Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
at The University of Melbourne, Victoria.
A three-year studio-based visual art degree at the Southbank campus. Selection uses a folio and supplementary form, and no lowest selection rank is published. Other Bachelor of Fine Arts streams (Acting, Animation, Dance, Film and Television, Music Theatre, Production, Screenwriting, Theatre) are separate courses. VCE prerequisite is a study score of at least 25 in English other than EAL (or 30 in EAL).
Lowest selection rank
Melbourne has not published a lowest selection rank for this course for recent intakes. That usually means too few ATAR-based offers were made to report one, or that selection also uses a portfolio, audition, interview or other criteria. Check the current entry requirements on the official course page.
Prerequisite Year 12 subjects
Brush up on each prerequisite with our state-syllabus explainers and dot points.
What you will study
Students develop a self-directed studio practice in drawing and printmaking, painting, photography or sculpture. Second and third years involve sustained experimentation that culminates in a resolved body of work for the graduate exhibition. Critical and theoretical studies introduce contemporary arts practice, and breadth subjects come from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music or across the university.
Career outcomes
- Graduates work as practising artists, screen and stage performers, art directors and gallery educators across the cultural sector.
- Common destinations include exhibition assistant roles at state galleries, freelance studio practice and arts-administration positions in regional councils.
- Many alumni progress into curatorial roles, postgraduate study or arts education in secondary schools.
Typical first jobs
- Studio assistant to a practising artist
- Gallery assistant or installer in commercial and ARI galleries
- Arts administrator at festivals or institutions
- Freelance artist with grant, residency and commission income
- Visual arts educator (with Master of Teaching)
- Curator's assistant or registrar
- Production designer or art department in film and TV
Graduate starting salary
$48,000 - $62,000 per year
Source: qilt.edu.au. Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
After graduation
Graduates practise as artists or move into gallery, arts and creative industry roles. The degree is a pathway to many of Melbourne's graduate degrees.
Is this the right degree for you?
You probably thrive here if
- Self-motivated makers with their own practice already developing
- Patient students who iterate work over months
- People comfortable showing unfinished work in critique
- Curious readers who follow contemporary art theory
- Networkers who pursue residencies, artist-run initiatives and prizes
It is probably not for you if
- Students seeking a guaranteed stable salary at graduation
- Those who avoid public critique of their work
- People who want a structured, rubric-driven course
- Students unwilling to keep a parallel job to fund practice
Careers this leads to
Australian career pathways that name this Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art) as an entry route. Each page shows uni, TAFE and apprenticeship alternatives.
Related courses at Melbourne
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and selection ranks on the University of Melbourne website and on VTAC before applying.