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Postgraduate

MA Fine Art: Computational Arts

Rui Tian,
MA Fine Art: Computational Arts, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
College
Camberwell College of Arts
Start date
September 2025
Course length
15 months (full time)

MA Fine Art: Computational Arts at Camberwell College of Arts explores critical digital practices and emerging technology in fine art.

Course summary

Applying for more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL (excluding online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas). Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Course overview

MA Fine Art: Computational Arts explores both emergent digital processes and experimental modes of practice. It supports and challenges your creative work through critical analysis, reflection and contextualisation. You’ll develop your own methods for working creatively with emergent technology.

The course is home to a diverse community of practitioners and values open mindedness. It is committed to widening accessibility and developing inclusive approaches through various hybrid forms of media and emerging technology.

What to expect:

  • Workshops: Ranging from (but not limited to) 3D modelling, augmented reality (AR), extended reality (XR), creative coding, physical computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). View the Camberwell facilities.
  • A sense of community: The course is part of a comprehensive Camberwell fine art programme. This enables you to take part in cross course studio-based workshops, group crits, tutorials, offsite trips and external projects with other students.
  • Collaboration: The course nurtures collaborations within the Camberwell fine art programme and the Creative Computing Institute (CCI) as well as numerous digital art institutions in the UK and internationally.
  • Showing your work: You’ll regularly be able to show and discuss your work and research in both virtual and physical exhibitions and presentations. 
  • Social, cultural and ethical contexts: You’ll look at debates surrounding technology, the arts and culture including narratives from marginalised and disadvantaged discourses. 

Industry experience and opportunities

The course will develop your skills in creative leadership, problem-solving, collaboration, resourcefulness and communication. You’ll also learn how to sustain open-ended lines of enquiry, an essential skill in any professional setting.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to showcase your practice including organising and participating in public events and exhibitions. A programme of talks and workshops will help you identify which part of the art world you would like to contribute to after graduation.

Mode of study

MA Fine Art: Computational Arts is offered in full-time mode and runs for 45 weeks over 15 months. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study.

Contact us

Register your interest to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

Unit 1: Locating practice within subject

During this first unit, you’ll be introduced to the teaching, learning and research culture of Camberwell College of Arts. Through practical experimentation in the studio, workshops and beyond, you’ll test your ideas and challenge your approaches to making your artwork. You’ll identify your aims and intentions through research and critical reflection. To support this, there’ll be introductions to key practice-based research methodologies.

You’ll interrogate and debate key ideas and developments within your subject and build upon your technical, practical and presentation skills. You’ll extend your network beyond your subject specialism through cross-pathway MA Fine Art lectures, presentations and crits. Alongside these, a programme will support the development of your professional skills.
 
Throughout the unit, you’ll create a body of work and keep an online journal in which you’ll research and critically reflect upon the ideas that underpin your practice.

Unit 2: Testing beyond subject

In Unit 2, you’ll focus on the creation of new artworks and define your own unique set of creative processes. You’ll have lectures and seminars that explore current debates within art and society. You’ll test your work and research in both subject-specific and cross-pathway seminars, crits and exhibitions. You’ll be encouraged to extend your research methods and to engage with research resources beyond the University.
 
A series of workshops will explore different approaches to critical reflection and writing about your artwork and research. You’ll continue to equip yourself with a broad range of professional skills and knowledge.
 
At the end of the unit, you’ll submit a body of work, along with your online journal in which you’ll have continued to articulate your current research while critically reflecting on key developments in your work and the ideas and contexts that shape it.

Unit 3: Making public 

In the first part of this unit, you’ll exhibit your work in a public exhibition to test ideas in front of an audience. Feedback from this exhibition will help you in the continued development your practice, both technically and theoretically.
 
Your research and learning will be supported by tutorials, crits, seminars and workshops. You’ll continue to develop the professional skills and knowledge to progress to further academic research or employment in the art world, broader cultural industries or other professional environments. 

Towards the end of the unit, you’ll work in collaboration with students from across the MA Fine Art pathways to stage a public event where you’ll present your research via one of a range of formats that might include published writing, artist books, workshops, presentations and live events.

You’ll submit a substantial body of work and a public-facing reflective journal, which contextualises your practice within and beyond subject.

Note: 120 Credits must be passed before the final unit is undertaken.

Learning and teaching methods

  • Artists talks 
  • Crits 
  • Independent practice and research 
  • Knowledge exchange with external agencies 
  • Lectures 
  • Presentation of work through exhibitions 
  • Professional toolkit
  • Reading groups 
  • Seminars 
  • Tutorials 
  • Workshops and inductions 

Assessment methods

  • Exhibitions 
  • Online reflective platform 
  • Verbal presentations 

MA Fine Art: Computational Arts - Course introduction

A look into MA Fine Art: Computational Arts

Student work

  • Yifei-Xie-Camberwell-College-of-Arts-MA-Fine-Art-Computational-Arts.jpg
    Yifei Xie
    MA Fine Art: Computational Arts, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
  • Camberwell-College-of-Arts-MA-Fine-Art-Computational-Arts-Titas-Sen.png
    Titas Sen
    MA Fine Art: Computational Arts, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL

Staff

  • Max Dovey - MA Fine Art: Computational Arts Pathway Leader
  • Hazel Brill - Associate Lecturer
  • Eleanor Dare - Associate Lecturer
  • Rachel Finney -  Senior Lecturer
  • Zaiba Jabbar - Associate Lecturer
  • James Stringer - Lead Technician
  • Jennet Thomas - Reader in Time Based Media and Performance
  • Lizzie Wilson - Associate Lecturer

Fees and funding

Home fee

£14,000

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£29,990

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Additional costs

You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course. Typical approximate costs for this course include:

  • Sketchbooks: £5-£20 each
  • USB 3.0 thumb drive: £15
  • Online platform maintenance: £20 per year
  • Three button mouse: £25
  • External SSD drive: £100
  • Optional field trip to Transmediale Festival Berlin: £350-£500
  • Laptop or desktop computer recommended (specification will be provided)

For a list of general digital equipment you may need (and how you can borrow equipment), visit our Study costs page.

Accommodation

Find out about accommodation options and how much they will cost, and other living expenses you’ll need to consider.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

If you’ve completed a qualifying course at UAL, you may be eligible for a tuition fee discount on this course. Find out more about our Progression discount.

You can also find out more about the Postgraduate Masters Loan (Home students only) and scholarships, including £7,000 scholarships for Home and International students. Discover more about student funding.

If you’re based in the UK and plan to visit UAL for an Open Event, check if you’re eligible for our UAL Travel Bursary. This covers the costs of mainland train or airline travel to visit UAL.

How to pay

Find out how you can pay your tuition fees.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:

  • BA (Hons) degree in either art and design or drawing-related disciplines, including social and other sciences or engineering
  • Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio of work

Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and personal statement.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

All classes are taught in English. If English isn't your first language you must provide evidence at enrolment of the following:

Selection criteria

We look for:

  • Commitment and motivation for studying the subject at Masters level
  • Work that shows potential for further development
  • Demonstrate a holistic understanding of research
  • Ability to identify or speculate on the direction and development of practice and research
  • An awareness of contexts and frameworks for contemporary practice
  • Able to communicate clearly in order to present and discuss work and ideas with others
  • Able to demonstrate written skills

Information for disabled applicants

UAL is committed to achieving inclusion and equality for disabled students. This includes students who have:

     
  • Dyslexia or another Specific Learning Difference
  • A sensory impairment
  • A physical impairment
  • A long-term health or mental health condition
  • Autism
  • Another long-term condition which has an impact on your day-to-day life

Our Disability Service arranges adjustments and support for disabled applicants and students.

Read our Disability and dyslexia: applying for a course and joining UAL information.

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Round 2:

9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Decision outcome

Round 1:

21 March 2025

Round 2:

20 June 2025

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
Decision outcome
21 March 2025
20 June 2025

We have 2 rounds of deadlines for postgraduate courses: one in December and one in March. If there are still places available after 26 March, this course will remain open to applications until all places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Round 2:

9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Decision outcome

Round 1:

21 March 2025

Round 2:

20 June 2025

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
Decision outcome
21 March 2025
20 June 2025

We have 2 rounds of deadlines for postgraduate courses: one in December and one in March. If there are still places available after 26 March, this course will remain open to applications until all places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

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Based across the world, our local UAL representatives can support you with your application from your home country. Check to see if there is a representative available in your country currently.

Find your representative

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement and CV.

Personal statement advice

This should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task
  • Outline what your research intentions will be on the course.
  • Explain what you’re hoping to achieve on the MA.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 20 pages, including your video task
  • include independently produced work with key pieces placed on individual pages
  • include supporting research to demonstrate your contextual understanding of fine art practice
  • include critical reflections of your current creative practice
  • indicate your desired direction for future work/study
  • illustrate your keen interest in fine art and other visual art forms.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL. This excludes online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas, which you can apply to in addition to 3 other postgraduate courses.

If you apply for more than 3 postgraduate courses between October 2024 and August 2025, we won’t accept the 4th application. It’s not possible to withdraw an application to replace it with another.

You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. If your course requires a portfolio and/or video task, we may request these before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

Most of our postgraduate courses have 2 rounds of deadlines: one in December and one in March.

As long as you apply ahead of each deadline we will consider your application alongside all the other applications in that round. We always make sure to hold enough places back for round 2 to make sure we can consider your application fairly, no matter which round you apply in.

If there are still places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until all places have been filled.

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