BA Intermedia Art

Year 1

Each of our four-year BA (Hons) programmes in art shares common elements of study during the early part of Year 1. All Year 1 Art students work together in the first semester.

During Year 1 you will experience a wide range of art practices including painting, photography, sculpture and intermedia art and we introduce you to studio practice, workshops and the types of teaching you will experience. For example: What a project brief is for, what a crit is, how a seminar works, what to expect from a tutorial, what feedback is for and how you use it.

We introduce you to key visual culture texts, methods and methodologies of art theory and practice. As the year progresses you have project options to enable you to specialise in the subject most appropriate to your work. In semester two students make decisions about which programme they wish to study supported by feedback and advice from staff.

In Years 1 and 2 your choice of option courses allows you to, in effect, construct a suite of courses that reflect your interests and enhance your main study. The choice of option courses in Year 1 comprises a total of 40 credits, nominally made up of two 20-credit courses, which can be taken within ECA, or across the wider College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - subject to availability.

Subsequently you will develop your creative, technical and intellectual ability through projects, installations and exhibitions, as well as enhancing your learning by being exposed to a wider range of methods and knowledge beyond the confines of the studio through a choice of option courses.

Year 2

You will be introduced to using multiple approaches to work, encompassing expanded ideas of drawing, video, photography, performance, sound recording, installation and other possibilities. A range of projects will emphasise making and action, whilst introducing core working methods pertinent to contemporary art.

You will be assigned a subject tutor and also have the opportunity to speak with a range of visiting artists. In Year 2 there are a total of 40 credits of option courses available. We offer more than 20 optional courses and there are many more option courses from across the wider university to choose from – subject to availability.

Year 3

Your research will develop through a more focussed area of personal interest and a growing individuality of approach. Regular project space presentations place great emphasis on how an audience reacts to an artwork increasing awareness, artistic responsibility and contextual understanding.

You will work on external site-responsive projects and tackle more ambitious work, developing a personal language both technically and intellectually.

Year 4

You will pursue your own research interests and develop self-initiated projects, supported by studio staff. Creative ability and technical expertise is consolidated and extended, and the dissemination and siting of artistic work gains greater importance.

You will be encouraged to exhibit work and participate in external opportunities in the city and further afield. You will encounter a range of permanent and visiting staff whose diverse practices encompass performance, installation, process, site-specific work, moving image and sound.

Programme structure

Find out more about the compulsory and optional courses in this degree programme.

To give you an idea of what you will study on this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.

Programme structure (2020/21)

Our facilities

Students benefit from studio-based learning in purpose-built workshops and studios for intermedia, painting, photography and sculpture at Lauriston Place, along with the exhibitions and events associated with a vibrant art college.

Some lectures and tutorials will take place in the George Square area. You will have access to the University's libraries and computer facilities.

The University is investing in the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) estate and facilities to further develop our flexible, stimulating, supportive and sustainable learning and research environment for students and staff.

Further information is available on the ECA website.

Facilities and resources at ECA

Study abroad

The School of Art offers exchange opportunities with partner institutions across the world.

Adding an international dimension to your programme allows you to become immersed in a new culture, make new friends, expand your working knowledge of another language and realise a degree of self-reliance, which future employers will regard as an asset. Exchanges usually take place in Year 3.

What are my options for going abroad?

How will I learn?

Most teaching and learning on compulsory courses is through involvement in a range of experiential projects, situated in a studio environment; option courses taken across the wider university will vary in delivery method.

Conceptual, material and technical issues are explored through seminars, workshops, lectures, tutorials and critiques. Research, critical thinking and study of the visual, intellectual, social and professional contexts that shape creative practice are regarded as essential to your development. This can involve participation in exhibitions and live projects.

As well as learning through group situations you will also be allocated a studio tutor with whom you will have one to one tutorials on a regular basis.

How will I be assessed?

We conduct continuous formative assessment throughout the year, to give meaningful feedback and to encourage experimentation in the studio and beyond. Assessment can take the form of project work, participation in group events and presentations and written submissions.

Programme details

Find out more about this programme's aims, what you will learn, how you will be assessed and what skills and knowledge you will develop.

To give you an idea of what to expect from this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.

Programme details (2020/21)

Many graduates pursue careers as artists or enter other art-related professions and go on to undertake residencies and commissions in a global context. A high percentage of graduates establish themselves in workshops and studios. Many have achieved considerable success and built international reputations.

Our programmes provide a progressive education in contemporary art practice. Our students develop analytical and practical skills, the ability to work with others in an organised manner and the ability to think laterally. These attributes can be applied to a wide range of career possibilities.

Some students continue their studies at postgraduate level. Others have gone on to teach or to make an impact in the wider creative industries

Standard entry requirement

The standard entry requirement is:

• SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S5 or AABB/ABBBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6.
• A Levels: ABB.
• IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.

Minimum entry requirement

The minimum entry requirement for widening access applicants is:

• SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6.
• A Levels: ABB.
• IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.

More information for widening access applicants

Required subjects

The grades used to meet our entry requirements must include:

• SQA: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: English at C.
• A Levels: no specific A Level subjects required. GCSEs: English at C or 4.
• IB: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5.

Additional requirements

Mini-portfolio

Applicants will be asked to submit a digital mini-portfolio to provide evidence of artistic aptitude and potential, this will form an important part of the selection process.

Portfolio guidance

Important dates

Dates for the opening of the mini-portfolio submission site, and deadlines for submission, will be posted in March 2020.

BTEC/UAL Diplomas

Applicants studying Pearson BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Art and Design will be considered for entry with the following:

• Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma with DMM.
• Pearson BTEC Diploma with MM plus one A Level at A (or DM plus B at A Level).
• Pearson BTEC Extended Certificate / Subsidiary Diploma with D plus two A Levels at B (or M plus AB at A Level).

Applicants studying the University of the Arts London Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design will be considered with Merit.

Find out more about entry requirements

International applicants

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.

Entry requirements by country

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international student and your school qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to the University you may be eligible for admission to this degree programme through our International Foundation Programme.

International Foundation Programme

Mature applicants

We welcome applications from mature students and accept a range of qualifications.

Mature applicant qualifications

Entry to the second year is available. Successful completion of a Foundation Diploma (at Merit grade), a relevant HND or equivalent is required. Applicants will normally be expected to have undertaken these qualifications in addition to having met the entry requirements (Highers, A Levels, IB etc). In some of our less competitive degrees it may be possible to consider applicants presenting ABC (or equivalent) or above at A Level. These must have been achieved in one set of exams, at first attempt.

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

SQA, GCSE and IB

For SQA, GCSE and IB students, unless a higher level is specified in the stated entry requirements, a pass is required in English at the following grades or higher:

• SQA National 5 at C
• SQA Standard Grade at 3
• SQA Intermediate 1 at A
• SQA Intermediate 2 at C
• GCSE/IGSCE at C or 4
• Level 2 Certificate Grade C
• IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:

• IELTS Academic module overall 6.5 with 5.5 in each component.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition) 92 or above with 20 in each section. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• Cambridge English: Advanced or Proficiency overall 176 with 162 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with a distinction in all four components.

We also accept a wider range of international qualifications and tests.

English language qualifications must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the degree you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

English language requirements

*(Revised 27 April 2020 to include TOEFL-iBT Special Home Edition.)

This information is part of a government initiative to enhance the material that higher education institutions provide about their degree programmes.

It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.

Please note that some programmes do not have Discover Uni data available.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for BA Intermedia Art

Additional costs

Your materials costs will vary, depending on your programme of study and the materials used to make your work.

Some programmes will offer fieldwork. There is no additional contribution required for the teaching costs involved, but for the residential fieldwork and individual field-based projects, you are usually required to cover accommodation, subsistence and the costs of travel to the fieldwork location.

Your actual student contribution depends on the programme involved and the courses selected.

Funding

For more information on how much it will cost to study with us and the financial support available see our fees and funding information.

Fees and funding

• Enquiry Management Team
• Email: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
• International enquiries