Fine Art, Master's, 2 years

The two-year master’s programme in fine art prepares you to work as an independent and critical artist in different parts of the field of contemporary art. The programme will provide you with the artistic, methodological and theoretical qualifications you need to work professionally in a complex and contemporary field of art. You will receive training in creative thinking, artistic development work, project management and technical knowledge about your own artistic practice.

Independent artistic practice is central throughout the programme and work on your master’s project is the main component of the programme. Your master’s project is an individual, artistic project that you will develop through individual exploration, experimentation, criticism and discussion with your main supervisor, other academic staff, guest lecturers and fellow students. 

We have workshops, technical expertise and supervisory competence within:

• Photography
• Printmaking
• Installations
• Ceramics and clay
• Audio
• Painting
• Performance
• Sculpture
• Drawing
• Textiles
• Moving images
• Digital art
• or other criterion linked to location specific, relational and/or interdisciplinary approaches.

Career

With a master’s degree in fine art, you can be a professional artist, curator, critic, producer, technician, teacher and much more.

As an employee with this qualification, you will be able to:

• Work highly independently
• Identify your own learning needs and steer your own learning
• Work independently towards a goal, alone or together with others
• Negotiate and collaborate effectively to initiate an artistic project
• Establish, maintain, manage and present a professional practice
• Orient yourself within relevant subjects and apply knowledge from these in practice

With a master’s degree, you can apply for further education:

• One-year practical-pedagogic education (PPE) programme to become a teacher
• PhD programme in artistic development work to teach and do research at a university level.

Structure

The master’s programme in fine art is a two-year full-time programme that starts in August. The programme is divided into four single-semester courses, each worth 30 credits.

The master’s programme is based on the students taking the initiative and participating, with work in groups and common academic activities.

The programme is composed of:

• Artistic practice/self-study
• Lectures and seminars
• Study trips
• Courses
• Presentations
• Exhibitions

The lectures and seminars will shed light on relevant questions within art and cultural theory. You will meet both staff from the Department of Fine Art and guest lecturers. The seminars provide space for immersion and discussions.

In the second year of the programme, the master’s students are responsible for planning the annual student led guest lecturer programme. 

Practice in context:

1. During the second semester you will present a selected work in light of your own practice to academic staff and your fellow students.
2. During the third semester you will give a presentation of relevance for your master’s project as a whole. In the presentation you must problematise and contextualise your work.

Writing courses: you will take several short courses and receive individual guidance on text production and different textual practices. You will receive guidance on both professional and creative writing.

Professional preparatory courses: throughout the programme we offer courses in which different practices and artistic roles are viewed in perspective and discussed by artists and actors from the field of contemporary art. The content can vary from year to year in order to accommodate relevant professional interests and needs.

See full list of courses

Student life

The Art Academy – Department of Contemporary Art offers a simulating and challenging learning environment for motivated students. Our goal is to promote professional discourse and critical reflection among the students.

Here, you will find that the staff are always close by. You will be one of a small number of students and the students have a good team spirit. You will have fellow students from many countries.

Art and design programmes are based in a new building in Møllendal in Bergen. As a master’s student you will have your own studio here. On this programme, you will have access to workshops and equipment that few institutions of fine art can offer, meaning you will have the very best conditions for developing as an artist.

The master’s programme offers teaching in the form of supervision, both individual and in groups, lectures, seminar groups, theory courses, practical exercises and courses, study trips and writing support. Nonetheless, you will spend most of your time developing your own artistic practice.

The schedule will be set for each semester and will largely be designed to fit your individual needs and project.

The literature and teaching will be in both English and Norwegian.

As a master’s student you will be encouraged to take part in study trips, external project work, exchanges and residencies, as well as sit in on classes, throughout the programme. The second year of the programme is in particular designed for artist-oriented work.

You can apply for financial support via students’ project support throughout the programme.

Artistic examination project

Through your master’s project you will carry out artistic development work and learn about the field’s associated methodologies. In Norway, this is equated with academic research under the University and University Colleges Act. Artistic development work is based on your specific experiences and reflections and contributes to knowledge development on an artistic basis in the form of artistic results, texts and other media.

At the start of the programme, you will be assigned a main supervisor with whom you will have contact throughout the programme. In the fourth and final semester, you will complete your artistic examination project and finalise your examination document.

The examination project will be based on the work you have developed during the three preceding semesters, at the same time as the level of ambition will have expanded to realising a public art project at a professional level. As a master’s student you can also choose to join a research group in the department.

What will you learn?

With a master’s degree in fine art, you can:

• Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competence necessary for contemporary art practice at a professional level.
• Develop and execute a larger, independent art project and exhibit it in a professional context.
• Analyse, formulate and disseminate intentions, values and meaning through an artistic project to an audience with differing levels of competence in art.

Click here to see all of the programme’s learning outcomes.

Exchange programmes

You can participate in an exchange programme in the second semester of your master’s programme. We have agreements with several universities around the world.

See list of recommended exchange agreements

How do you apply?

You apply for admission to the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design.

The application deadline is 1 February. Applications can be submitted via SøknadsWeb.

Click here for information about applications and admission to the programme.