Why Study / Key Benefits

• The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) without specialisation is a broad, studio-focused fine arts degree designed for students who want to develop an individual contemporary art practice rather than being restricted to one medium.
• Massey states that approximately two-thirds of the study experience is studio-based, giving students substantial time for experimentation, making, critique and development of their own creative practice.
• Students can work across sculpture, painting, drawing, performance, installation, moving image, photography, printmaking, site-responsive work, curatorial activities and art writing.
• The programme encourages experimentation, creative expression, critical thinking and independent artistic development.
• Students work alongside students from different disciplines and year levels, supporting cross-disciplinary creative practice.
• The programme combines studio practice with art theory, critical studies and professional culture.
• Students have access to specialist technical facilities and support from experienced artists, academics, curators and technicians.
• The School of Art describes the BFA as a transdisciplinary programme involving studio practice, tutorials, critiques, lectures and forums, with opportunities to extend skills across other areas of the College of Creative Arts.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The BFA without specialisation is deliberately flexible. Instead of following a single medium-specific major, students select from core Fine Arts study, studio courses and electives.

Year 1 normally comprises 120 credits, with eight 15-credit courses.

Core areas include:

• Critical Studies
• Professional Cultures
• Explorations
• Core Studio
• further Fine Arts studio development at higher levels.

Examples of first-year Critical Studies courses include:

• 237131 Art, Culture and Contexts – contemporary art practices, critical thinking and debates surrounding art production and reception.
• 197139 Introduction to Design Localities in Aotearoa – design positionality, whakapapa and local knowledge.
• 289100 Screen Arts, Creativity and Critical Thinking – concepts and theories surrounding screen media and its relationship with society.
• 293130 Critical Studies in Digital Worlds 1 – analysis of emerging digital production and technologies.
• 298100 He Ara Tuku Iho: Taonga – Maori creative expressions, taonga, technologies, stories, tikanga and matauranga toi Maori.

Professional Culture options include:

• 213170 Professional Cultures in Art 1
• 197190 Professional Cultures in Design 1
• 289150 Professional Cultures in Screen Arts 1
• 298160 Matauranga Toi Maori 1: Maori Practices as a Maori Creative Practitioner.

These courses introduce professional practice, ethics, creative communities, communication and cultural positioning.

Exploration options can include:

• Explorations in Visualisation
• Explorations in Materials and Making
• Explorations in Generative Media Technologies
• Explorations in Modelling
• Explorations in Digital Asset Creation
• Explorations in Drawing
• Explorations in Narrative
• Explorations in Image and Meaning
• Explorations in Colour and Context
• Explorations in Paint and Creative Expression
• Explorations in Pacific Positionalities
• Explorations in Sound and Recording.

These allow students to test different materials, technologies, visual languages and creative processes before developing their individual practice.

Core Studio options include:

• 213157 Fine Arts Studio 1.1: Art Lab
• 213158 Fine Arts Studio 1.2: Media and Processes
• 298157 Toi tea 1.

The studio courses introduce art practices, techniques, processes, idea generation, creative analysis and peer critique.

At 200 level, students can develop a more independent art practice through courses such as:

• 213241 Fine Arts Studio 2.3: Practice
• 213243 Fine Arts Studio 2.1: Project
• Creative Arts Project courses
• Drawing courses
• Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Art
• Professional Cultures in Art 2.

For example, Fine Arts Studio 2.3 focuses on establishing an individual art practice through a project responding to a creative provocation.

At 300 level, options include:

• 213343 Fine Arts Studio 3.1: Project
• 213344 Fine Arts Studio 3.2: Public Exhibition
• 213355 Drawing the Body III
• 213356 Creative Arts Project 3C
• 213358 Fine Arts Internship.

Disciplines / Specialisations

The selected pathway is:

• Without Specialisation

This does not mean that students study without a focus. Rather, they have greater freedom to construct an individual fine-arts practice across different media.

Potential areas include:

• painting
• sculpture
• drawing
• photography
• performance
• installation
• moving image
• printmaking
• site-responsive practice
• curatorial practice
• art writing
• materials and making
• digital and generative media
• visualisation
• interdisciplinary creative practice

Programme Highlights

• NZQF Level 7 undergraduate degree.
• 360 credits.
• Three years full-time.
• Wellington campus.
• Approximately two-thirds studio-focused.
• Flexible, non-media-specific fine-arts structure.
• Broad choice of traditional, contemporary and digital art practices.
• Opportunities for interdisciplinary study with other College of Creative Arts areas.
• Development of an individual artistic voice and practice.
• Critical studies develop contextual, theoretical and analytical skills.
• Professional Culture courses introduce ethical and professional aspects of creative practice.
• Public exhibition opportunities are available through higher-level studio study.
• A Fine Arts Internship can provide practical experience with visual-arts professionals, subject to approval.
• Massey's College of Creative Arts reports a global top-200 QS Art & Design ranking for the college. This is a university-published ranking claim and applies to the College of Creative Arts rather than specifically ranking the BFA without specialisation.

Career Outcomes

The degree develops creative, critical and problem-solving capabilities that can be applied across professional art and creative industries.

Potential career areas include:

• professional artist
• art education
• arts administration
• curator
• gallery and arts organisation work
• art writing and criticism
• creative industries
• publishing
• advertising
• film and entertainment
• digital and online creative work
• exhibition and cultural-sector roles
• freelance and independent creative practice.

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

• The current Massey page confirms that the BFA without specialisation is open to international students on the Wellington campus.
• There are no specific programme entry requirements beyond Massey's general university admission regulations.
• A compulsory portfolio is not currently listed as an admission requirement.
• A Creative Review is encouraged after application and enrolment but is optional.
• Students must pay attention to course prerequisites when planning progression from 100-level to 200- and 300-level study.
• Some courses require prior College of Creative Arts credits.
• The Fine Arts Internship requires prior approval from the course coordinator.
• Returning students should check Massey's transitional provisions because course availability and qualification structures can change.
• The current qualification is the three-year BFA. The Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours is a separate four-year qualification and should not be confused with this programme.

International Student Visa Requirements

Because the BFA without specialisation is an on-campus Wellington programme, an international student travelling to New Zealand to study it will generally require a Fee Paying Student Visa.

Current Immigration New Zealand requirements include:

• an offer of place from an approved education provider
• sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or an applicable scholarship
• sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor/guarantor
• acceptable medical and travel insurance
• meeting health and character requirements
• genuine intention to study
• evidence that the student can leave New Zealand at the end of the stay.