Fine Art – Rhodes University Undergraduate Programmes

Fine Art – Rhodes University Undergraduate Programmes

Entrance requirements and application procedure

Undergraduate: Students intending to apply for the Bachelor of Fine Art degree, the Bachelor of Arts degree with Studio Practice, or the Diploma in Fine Art are required to submit a portfolio of recent artwork together with their formal admissions application (guidelines below). The applicant’s portfolio must be submitted together with his/her application form to the Student Bureau, Registrars Division.
Students interested in studying Studio Practice (Fine Art) are advised to study a four-year BFA (Bachelor of Fine Art) – an Honours equivalent degree. However, a three-year BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree with a major in Studio Practice is also available. The degrees are structured as follows:

Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA)

First Year
Studio Practice 1
Art History & Visual Culture 1
One subject of choice
Second Year
Studio Practice 2
Art History & Visual Culture 2
One subject of choice
Third Year
Studio Practice 3
Art History & Visual Culture 3
Fourth Year
Studio Practice 4
Art History & Visual Culture 4

Bachelor of Arts with Studio Practice (BA)

First Year
Studio Practice 1
Art History & Visual Culture 1
Two subjects of choice
Second Year
Studio Practice 2
Art History & Visual Culture 2
Two subjects of choice
Third Year
Studio Practice 3
Art History & Visual Culture 3

Diploma in Fine Art (DFA)

A Diploma in Fine Art is available for students who may not have achieved university entrance but have a strong interest and artistic potential in Studio Practice and wish to further their education at tertiary level. This course currently has the same structure as the BFA, except that students are required to complete only the courses in Studio Practice and Art History & Visual Culture.

Undergraduate degrees without Studio Practice but including Art History & Visual Culture

As the degree structures above indicate, students studying Studio Practice must study Art History & Visual Culture as well. However, students can also study Art History & Visual Culture as part of a degree that does not include Studio Practice. Art History & Visual Culture is an especially useful inclusion in BA and BJourn degrees, and may be taken for one year, two years, or as a major.