Study Guide

Descriptions

OBJECTIVE OF STUDIES
The Degree Programme in Fine Arts at Turku University of Applied Sciences is a four-year programme consisting of 240 ECTS credits that leads to the Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts degree. The programme provides solid knowledge and skills to pursue a profession in fine arts or photography, depending on the specialization.

The programme places a strong focus on the development of the students’ own artistic expression as well as professional practice and working life skills. The methods and techniques of contemporary art lend themselves to a wide range of applications that the students can implement in their own expression and assignments. The graduates of the programme will be able to operate and develop their practice as visual artists within the sphere of art as well as in multiprofessional contexts.

Visual arts are a prominent and powerful element of society. The strategic policies for the City of Turku, Southwest Finland and Turku University of Applied Sciences for 2015–2025 emphasize the role of the field of culture in improving the well-being, collectivity, competitiveness and appeal of the region. Art is part of good life.

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF STUDIES
Fine arts is a practice-oriented discipline. The studies include workshops on different methods and themes, artistic projects and practical training in the chosen professional field. Learning tasks based on real professional practice serve to develop the students’ own expression while introducing different approaches in contemporary art. Practical work is supported by theoretical studies that develop viewing skills and critical thinking. During feedback discussions with the teacher and group critique sessions and seminars, the students will be analysing and assessing their own learning and progress.

The studies are divided into obtaining core competences and complementary competences. The core competence include language studies, the basics of artistic work, art history and theory as well as the basics of professional practice and professional studies according to selection. Studies on complementary competences include individual artistic work, practical training, free choice studies and the Bachelor’s thesis.

The curriculum in the degree programme is flexible and allows for different types of learning paths. With the support of their tutor teacher, students can build an individual study plan that best suits their personal objectives by selecting modules from professional studies, and deepen their skills further through practical training and free choice studies.

During the first year, the students will progress from the basics of artistic work to professional studies. The students will be introduced to the artistic methods and profession through practice. Theoretical and language courses will be completed alongside the practice-based process.

In the second year, the focus will shift to workshop-based professional studies in fine arts or photography. Fine arts students can specialize in sculpture, painting or printmaking. In professional studies in photography, the students specialize in different approaches and practices within photographic art. The international exchange students of fine arts typically join the courses at the professional studies stage, so some of the tuition will be given in English. During the second year, the students will also learn about the theory and practices in contemporary art, with special focus on spatial and time-based media.

In the third year, students will concentrate on artistic work. The students will produce a work of art that will be publicly displayed. The work may be composed as part of research, development or innovation activities and the aim is to collaborate with working life partners. Third-year students are encouraged to participate in international exchange through the channels provided by the school. The KUNO network of Nordic fine arts academies organizes short-term exchanges and programmes, such as Erasmus, which provide opportunities for more long-term exchanges.

The fourth year is largely dedicated to the Bachelor’s thesis, that consists of artistic and research part. The process simulates the realities of a professional artist’s work. The artistic thesis work will be completed in collaboration with working life partners. The research studies preceding the thesis work give the students the theoretical tools to carry out artistic research and contribute to the development of the field of art.

Free choice studies (30 ECTS) can be chosen from the course offering in fine arts, other fields of study at TUAS, exchange studies as based on the individual study plan or from practical art projects that form a part of research, development and innovation activities, among others. Some of the free choice studies can be integrated into the thesis process.

Practical training (30 ECTS) gives students the opportunity to engage with their chosen professional field in a real working environment. The purpose of practical training is to prepare the students to employ themselves as experts in the field of fine arts through different career paths. Part of the practical training will be integrated into the thesis process. The practical training can also be completed abroad or as part of a research, development or innovation project or artistic service provision.

COMPETENCE TRACKS, SPECIALIZED FIELDS AND QUALIFICATIONS
The Degree Programme in Fine Arts has two specializations: fine arts and photography. The preliminary tasks must be linked to the chosen specialization.

Fine Arts
Fine arts students can further specialize in sculpture, painting or printmaking. The students’ competences will be broadened into photography and video, public art and topical social themes. By participating in practical training and art projects that are reflective of professional artistry, students will be able to strengthen their professional identities.

Photography
The students of photography will get acquainted with the methods of photographic art and the technical aspects and expressive potential of the photograph. The students’ competences will be broadened into the modes of expression in contemporary art, public art and topical social themes. By participating in practical training and art projects that are reflective of professional photography, students will be able to strengthen their professional identities.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
The graduates of the degree programme may work as independent artists and experts or in a wide range of roles in the different fields of photography.

POSTGRADUATE STUDY OPPORTUNITIES
The Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts qualifies for postgraduate studies in:
• suitable Finnish and international higher education institutions and universities
• applicable master’s degree programmes

Objective

The objective of the degree programme is to give the students the knowledge and skills to work in a professional capacity in the field of art and display their work in public. The graduates are well-versed in the phenomena of contemporary art and art history and able to identify the relationships between different artistic movements and phenomena. They are able to analyse their own artistic practice in relation to artistic tradition and is familiar with artistic practices in regional, national and international contexts.

The studies help develop skills to observe and interpret the environment and topical phenomena and to convert this into artistic content and works of art. The graduates will have the readiness to make use of the techniques and tools of fine art in an appropriate manner and to build on their technical, expressive and theoretical knowledge and skills. They also recognize their own skills and the value of multiprofessional collaboration.

The students are encouraged to make independent artistic choices and develop their capabilities to evaluate and analyse the artistic work of their own as well as others. The graduates will understand the potential for practising and developing an artistic profession in changing society. They will know how to apply their skills and communicate about it in different contexts.

They will recognize the social aspects of their work and are able to apply their skills in different types of projects and collaborate with regional, national and international partners. As artists, they will take ethical and aesthetic responsibility for their environment and are able to view the surrounding society through the methodologies of art.

Development

The Degree Programme of Fine Arts is based on innovation pedagogy. This means that the focus is on practical workshop activities through which the students can learn artistic skills and thinking. The workshops form part of the professional studies and focus on the practices and modes of expression in contemporary art as well as the processes and versatility of making art. The curriculum is flexible and allows students to progress through different paths to gain qualifications as a professional artist. An element in the curriculum is participation in exhibitions at the school gallery or other spaces. The amount of independent work increases towards the end of the studies as the role of the teacher becomes more facilitative. The bachelor’s thesis, which will be completed during the fourth year, includes a research related to the themes or practices of the artistic work, and the independently produced artistic work itself. At the thesis seminars, students present their work in progress as well as its starting point, process and outcomes.

Alongside workshops, the students will complete theoretical courses, which interlinks their personal artistic work with the practices and traditions of contemporary art. Questions of professional practices and the entrepreneurship of artists are discussed on a separate course but is it also an aspect of specific relevance in all professional studies and the thesis work. A broad perspective on the potential of art and artistic practice gives students the opportunity to discuss their own work from a wider angle and find their own ways of acting as an artist in society.

RDI and other collaborative projects form a link to working life. Collaboration partners include regional art museums, artist societies and companies and organizations. The collaborative projects may include exhibitions, art events, workshops, public works of art or products, events or services in which art is applied. In addition to collaborative projects, practical training gives the opportunity to build networks and complement and apply skills in practice. The experiences of practical training are shared and discussed in a training seminar, where progress made during the practical training can also be assessed. The students can use free choice studies to deepen their skills in art projects and to expand their competences into other fields of professional expertise. For example, a wide range of online courses in different fields is available; for more information visit the campus online portal.

Students are also welcome to join projects conducted in collaboration with international collaboration partners. International contacts can also be made through KUNO workshops, student exchange and international practical training. The instruction at workshops and for artistic work (totalling 60 ECTS) takes place in English whenever there are international exchange students participating on a course.

Further information

Self-assessment and learning assessment are an ongoing and comprehensive process. The quality of learning and teaching is assessed by way of feedback discussions, exercises, essays, reports, analyses and exams, depending on the course. The feedback discussions and peer assessment develop the students’ ability to assess and improve their own work. Assessment focuses on goals-based competence and its development. The assessment takes place through a dialogue between the student and the teacher and the group. The assessment may also be contributed to by an external expert.

The assessment is bidirectional, so the teacher performance will also be continuously assessed and improved. In addition to continuous assessment, feedback may also be gathered in connection with individual courses. An annual feedback day will be organized for each year group, during which the feedback collated by students groups will be discussed, headed by the training manager. The feedback day is attended by teachers, the study counsellor and the director of education. Any issues raised and discussed during the feedback day will be listed in an action plan. The education in fine arts is constantly being developed in dialogue with working life representatives and partners at, for example, the advisory board for fine arts and the international PARADOX network for fine art instructors.