University of Reading cookie policy

We use cookies on reading.ac.uk to improve your experience, monitor site performance and tailor content to you

Read our cookie policy to find out how to manage your cookie settings

Our teaching

""
Your academic and teaching staff are all practising artists, curators and writers, and their connections with the creative world will give you access to a wide variety of opportunities.

Studio community

Group of students chatting in a studio
We pride ourselves on the quality of our thriving 24-hour studio spaces. You'll find yourself immersed in a vibrant postgraduate community and intellectual environment.

Range of career destinations

""

Be given the time, resources and skills to pursue an exciting professional career or continue your research at doctoral level. Discover your future in the cultural industries, teaching, entrepreneurship, or senior management.

Overall, 88% of graduates from Art are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2022, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20; includes all Art responders).

Visiting professional artists

On all our courses, we provide you with exclusive access to internationally acclaimed artists and curators.

All master's students have the opportunity to engage in a one-to-one tutorial with a visiting professional.

This is your chance to share your work with an artist whose practice is relevant to your area of fine art, enabling you to learn from their experience and advice.
""
Student paining a board in the studio

Life as a master's student

"The support I have received here since starting my course has been pastoral, academic and skills-based. The staff here have supported me 100% regardless of the decisions I have chosen to make as an artist.

"The Department is a great place to learn new skills and develop your trade. Access to the studios 24/7 has been really helpful, giving me the flexibility to work when I need to. It's a great place to collaborate and share your work."

Adam Stead, MA Fine Art

Our excellence in research

We make a distinctive contribution to creative knowledge through practice-led, theoretical and historical research. 

We engage with the production and reception of contemporary art, exploring the interlinking roles of artist, curator and writer. 

Key areas of focus include exhibition and curatorial practice, publication projects and critical art writing, with digital technologies as a key format. 

We work with international museums, galleries and collections – including Tate Modern and Museum of Modern Art in New York – and share our research with both specialist and non-academic audiences.

""
""

Our partnerships

We work collaboratively with industry professionals and arts institutions, and encourage our students to engage with a wide range of practitioners and to regularly collaborate with artists, curators and writers. 

We also have ongoing relationships with an international collection of universities and arts institutions, including Reading International, ArtLab and the Wuhan Exchange. 

Learn more about who we work with.

Meet our experts

Lecturers chatting in the studio

Lean more about our academic teaching staff. You will be taught by leading artists, writers and curators throughout your degree. 

Life in Reading

""

Step off campus and you'll find yourself in a bustling town centre offering a variety of shops, restaurants and activities. We're also well-connected – you can reach London Paddington within half an hour by train.