Visual Arts | University of Pretoria - 2023

Visual Arts | University of Pretoria

About Visual Arts | University of Pretoria

The Department of Visual Arts offers students a vibrant environment where they can study various aspects of the visual image and visual culture, from their creation to the way in which they are interpreted and used by society. The Department offers two professional degrees, namely in BA Fine Arts and BA Information Design, as well as the BA (Visual Studies) that focuses on visual culture.

The Department helps students equip themselves with the skills they need to enter the competitive workplace by providing them with a first-rate education. The postgraduate component is as important as the undergraduate studies and all degrees offered by the Department go up to doctoral level. The department has a strong focus on research and has two NRF-rated staff members.

The core staff of designers, fine art specialists and visual culture specialists is supported by a large number of specialist part-time lecturers, artists and designers, exposing students to the expertise and stimulation of leading practitioners and academics. Students are often also exposed to the industry through social engagement projects and other professional activities.

The activities of the Department are located in a number of main buildings on the main campus. In addition to large studios, there are individual studios for senior students, computer laboratories, photographic darkrooms, printmaking and sculpture facilities, as well as seminar and lecture rooms.

Visual Arts | University of Pretoria Courses Offered

The Department of Visual Arts is recognised for its academic and creative excellence. It strives to be inclusive, enabling, socially responsible and value-driven, always acknowledging its mandate to be relevant to the wider community. Moreover, the Department aims to be a leading visual arts department, acknowledged as the department of choice by its students, graduates, employers and peers. It seeks to function as a model multidisciplinary department that fosters a creative, intellectual, professional, critical and reflective climate for its staff and students.

The Department of Visual Arts’ three divisions – Fine Arts, Information Design and Visual Studies – play key strategic roles in shaping knowledgeable, responsible, independent and innovative citizens. Its purpose is therefore to train and educate students who can contribute meaningfully to society. Driven by humanistic and intellectual imperatives, the Department provides an environment where students can learn and grow to contribute to the well-being of the broader community and where staff can become leaders in their respective fields. Each of the Department’s divisions seeks to attain these outcomes by means of focused research strategies, encouraging both individuality and communal responsibility.

Please view the undergraduate yearbooks:

BA Fine Arts

BA Information Design

BA Visual Studies

Our undergraduate programmes include:

BA Fine Arts

BA Information Design

BA Visual Studies

For more information on Postgraduate studies, click here.

Visual Arts | University of Pretoria Application For Admission

Fine Arts and Information Design application and selection procedure

Minimum Requirements for Admission:

University exemption and an APS score of at least 30.
Art as a school subject is NOT a requirement.

Step 1: Application at UP

UP applications for the year 2018 open 1 March 2017. You must apply online. The closing date for UP applications is 30 June 2017.

Step 2: Application at the Department of Visual Arts

The BA Fine Arts and the BA Information Design degrees in the Department of Visual Arts entail a selection process. You will be required to submit a completed questionnaire and a portfolio by 30 June 2017. After submitting your portfolio and questionaire before or on 30 June 2017, make sure to book an apppointment at the Department of Visual Arts for an interview and selection tests. See the following documents for more information:

Selection procedure

Selection questionnaire

For additional information on the selection process at the Department of Visual Arts, please download the following document:

Selection criteria

Step 3: Book for Interview and selection tests

The final selection interviews and tests will take place from 8 July to 15 July 2017. You must book one of these dates for your appointment before or on 30 June 2017. Please consult the Selection procedure document for information on how to book your appointment.

General Information

General information for prospective students is available on the UP website or contact the Client Service Centre at (012) 420-3111.