BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice
Course Overview
The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice course supports you in developing professional creative practice ready to capture, analyse and challenge complex social and political issues. Our experienced staff are practising artists who will encourage you to explore themes and contexts in broader art history, allowing you to locate your practice in a historically informed contemporary context.We offer a supportive environment where you can develop your creative skills and knowledge. Using our well-equipped workshops and dedicated studio space, our expert team will support you in developing outward-facing output in each semester of every level of study.
We'll help you develop technical skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography, installation, performance, digital, digital 3D, video and sound art, and new and emerging technologies. We embed relevant and appropriate strands of professional practice throughout each level, so you'll gain the knowledge and skills to curate, document, promote, market, and critique exhibitions of art.
We'll encourage you to explore public engagement strategies and use the University's excellent industry links. You'll have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with a range of industry specialists. Our tutors have a wealth of experience delivering contemporary art for public display. They will support you in building your portfolio, ready to deliver a professionally presented and industry-ready creative show in your final year.
Throughout the BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice, we'll nurture your curiosity and encourage you to become a socially engaged and community-facing contemporary artist who responds to current social-political issues and concerns. We'll focus on building your confidence from the very start. We'll help develop your self-belief so that you can make work for public engagement, interact with people outside of the studio through your art, and prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We aim for you to graduate with an inquisitive mind, the inclination to collaborate, and an expanded and broad transferable skillset.
Highlights
- Our excellent industry connections have assisted previous students in winning regional and national competitions and awards, prestigious commissions, and artists’ residencies.
- We'll offer you opportunities to be involved in negotiating an exciting programme of public engagement, alongside the curated exhibitions you'll deliver as part of this course. These ‘live briefs’ provide you with invaluable experience in this important creative field.
- Exhibition experience is vital, and we'll expect you to play an active role in the department's exhibition committee. You'll have the opportunity to present your work to the public, including at the Bolton School of the Arts' Creative Showcase during your final year. The creative show is open to industry professionals and external partners so that you can use it as a platform for your professional careers.
- We offer opportunities for you to participate in foreign study trips, as well as visit current exhibitions and events at galleries, public art installations, sculpture parks and arts centres around the UK.
Key Features
- You'll be taught by a dedicated team of practising artists working in group and private studios, all with different areas of specialisation in the delivery of publicly engaged art practice. With extensive experience exhibiting nationally and internationally, they have strong connections to arts organisations and commissioning agencies.
- Theory is combined with practice, and traditional techniques with modern technologies. In addition to taught practical workshops in a wide range of media and materials, you'll receive tuition in using industry-standard digital software.
- Our large, well-lit open studios have adjacent 2D facilities, including printmaking, drawing and painting workshops, and 3D facilities, including ceramic, casting, glass, 3D printing, and wood and metal workshops.
- Prominent guest speakers from a range of fine art disciplines are invited each year to discuss their practice, and the department has strong links with arts groups, including the Bolton-based neo: artists studios (set up by our previous graduates) and Hive Artists CIC galleries and project spaces.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.
Entry Requirements
- 96 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
- Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Relevant creative subjects are strongly preferred.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English.
- You'll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of appropriate work. Your portfolio should demonstrate your skills in a range of relevant creative media and styles.
- The quality of the portfolio/interview is the primary basis on which applicants are selected; therefore, special consideration will be given to applicants without the above qualifications who have a strong portfolio. Relevant work or voluntary experience will also be considered. In these cases, we may ask applicants to undertake additional assessments to determine their suitability for the course.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
As a BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice graduate, you'll be highly regarded for your ability to visualise, think creatively and 'outside the box', and your specialist skills in 2D and 3D areas. You'll possess strong observational and analytical skills, and be able to critically evaluate your work and the work of others.
You'll also have experience showcasing your work at events and exhibitions, working to briefs, meeting deadlines and organising your time effectively. These skills are required across a range of sectors and demonstrate your ability to generate new ideas.
What can I do with this qualification?
BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice graduates can fill a wide range of roles in public and community art, from community art coordinator, public art, and rehabilitation arts to freelance, curatorial positions in galleries and museums, art therapy, gallery and set design, and the education sector.
Graduates from the University of Bolton have gone on to set up their own studio spaces and obtained positions within local arts groups such as Hospital Arts, Bolton at Home's Percent for Art and Artists in Schools. Another group of graduates established 'neo: artists' and set up their own Bolton-based studios and art galleries.
Alternative career options
Creative flair is something that many employers outside of the creative industries value, especially as visual content is central to the success of any online operation. Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. They include:
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Arts administration and management
- Interior and spatial design
- Exhibition work
- Multimedia programming
- Publishing
- Web design
- Arts consultancy
- Commercial art
- Arts writer/critic
Professional Recognition
The programme is a member of NAFAE (National Association for Fine Art Education).
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
Institution Code Name: BOLTN
Institution Code Number: B44
Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com
If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly
If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.
A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:
Free of charge to apply
Secure, simple and streamlined
Contact us directly for any admissions queries
Regular updates on your application directly from the University
Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life
NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.
For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
Thank you for your interest
In order to determine your suitability for this course as an international student and also to confirm you meet any initial eligibility criteria, we need you to answer a few short questions.
Partner Organisation Applicants
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton
For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.
If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.
NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.
For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice - 22 September 2025
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
Teaching & Assessment
We use a blended approach to teaching and learning (face-to-face and online). Studio, computer suite, and lecture room activities are the main features of the programme. Lectures, seminars, demonstrations and workshops link specialisms across the traditional boundaries of painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking and so on and provide space to combine traditional techniques with modern technologies.
You’ll also engage in self-directed study, with support from a range of staff including technicians and library/learning resources staff. The Learning Agreement is also an important aspect of your self-directed study activity. Learning Agreements are negotiated with your module tutor, and outline a plan of your progress for a set period of time.
You’ll receive individual help and advice on your personal work in one-to-one tutorials. Peer reviews, where you present your work to a small group of your fellow students for their comments, also provide useful feedback.
Regular presentations from visiting lecturers (prominent artists/designers/gallery administrators/filmmakers, and so on) offer opportunities for you to hear directly from successful practitioners and ask detailed questions about their careers and work.
All our modules are made available online through the University’s e-learning portal Moodle, enabling you to keep up-to-date, even if you cannot make it into class. This important resource will contain digital versions of all projects, book lists, and links to relevant websites, video materials, and other sources of learning.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Creative Industries Contexts
- Printmaking for Creative Practice
- Process Exploration
- Digital Media
- Creative Careers
- Future Evolutions
- Community Engaged Practice
- Social Contexts
- Incubate
- Innovate
- Professional Practice and Self Promotion
- Consolidating Theory and Practice
- Major Project B
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 58% Practical exams 43% |
| Level 2 | Coursework 94% Practical exams 6% |
| Level 3 | Coursework 63% Practical exams 37% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 66% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34% |
| Level 2 | Guided independent study 66% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34% |
| Level 3 | Guided independent study 69% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 31% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
