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What makes Fine Art with Psychology at the University of Worcester special?

Fine Art with Psychology has been specifically designed for anyone wanting to develop skills in Fine Art but has an additional interest or ambition in using these skills in a wider context. The course runs in parallel with the Fine Art degree and is taught primarily in the new purpose-built studios of the Art House building in Worcester city centre. On completion of this course you will have a well-developed artistic practice and a thorough grounding in psychology.

The advantage of this design over a joint honours is that it presents a coherent and identifiable route into a range of career opportunities. The balance of the course is such that you will be able to develop enough high level skills and understanding of both Fine Art and psychology to pursue career opportunities in these areas. The combination provides additional opportunities for you to develop and expand your career prospects further for example in, arts therapies, health and wellbeing and education.

The course is a combination of evidence and problem-based learning together with the application of theory into practice with a focus on socially-engaged art and art’s role in the wider society. Over the three years, you will have the opportunity to develop practical, technical, conceptual and creative skills with the ability to conduct research, critical analysis and application of your understanding in a range of contexts.

In the first and second years the flavour is more towards the Fine Art related aspects to allow you to develop skills in these areas whilst developing the necessary skills and knowledge in psychology to embed and apply your learning throughout the course.

In the third year additional psychology modules are available, which enables you to choose the balance of your final year and so steer the degree towards your own interests and ambitions.

Completing the course with a good second class honours degree will enable 'access onto one of our related post-graduate courses.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Develop a bespoke studio practice in drawing, painting, print-making, sculpture, performance, installation, film, photography, socially-engaged practices and wellbeing
  • Learning through practice
  • Work and study in new bespoke facilities
  • A balance of innovative and traditional assessment methods to support your learning
  • Attend lectures and be given tutorials by internationally renowned artists
  • Develop a unique, personal arts practice that explores the value of art for the health and wellbeing of individuals and society at large
  • Exhibit your work in the Art House galleries and Pitt Studio in Worcester
  • Professional taught courses in psychology and counselling

Register your interest

Enter your details below and we will keep you up to date with useful information about studying at the University of Worcester.


The Art House

view of the art house from the road Interior of the University of Worcester Arthouse interior of the art house Art House interior. White room with three art display boards and three desks with students art work. art-house-degree-show-fine-art5 The outside of the University of Worcester's Art House building
Entry requirements

Entry requirements

112
UCAS tariff points

Entry requirements

112 UCAS tariff points (for example, BBC at A Level)

GCSE English and Maths at grade C/4 or above and a minimum of 2 A levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications, one of which should be Art and Design related.

Suitable applicants are selected on the strength of their qualifications, predicted grades, personal statement and references. If these are deemed insufficient students will be asked to submit a portfolio of 7 – 10 images in PDF format.

The portfolio will be examined for evidence of background subject knowledge and of a foundational understanding of fine art processes. In cases where students don’t have the required qualifications but have other experience, they may be invited for interview.

Other information

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk for advice.

Further information about the UCAS Tariff can be obtained from http://www.ucas.com 

T Levels may be used to meet the entry tariff requirements for this course. Find out more about T levels as UCAS tariff points here.

Two students are walking next to each other and smiling

Careers and Employability

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Course content

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Year 1

Mandatory

  • Research: Looking through Writing
  • Making: Space, Surface, Time
  • Site and Participation: Connecting Spaces
  • Introduction to Studying Psychology  
  • Applied Psychology 2: Forensic and Therapeutic Settings

Year 2

Mandatory

  • Research: Writing as Practice
  • Making: Experimentation, Presentation, Reflection 

Optional

  • Exhibitions: Curatorial Projects and Off-Site Shows
  • Site and Social Engagement
  • The Individual and the Social World
  • Applied Psychological Science

Year 3

Mandatory

  • Research: Critical Commentary (Dissertation equivalent) 
  • Making: Exit Portfolio
  • Counselling Psychology in Practice

Optional

  • Exhibition: Solo Shows and Professional Development
  • Site and Context 
  • Social Cognition and Emotion
  • Understanding Trauma and Violence

Student Work and Studio Environment

Fine art degree student work Fine art degree student work Fine art degree student work Fine art degree student work Fine Art degree student work, student sat on the floor with art surrounding Fine Art degree student working with computer equipment Fine Art degree student work Fine Art degree student work Fine Art degree student work Jamie Hopkins BOY RACER CATALOGUE IMAGE Lauren Thawley catalogue image 1 Marte Aurora Catalogue Photo 1 Kira Benton DECONTAMINATE catalogue image Forest Distribution - Juliet Mootz
Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

Fine Art with Psychology draws upon two distinct yet complementary disciplines and the teaching reflects this. Across the course you will experience a variety of methods including Studio Practice, interactive practical workshops, lectures, seminars, fieldwork and practical activities.

All these forms enable the application of learning through a combination of practice, discussion, problem-based learning and smaller group activities. Single sessions may involve lectures, workshops, seminars and practical sessions; site based work and formative exercises and there is an expectation of sustained studio practice in art.

Theory is taught through practice to enable you to gain a real understanding on how to apply research in a practical and professional context.

Psychology is normally lecture-seminar based but practical, problem-based learning is also a key component of the delivery, as well as blended and online delivery of course content.

Seminars enable the discussion and understanding of topics covered in lectures and practical session are focussed on developing specific skills and applied individual and group work, and make extensive use of formative feedback to shape your learning and confidence throughout modules.

You will be allocated a Personal Academic Tutor who will be accessible to you throughout your time here via a number of scheduled sessions in each year plus private meetings for help and advice as you need it.

The emphasis is on enabling you to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment as well as academic achievement.

A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services as well as the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you towards your goals. The course makes extensive use of Blackboard as an e-learning tool and staff have increasingly trialled the use of technology to enhance learning.

 

 

Contact time

In a typical week, you will have around 12 contact hours of teaching plus tutorials depending upon the optional modules selected. In the final year, you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study and work placement opportunities.

Fine Art modules are taught in 3 hour blocks typically in the form time will be of lecture-seminars, workshops, individual and group presentations and tutorials. 

Due to the nature the Fine Art studio culture, in which students conduct much of their independent study in their studios, they often interact with course tutors in an informal way.

In addition there will be a combination of scheduled and optional tutorial time.

Independent self study

In addition to the above contact time, students are expected to engage with around 20-25 hours of personal study per week. Typically this will involve individual and/or group work on projects and tasks, preparing for assignments, trips to see work and going to the library. Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities, including the Hive library, the virtual learning environment, extensive access to vast electronic learning resources and of course, purpose built contemporary art studios.

Duration

  • 3 years full-time
  • 4-6 years part-time

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team from Fine Art and Psychology whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes respected senior academics and professional practitioners with substantial, current industry experience.

Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Teaching is informed by research and consultancy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

Assessment takes the form of formative (informal) and summative (formal) assessment.

Formative assessments carry no weighting but are really important and designed to help you achieve your best in the final summative assessments. Formative assessment can take different forms such as student support teams, informal peer assessment or rehearsed presentations and performances. It is also embedded in your ongoing engagement with tutors' and is part of the individual tutorial system.

Assessment normally requires a combination of practical work and critical reflection, for example a performance or group presentation with subsequent oral assessment or written analysis). Written assessment is varied and some modules may require different forms such as essay, contextual analysis, blog, creative writing or learning journal. There is also one formal written examination in the third year.

The following gives an indication of the types of assessment you might expect across any year. This is only an indication and will vary depending upon your choice of modules.

Assessment takes the form of formative (informal) and summative (formal) assessment.

Formative assessments carry no weighting but are really important and designed to help you achieve your best in the final summative assessments. Formative assessment can take different forms such as student support teams, informal peer assessment or rehearsed presentations. It is also embedded in your ongoing engagement with tutors' and is part of the individual tutorial system.

Assessment normally requires a combination of practical work and critical reflection and written assessment is varied and may require different forms such as essay, contextual analysis, blog, creative writing or learning journal.

The following gives an indication of the types of assessment you might expect across any year. This is only an indication and will vary depending upon your choice of modules.

Year 1

2 x Portfolios of Artworks
2 x Writing/Research/Making Assignments 
1 x Short Essay
1 x Learning Journal
1 x Portfolio of Written Tasks
1 x Applied Learning Scenario 

Year 2
3 x Portfolio of Artworks
5 x Reflective Statements
1 x Exhibition Proposal
2 x Writing/Research/Making Assignments 
1 x Essay
1 x Critical Analysis
1 x Presentation

Year 3
2 x Portfolio of Artwork
1 x Solo Exhibition 
1 x Final Exhibition
3 x Reflective Statements
1 x Critical Commentary 
1 x Policy Briefing
2 x Essays

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Arts Facilities

A group of students conducting illustration at the Art House Several visitors at an exhivition at the Art House Several display boards at the Art House The design computers in the Art House A postcard exhibition at the Art House The Print Room A group of students working on easels The Illustration studios students gathered in an art gallery White taps and sink with art materials in the background students at a white wall creating artistic shapes

Meet the team

 

John Cussans

Dr John Cussans

Dr Cussans is an artist and writer working across the fields of contemporary art, cultural history and practice-led artistic research. His work explores the legacies of colonialism in art, cinema and popular culture from anthropological, psychological and science fictional perspectives.

John has a special interest in the use of diagrams in art and design education and is a member of the Social Morphologies Research Unit (SMRU), a collaboration between anthropologists and artists investigating the creative, political and educational use of diagrams.

Dr Cussans is the leader of the Arts and Health Research Group

Dan Roach Portrait

Dan Roach

Dan Roach is a painter and printmaker. He is Technical Lecturer for Fine Art and Illustration. His practice explores how things seen in various landscapes can be brought into his studio and used as subjects in paintings and prints.

jess-mathews

Jess Mathews

Jess Mathews is a curator / producer based in Cardiff, Wales. Her practice-based research often necessitates a complex dialogue between the roles of writer, researcher, explorer, curator and maker. Key to this process, is that the thing that is produced (be that an object, a text, a book, an event, an exhibition, a symposium), remains open to intervention and moments of between.

Between 2017-18 Jess initiated and directed The Rejoinders, a British Council and Arts Council Wales / Wales Arts International funded project as part of the UK / India Year of Culture 2017-18. Partners included CONA Foundation, Mumbai, What About Art?, Mumbai, g39, Cardiff and the Fabrication Research Group, University of Worcester. www.therejoinders.org

Nathaniel Pitt sat down with hands placed on knees

Nathaniel Pitt

Nathaniel Pitt (1975) trained as an artist at Falmouth School of Art in 1997 and gained his MFA from Wolverhampton University 2009 before becoming a fellow at De Appel in Amsterdam, ‘curating in the gallery field.’ Since 2013, Pitt has served as the Director for the gallery Division of Labour, a West-Midlands based not-for-profit dedicated to supporting contemporary art across the UK.

With research interests in regional art market development, art and education and collaborative practice, projects have included artists Robert Barry, Victor Burgin, Brian O’Doherty and Carey Young. Pitt has developed an international profile for his gallery, with past presentations in the 2015 Venice Biennale, Brussels, Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Basel, Vienna and Dallas. www.divisionoflabour.co.uk

Dr. Tanya Carpenter

Tanya is an HCPC registered and BPS Chartered Counselling Psychologist. She is also an Associate Fellow of the BPS with 13 years of clinical and managerial experience at the Priory hospital North London. Tanya has also been in clinical practice within the NHS, private practice and university counselling services.

Tanya also has experience supporting people with Asperger’s, and, as well as having written articles on Mindfulness, she facilitated Mindfulness Groups for 5 years

dr-helen-scott

Dr Helen Scott

Helen's research interests lie in the areas of empathy and emotional intelligence in healthcare roles. In particular she is interested in how these concepts are demonstrated and assessed, using social psychological theories and individual differences as frameworks for investigation.

Careers

Careers

A degree with Psychology is highly favoured by employers, giving you an excellent advantage in the job market. Previous graduates have gone into roles as diverse as management, human resources, teaching, healthcare or art therapy. During your studies with us you will learn and develop a broad range of transferable skills. An important part of this learning process is the ability to reflect upon your own experiences; an aspect of practice engaged in by all professional psychologists.

Fine Art graduates from this course have had success in a variety of careers in the arts including film and media industries. Increasingly, graduates are undertaking a variety of freelance commissions often they progress to setting up their own creative businesses. Employers tell us that they really appreciate the creating thinking studying Fine Art encourages

An increasing number of our students opt for higher study and following successful completion of your BA, we offer an MSc in Psychology that would provide you with the Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society (BPS) or an MA in Counselling, which opens up careers in counselling professions. If you go on to complete the MSc Psychology, the option of entering professional training within a particular pathway in psychology is then opened up to you.

Alternatively, should you prefer to specialise in Fine Art, you could enrol onto the MA in Creative Media, or even a PhD

Teaching and lecturing are also very popular career choices for our graduates, as are arts administration and marketing and the BA Fine Art with Psychology places you in a strong position to pursue such avenues.

The transferable skills of graduates in this domain are those much sought after in a range of other environments such as business and commerce; they enhance students' profiles and employability and they are explicitly found in all work undertaken in Fine Art. The development of an appropriate work ethic, including taking on roles and responsibilities, negotiation and decision making, leadership, interpersonal engagement and serving the whole are essential in any kind of production work, and this is embedded in the learning and teaching and assessment strategies employed by the department.

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Jade Blackstock

Jade Blackstock

Whether it’s appearing at festivals across the world or searching for inspiration and hunting down materials for her latest piece, every day is different for Fine Art and Psychology BA (Hons) graduate, and performance artist, Jade Blackstock. Jade, whose work centres around identity, memory and belonging, says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Embarking on her Fine Art and Psychology degree, Jade wanted to work in arts therapy. But her tutors opened her eyes to the possibilities of performance art, something she had not even heard of before her degree.

“The University of Worcester changed the course of my life in a really good way,” said Jade. “For me, my University studies were the foundation for the work I’m doing today. If I hadn’t have gone to Worcester I don’t know if I would have been doing performance art. There are so many things that started there and developed there.”

Full story here.

National and International Field Trips/Visiting Speakers

Students taking photographs overseas Students pose in front of the Colosseum Three people in a gallery at a wall student in an art gallery looking at an illustration Poster for Lucy Wright lecture at the Art House poster for Kate Genever artist talk at the Art House Poster for Barry Sykes lecture at the Art House Poster for CJ Mahony artist talk at the Art House Poster for Gabriella Hirst artist talk at the Art House illustration-facilities-fine-art-trip-3
Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £9,535 per year.

For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £16,700 per year.

For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £1,190.83 per 15-credit module, £1,587.77 per 20-credit module, £2,381.66 per 30-credit module, £3,175.55 per 40-credit module, £3,572.50 per 45-credit module and £4,763.32 per 60 credit module.

For more details on course pages, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.
How to apply

How to apply

Applying through UCAS

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK. 

 

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

UCAS Code

CW89

Apply Via UCAS

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Admissions Office

admissions@worc.ac.uk
01905 855111

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