Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a prestigious qualification that will give you a broad knowledge in visual arts, multimedia and design before you specialise in your studio subject of choice. The four-year degree makes use of purpose-built facilities and students enjoy being part of a supportive community of practitioners.

Features of the Bachelor of Fine Arts at UC

• First art school in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the English-speaking world
• Teaching staff are artists, designers, filmmakers and curators of international standing
• Facilities include an on-campus art gallery, dedicated studios and workshops
• Numerous exhibitions are organised by the School of Fine Arts throughout the year, allowing students to showcase their work to multiple audiences
• Enjoy a welcoming community of like-minded students, enthusiasts, professionals, staff and alumni.

Qualification structure and duration

The Bachelor of Fine Arts requires a total of 480 points: 

• Fine Arts Intermediate Year (120 points)
• your specialist studio subject (270 points)
• courses from the Bachelor of Arts or other degrees (including some compulsory Art History and Theory or Cinema Studies courses) (75 points). 

Intermediate Year

The Fine Arts Intermediate Year consists of FINA 101 What is Practice?, FINA 102 Communities of Practice, and FINA 103 Studio Practice as well as 30 points of 100-level Art History and Theory courses.

On passing the Intermediate Year, most students are able to gain a place in one of their two studio electives. However, your grades in the Intermediate Year will influence this. In the second, third and fourth years of the BFA, you will specialise in one subject.

Entry requirements

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Domestic applicants over 20 who do not hold University Entrance, or equivalent, may gain admission by providing evidence of their ability to complete tertiary study successfully. For information on gaining admission to UC please see how to apply for undergraduate qualifications. This degree has additional entry requirements – please see below.

You are also required to meet UC’s English language requirements.

Specific entry requirements

To apply for admission to the Intermediate Year (first year) of the BFA directly from school, you need to:

• achieve NCEA Level 3 Visual Arts in one or more subjects; and
• have at least 14 credits in each of two other NCEA Level 3 subjects (that are not practical art subjects) is also strongly recommended; or
• the equivalent standards in other qualification frameworks.