Bachelor of Fine Arts

Programme Overview

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at Elam provides an open, interdisciplinary environment that empowers students to bring their ideas to life. Rather than restricting students to a single discipline, the programme offers the freedom to experiment across a vast selection of creative media and technologies.

Supported by specialist technicians and academic staff, students learn to blend creative risk-taking with critical reasoning. The curriculum is structured around three core learning areas: creative artistic practices, research themes, and creative careers.

What You'll Study

The degree is composed of 360 points across three stages, culminating in an independent capstone studio project.

Year 1 (Stage I Foundations):

• Core Technologies & Studio: FINEARTS 110 (Intro to Technologies), FINEARTS 111, and FINEARTS 112 (Fine Arts Studio 1 & 2).
• Theory Baselines: FINEARTS 113 (Theories and Methods for Practice 1).

Year 2 (Stage II Development):

• Advanced Theory: FINEARTS 215 (Theories and Methods for Practice 2).
• Media Electives: Choose at least 30 points from Group 1 (e.g., Printmaking, Moving Image, Digital or Analogue Photography, Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing as Creative Thinking).
• Contemporary Practices: Choose at least 60 points from Group 2 themes (e.g., Culture and Place, Art and the Self, or Art in the Anthropocene).

Year 3 (Stage III Advanced & Capstone):

• Capstone Project: FINEARTS 321 (Fine Arts Studio 3 Capstone, 45 points) where students produce a major, independent body of work.
• Research & Methods: FINEARTS 320 (Theories and Methods 3) and FINEARTS 322 (Research Essay) to academically frame your studio practice.
• General Education: 30 points selected from the university’s General Education schedules.

Why Choose This Programme?

• World-Class Facilities: Access to Elam's dedicated digital media hubs, darkrooms, printmaking facilities, wood/metal workshops, a foundry, and a fully equipped ceramics studio.
• Exhibition Opportunities: Showcase work publicly through a regular student exhibition calendar at the on-campus Te Waka Tūhura Elam Galleries.
• Transferable Innovation: The curriculum intentionally develops entrepreneurial, critical thinking, and collaborative traits that apply heavily to commercial industries beyond traditional galleries.

Entry Requirements

• Academic Minimums: Standard University Entrance (UE) with a valid NCEA, CIE, or IB rank score. Domestic applicants missing standard lines can check eligibility under the Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes (UTAS).
• Supplemental Selection: Depending on entry cycles and rank score results, some applicants may be required to complete supplementary requirements such as an interview, portfolio submission, or professional references.
• English Language: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no individual band below 5.5.