Elam School of Fine Arts offers a range of postgraduate study options to support your creative path towards a successful career in the arts. At the highest level, the creative practice option within the PhD gives you the opportunity to integrate your creative work with rigorous scholarly analysis and research.
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Doctor of Fine Arts (DocFA)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Program
Elam School of Fine Arts is one of the most highly regarded places to study fine arts in New Zealand. At Elam you will be supervised by a committed team of professionally active, internationally recognised staff, both from within Elam and if appropriate, from other schools/faculties within The University of Auckland. Elam is also well respected internationally and will be celebrating 125 years of fine arts education in 2015.
We approach fine art at Elam in a distinct manner. You will take part in a broad range of creative activities in a stimulating interdisciplinary studio-focused environment. Painters, sculptors, interactive artists, video artists, photographers and other creative practitioners work alongside each other because this kind of cross-disciplinary interaction reflects the reality of much contemporary creative visual art practice.
Well-equipped workshops are open to all students for photography, video, sound and other computer-based work as well as for wood, metal, plaster, bronze, printmaking and much more. Each student is provided with an individual studio space and all teachers at the school are available as supervisors.
With international connections through its renowned faculty and the Elam International Artist in Residence programme, guest artists from abroad support the highly regarded faculty in engaging students in contemporary creative initiatives worldwide.
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
The two-year MFA program is taught in an intimate environment. With three options for the second year of study including Studio Practice, Thesis or Research Portfolio, each student is able to design a pathway through their study that best supports their interests. Critical discourse on artistic practice and an emphasis on analysis and self-reflection contribute to an understanding of contemporary art located within a larger cultural, social, and political context.
Doctor of Fine Arts (DocFA)
The Doctor of Fine Arts (DocFA) is an advanced studio-based research degree. It is the highest-level university qualification in fine arts at The University of Auckland that is predominantly founded on studio-based practice. You are required to develop a substantial piece of original creative work, founded on a chosen research question. This is an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the field of contemporary art and/or design.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Fine Arts
Internationally, the award of a PhD from the University of Auckland is seen as recognition of real distinction in a specific area of study. The introduction of creative practice within the PhD gives students the opportunity to incorporate creative work such as fine art, design, performance, or film into their research. A creative practice PhD differs from a standard PhD in that it allows new cultural and artistic knowledge to be embodied or expressed through media other than text, without compromising a rigorous scholarly approach.
Apply
Artists, Fine Art scholars, and Fine Art graduates interested in innovative artistic practice and research are encouraged to apply.
Please note: if you have a degree in another field altogether but have maintained a professional practice as an artist for some years we may consider an application.
How to Apply
For more information please see our website or contact the School directly: www.creative.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/about/programmes-and-courses/how-to-apply
