31 October in the year prior to study.
Find out more about Scholarships & Prizes available.
International Students
There are a large range of scholarships, bursaries and fee discounts available for international students studying at the University of Tasmania.
Find out more about International Scholarships available.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 13 8827 (13 UTAS)
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries