Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts)

Overview

• Explore your artistic practice in an open-studio environment, encouraging self-directed investigation.
• Opportunity to study a cross-disciplinary approach  to explore your art practice across a range of media.
• Experience study in both studio practice and art history.
• Prepares you to work as a professional artist, curator, creative director, visual designer or arts manager.

Details

Brisbane is fast becoming a global hotspot for emergent artists. Visual Arts at QUT can help you find your niche in this burgeoning art scene by supporting you to define and shape your creative identity. Through our unique open-studio environment, you will focus on contemporary art practices without being divided up into separate media-specific areas, such as painting or sculpture, as in traditional art schools. This distinctive cross-disciplinary approach to studying art encourages the fluid, self-directed investigation necessary to most contemporary arts practice.

Why choose this course?

QUT Visual Arts graduates have been at the heart of the explosive growth in artist-run initiatives across Brisbane. Our students have developed some of the most exciting and innovative experimental art spaces in the city. These spaces, like BoxCopy, No Frills*, Inbetween Spaces, and Accidently Annie Street, have active programs involving regular exhibitions, artist talks and publications. In addition, our graduates have also been the recipients of the prestigious Samstag Scholarships, Australia Council and Arts Queensland awards, art prizes such as the Queensland Premier’s New Media Award, the Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, as well as the German DAAD scholarship and numerous international studio residencies.

Whether you are planning to become a professional artist, teacher or art professional such as curator or arts manager, you will benefit from substantial studio experience while receiving training in your specialist area. You can combine your studio training with study areas such as interaction design, event management, entrepreneurship or business to equip you for a range of careers in the creative economy.

Career outcomes

This course will allow you to choose your career outcome. Many of our graduates become highly successful practising artists who are represented by commercial galleries and have strong careers in the commissioned and public funding sectors.

Graduates also pursue professional careers as curators or arts managers.

With specialist training in a related field, our graduates also take up positions as creative directors, visual designers and a range of other occupations in the creative industries sector.

This course can be followed with a graduate-entry teacher education course, which enables you to become a qualified teacher. Pathways exist to prepare you for further study including honours.

Units

Your course

Year 1

You will focus on beginning to develop your own art practice, working with a variety of media. Staff will help you develop your own interests and ideas. Introductory workshops will be provided in both digital and traditional art-making skills and you will also develop skills in visual analysis. You will be introduced to a wide range of art practices both in the studio and in history/theory classes.

Year 2

Building on your skills and knowledge from your first year, you will continue to develop your art practice using a range of media and your knowledge of contemporary art. Your skills in visual and textual analysis will develop, as will your understanding of national and international art. You will contextualise your art practice through presentations, discussions and supported practical experience in display and exhibition. If you want to become a teacher or art professional, you will begin undertaking specific vocational training towards your career goal.

Year 3

In your final year, you will continue to consolidate your art practice and build your understanding of its place in the Australian and international context. For those intending to become practising artists, the year will culminate in a public group exhibition. Your final year of study will allow for specialisation, helping you enter the real world of the arts industry or prepare you for further study in the Graduate Diploma in Education (Senior Years), or in honours and postgraduate research.

Entry requirements

Minimum academic requirements

Course fees

Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. All fees are based on current fixed fee prices. We review fees annually.

Scholarships and financial support

You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.

These scholarships are available for this course:

View all scholarships