Art Degrees Online

Sotheby’s Institute of Art offers a range of scholarships and financial aid/bursaries across all of its Postgraduate Master’s programmes.

Scholarship applicants can receive up to a maximum of 50% of the tuition fees for all London Master’s Degree programmes based on academic merit. Please note the scholarship terms and conditions below.

Financial aid/bursary applicants can receive up to a maximum of 25% of the tuition fees for all London postgraduate programmes (MA degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas). Please note financial aid/bursary awards are not based on academic merit but awarded on the basis of financial need.

You may apply for either financial aid/bursary or a scholarship, or both, by completing the relevant sections on our application form. Financial aid applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year. If you are applying for a scholarship you will need to submit a completed essay in addition to your completed application form chosen from the list below and send to us by 30 April 2009. Your essay can be forwarded to us after you complete and submit your application form to arrive no later than 30 April 2009.

Financial aid/bursary applications are accepted up to 30 June, 2009 for entry onto all postgraduate programmes starting in September, 2009. Scholarship applications are accepted up to 30 April, 2009.

Please note that Sotheby’s Institute of Art receives a very high volume of applications each year and is therefore regrettably unable to provide detailed feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
For further information on scholarships, financial aid and bursaries, and for entry onto all postgraduate programmes in London, please contact Venetia Hill-Perkins, email: v.hill-perkins@sothebysinstitute.com.

Scholarships Terms and Conditions

1) The Sotheby’s Institute of Art Limited (the ‘Institute’) Scholarships are open to applicants who have applied for an Institute postgraduate (MA) course.

2) The deadline, 30 April 2009, is final. We will not, under any circumstances, accept applications after this date.

3) Applicants for a scholarship should submit a completed course application form and choose and complete one of the following essays. Please note that scholarship applicants must choose and submit the essay that relates to the MA subject that they have applied for:

MA Contemporary Art (please choose one)
Discuss the significance of the human body as a motif in the work of a contemporary artist of your choice.

Discuss the work of a contemporary artist who is, in your opinion, over- or under-rated in today’s art world. Explain the reasons for your reassessment of his or her work.

MA East Asian Art
Discuss the importance of court painting in one East Asian culture.

MA Art Business
`The cultural and financial value of contemporary art owes more to the art market than to the public museum.’ Discuss.

MA Contemporary Design
With reference to designers/objects of your choice, discuss the extent to which the ideals developed by the Modernists of the 1920s are still valid for design today.

MA Photography
Is photography accepted today as an art form?

MA Fine & Decorative Art
Is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa an important painting?

4) A 1500-2000 word essay (chosen from one of the titles listed, above) which is typed double spaced in 11 point text.

5) A covering letter which states clearly why you are applying for a scholarship, or financial award. You must also state which award (scholarship or financial award) you are applying for in addition to the MA programme you have been offered a place on (please note that PG Diploma applicants are not eligible for this scheme).

6) The deadline for scholarship applications is 30 April 2009. If they haven’t already done so, scholarship applicants should ensure that they submit an MA programme application, as soon as possible. Please note that scholarship applicants must be in receipt of an MA offer in order to be eligible for the scholarship scheme. Scholarship applications can be sent at a later date, as long as they are received by the 30 April 2009 deadline.

Applications will be assessed by the Institute’s Scholarship Committee which shall have sole and absolute discretion in assessing Essays and making Awards, and whose decisions will be final and binding without obligation for explanation or justification.

The providers of an Award will not be liable for any loss howsoever incurred in connection with the supply of the Award.

Information provided in an application for an Award will remain confidential, with the exception that the Institute retains the right to publicise the event of an Award to a successful applicant, including the successful applicant’s identity and Essay, should the Institute so wish.

The fee for students wishing to enter the Master’s Degrees or Postgraduate Diplomas programmes is given by semester below. The fee for students wishing to take a Semester course or a four-week summer study courses is also given below.

Fees include tuition, seminars, one-to-one tutorials, IT support. The fee does not include travel and lodging for study visits abroad as part of the programme.

Scholarships, Financial Aid and Bursaries are available for all Postgraduate Programmes. Financial Aid applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Fees for London Programmes

MA Programmes
Art Business, Contemporary Art, Fine & Decorative Art, East Asian Art, Photography, Contemporary Design

Semester 1: £8,900 per semester
Semester 2: £8,900 per semester
Semester 3: £3,100
Total: £20,900
These fees are exclusive of the cost of travel for study visits.

Postgraduate Diplomas
Art Business, Contemporary Art, Fine & Decorative Art, East Asian Art, Photography, Contemporary Design

Semester 1: £8,900 per semester
Semester 2: £8,900 per semester
Total: £17,800
These fees are exclusive of the cost of travel for study visits.

Semester Courses
Art and Business, Styles in Art, Decorative Art and Design, Styles in Asian Art

January 2009: £6,900 per Semester Course.
The fee includes cost of travel for study visits.

September 2009: £7,150 per Semester Course.
The fee includes cost of travel for study visits.

Summer Studies
Art and Its Markets, Contemporary Art, Fine and Decorative Art, Modern Design, Marketing the Visual Arts

£2,500 per 4-week Summer Study course.

PhD
PhD programme applicants should contact the registrar in London for information regarding fees.

For payment plans and other information on financial aid, please contact Jane Tobin, Admissions Manager, Tel: +44 (0)207 462 3219 or j.tobin@sothebysinstitute.com

Travel Costs

Our Master’s Degrees or Postgraduate Diplomas require travel that may include visits to galleries, special collections, art fairs and art-related events including destinations abroad. Travel costs are borne by the student and vary from programme to programme. So that the Institute can buy tickets and make reservations in advance, travel costs for each academic programme are calculated and charged for the full academic year during registration for the first semester starting in September. If currency fluctuations or other changes result in the actual cost of travel exceeding the fee collected, the institute will absorb the additional expense. If the cost of travel is less than the fee collected, the difference will be refunded at the end of the academic year.

Travel Costs 2009-2010
Art Business: £1,350
Contemporary Art: £1,350
Photography: £1,800
East Asian Art: £2,200
Fine & Decorative Art: £350
Contemporary Design: £1,250

For information on a range of options on how to finance your studies, view our Loans/financial aid pages.

Are there any scholarships available?

A number of scholarships are available to Master’s Degrees participants which cover a percentage of the tuition fees. To apply for one of our scholarships, please complete the application form. Full details of these scholarships will be given to candidates who apply for one of our Master’s Degrees programmes.

Estimated living expenses in London

To help you estimate the financial obligations required to attend Sotheby’s Institute of Art – London, the following annual budget is provided. The figures were taken from a recent student survey. From the figures shown you will see that the level of expenditure incurred depends greatly upon lifestyle.

Monthly Spend

Food & Accommodation: £588 – £2,181 (Middle 80%): £1,347 (Average)
Other Expenses: £70 – £585 (Middle 80%); £295 (Average)
Total Monthly: £658 – £2,766 (Middle 80%); £1,642 (Average)

Annual spend
Books: £26 – £500 (Middle 80%); £254 (Average)
Travel home: £0 – £3,500(Middle 80%); £1,240 Average)
Total annual ad hoc expenditure: £926 – £6,000 (Middle 80%); £2,842 Average)

Course overview
UCAS code: Route A W640 BA/PhotoPr Route B E640 BA/PPb

Course summary: The course is largely practice-based and encourages the exploration of the photograph within a range of contemporary practices.

Attendance: 3 years full-time or 5 years part-time.

Course run by: School of The Arts

Entry requirements: Standard entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be around 180-240 UCAS tariff points or a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, National Diploma in Photography, or equivalent. Applicants who do not meet our standard requirements but who are able to demonstrate an appropriate level of ability will be considered. Students with HND Photography or equivalent, seeking direct entry onto level two or three will be considered.Applicants are invited for interview with a portfolio of their work.

Location: Avenue Campus

Assessment: Theory, through essays, assignments, a dissertation and presentations which are all items of coursework. Practice through studio presentations and exhibitions.

Fees and bursaries: For up-to-date fees and bursary information for this course please visit
Course aims

The course challenges students to explore questions surrounding the applications of both traditional silver processes and digital technologies. Photographic production is evaluated and at the same time, the still image is studied in relation to both the moving image and newer interactive technologies. In addition to lectures, seminars and practical workshops, the teaching programme facilitates critical discussion and analysis of student work, both in the form of individual tutorials and group critiques and develops an understanding of the place of photographic work within leisure, commercial and cultural contexts.
Special course features
Excellent traditional and digital specialist facilities
Research active teaching staff
Talks by visiting artists and art professionals
Fine art and commercial approaches to photography