Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts

Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts is accepting new students to the five and a half-year studies leading to Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees. Studies begin in autumn 2024. 

Our degree programme will encourage you to find your own strengths and expression methods within the field of fine arts. You will acquire skills and knowledge that will enable you to work independently as a visual artist and understand your own work in the context of contemporary art and society where artists may adopt multi-faceted roles and profiles.

As a student at Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts, you have the flexibility to pursue your own personal aspirations when selecting courses and planning your curriculum. Individual guidance and independent artistic work are integral to the studies. You are encouraged to choose courses from subject areas other than your own and to engage in versatile artistic work using different media. We also encourage cross-disciplinary studies at the other academies of Uniarts Helsinki: the Sibelius Academy and the Theatre Academy.

At the Academy of Fine Arts, you can study the subject areas of sculpture, painting, printmaking and time and space arts. Time and space arts allows you to specialise in moving image, photography, or site and situation specific art. Students choose their subject area after being admitted to the university during their first of year studies.

As well as first-class facilities and support, every student is provided with a workspace of their own. Students also have excellent opportunities to exhibit their art in public, thanks to the Academy’s own galleries, frequent public art projects and active cooperation with the local and international art scene. We operate in a new building, Mylly, designed for studying art and situated in the vibrant, up-and-coming Sörnäinen district in Helsinki. The most important goal in the design process was to create an environment that meets the needs of the users of the building. The final result is adaptable, flexible facilities that reflect the process-like nature of art-making as well as the industrial history of the city block.

Our faculty is composed of distinguished artists and experts from various fields of art. Students have the opportunity to work closely with our acclaimed teachers across subject areas: Professors Andrew Best-Dunkley, Hanna Johansson, Riikka Stewen, Tarja Pitkänen-Walter, Anita Seppä, Daniel Peltz and Annu Vertanen to name a few.

Our impressive list of visiting artists and lecturers from the past few years includes Rachael Allen, Nisrine Boukhari, Monster Chetwynd, Elmgreen & Dragset, Okwui Enwesor, IC-98 Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Nomaduma Rosa Masilela, James Nisbet, Ruth Pelzer-Montada, Mira Schor, Martha Rosler, Ho Rui An, Amalia Ulman, Emily Wardill, Ahmet Ögüt and Sonia Boyce.

The primary languages of instruction at the Academy are Finnish and English, and both languages are used flexibly on the courses. All mandatory studies are offered in both Finnish and English, and it is also possible to complete credits in Swedish.

We welcome applications between January 3–17, 2024 (ending at 3pm Finnish time EET on the last day). Learn more about the Fine Arts degree programme (Bachelor + Master). Admissions guide for the Fine Arts degree programme (Bachelor + Master).

Online admissions chat event
On December 7 at 3pm EET student ambassadors from the Academy of Fine Arts will host an online chat on Instagram Live. During the chat the students, who represent different study areas of the academy, will share their experiences on studying in Finland and Uniarts Helsinki. A member of the teaching staff will also join in on the conversation and share insight on the study structure and the admissions process. Learn more about the event.

Uniarts Helsinki, located in Finland’s capital Helsinki, provides the highest level of education in music, fine arts, theatre and dance in Finland. Uniarts Helsinki’s wide selection of programmes in the field of arts and a productive dialogue between teaching and research make the university unique on an international scale. Established in 2013, Uniarts Helsinki consists of the Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy and Theatre Academy. Uniarts Helsinki is accepting new students to many other degree programmes starting in autumn 2024. Learn more about the wide range of study options available at Uniarts Helsinki.