Fine Art / English Literature

Fine art and English literature is a pairing that brings together two of the most rigorous and open-ended of the creative and critical disciplines. Fine art is a practice-based subject concerned with the making of visual work: developing a creative voice, engaging with contemporary art theory and history, and producing a coherent body of work that can stand up to critical scrutiny. English literature develops close reading, textual analysis, and the intellectual skills needed to engage with the full range of written expression, from medieval poetry to contemporary fiction.

Studied together, the two disciplines enrich each other: artists who read widely think about their work differently, and readers who make things understand creative decisions from the inside.

At Aberystwyth University, this three-year full-time programme combines study in the School of Art with the core English Literature syllabus. The School of Art places drawing at the heart of the student experience, engaging with the revival of interest in traditional drawing skills while also integrating contemporary theory and practice. You will develop technical and conceptual skills in fine art alongside the analytical and communicative skills of English literature, building a portfolio of creative work and a set of critical, research, and writing capacities that together form a distinctive graduate profile.

Aberystwyth's setting in west Wales, with its striking landscape, cultural richness, and Welsh-English bilingual context, provides an environment that has always been generative for artists and writers.

You will develop skills in studio practice, drawing and making, critical theory, literary analysis, research, and academic writing, creating a graduate profile that is both practically grounded and intellectually rigorous.

Graduates from fine art and English literature programmes pursue careers in the visual arts, education, publishing, arts administration, writing, journalism, and cultural organisations. Many practise as artists while working in related fields. Postgraduate study in fine art, English, or a creative or critical discipline is a natural continuation.