Take your art to the next level.
*QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
The course has transformed my practice, peeling back inhibitions and prejudices like spent bandages. It has re-introduced me to the joys of writing and to the blackest depths of continental philosophy. Perhaps most of all, I feel it has sensitised me to art's plurality, softening my previously held assumptions.
- Lewis Gittus, Master of Fine Art (photo credit, Rochelle Flack) at RMIT
This degree is designed to help those with emerging art practices who are looking to focus their work, and those who seek to expand and extend their existing practices.
The Master of Fine Art is structured in a way that allows ample room for experimentation. You will be mentored and challenged by academic staff who are professional artists, performers, writers, historians and curators to explore multiple media, conceptual tools and techniques, and narrow your focus down to the core of what you want to create and communicate as an artist.
Ranked #1 in Australia and #19 in the world for courses in Art and Design*.
Be mentored by prominent local and international professional artists and curators who are highly active in the industry.
Study in a studio environment using state-of-the-art equipment, resources, materials and technology.
*QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
Exhibit nationally and globally as a professional practising artist with a body of artwork that demonstrates technical and conceptual excellence.
Professional practice is offered in media including:
Enhance your creativity and innovation in a studio environment where experimentation is possible and where supportive educators know the value of art in communities and cultures.
With projects by emerging artists, the annual RMIT School of Art Graduate Exhibition celebrates the innovation and technical expertise of RMIT Fine Art students.
To read the full image descriptions, please click on the individual image above.
Every student will have access to a studio space in the heart of Melbourne's vibrant and culturally diverse CBD.
You will be taught by leading and highly active professional artists and curators who will mentor you in exploring multiple media, conceptual tools and techniques, and challenge you to narrow your focus to the core of what you want to create and communicate as an artist. Throughout your studies, you’ll be surrounded by a community of emerging and established artists, who generate projects and exchange knowledge and expertise.
You’ll hone your technical skills using state-of-the-art equipment, resources, materials and technology relating to your craft, including:
The capstone experience of this degree is a major project that culminates in an exhibition of creative work for assessment. Your work will be presented to an industry assessor, unfamiliar with your work much in the way a reviewer, funder, gallerist or curator would be, to provide an arts industry context where feedback is integral to your learning and success.
The types of classes you have will depend on the course you’re studying. Classes are offered in various formats designed to provide meaningful engagement with staff, industry and peers and provide for access and use of spaces where learning can be applied and active, including an array of specialised equipment.
Most RMIT courses do not include passive large-scale classes such as lectures, instead the content traditionally provided in lectures is made available online. This may be in the form of readings, videos or other on-demand learning materials. This content will also support the basis of interactive learning that takes place in on-campus classes.
The world is constantly changing, and there are universal skills that can help you adapt to the evolving nature of work and global engagement.
As part of your study experience at RMIT, we provide 6 future-focused RMIT Capabilities:
RMIT Capabilities are built into your course as well as some of our extracurricular experiences. They inform the design and delivery of your learning activities and assessments, so by the time you graduate, you’ll be ready to apply these capabilities in your life and work.
RMIT connects you with a network of practising artists, curators, historians, gallerists (including public, commercial and artist-run initiatives), theorists and critics, both local and international, to support your studies.
RMIT holds existing and longstanding partnerships and connections with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Contemporary Centre for Photography and many other institutions.
You’ll enter a diverse community of artists and form lasting connections with the teachers and fellow students that you will carry for the rest of your professional life.
You’ll draw on expertise from arts industry professionals through regular forums that examine various issues, opportunities and perspectives of the industry and models of contemporary art practice.
Through a professional practice seminar series, you will develop a proposal for an arts industry body that will be assessed by an expert with extensive experience in government and non-government galleries, funding bodies and publishers. The arts industry expert will provide feedback that you’ll have the opportunity to incorporate into your final proposal.
The RMIT Master of Fine Art is also delivered in Hong Kong. Visit the Hong Kong Art School for program information and to apply for this offering.
Master of Fine Art students are selected to attend the Tropical Lab intensive in Singapore, and RMIT frequently hosts a seminar for staff and students from LaSalle Singapore in Melbourne.
The RMIT International Artists in Residence Program (iAIR) gives you opportunities to apply for overseas art residencies, which have placed previous students in East China Normal University in Shanghai, China; Krems, Austria; Tokyo Wondersite, Japan; and the University of Lethbridge, Canada.
For further information about advanced standing see the Pathways section.
As a graduate of the Master of Fine Art, you will conduct self-directed studio learning and independent research to develop your individual art practice and locate your artwork within contemporary, conceptual and theoretical contexts. You will test, experiment and explore formal and conceptual issues through your studio practice, and analyse and evaluate global, social, cultural, environmental and historical knowledge that may inform your work.
You will research, analyse and synthesise information, selecting appropriate methods and resources within your art practice. You will produce and participate in discourse and scholarship that is globally informed, culturally and socially aware, ethical and respectful of difference and diversity. In addition to presenting a body of artwork that demonstrates technical and conceptual excellence in contemporary art practice, you will also engage in autonomous and continuous learning as new developments in artistic production and related discourses emerge.
The subjects you will undertake are divided into three core streams:
Half of the degree is dedicated to studio time, making your studio central to the learning environment. Individual studio practice will be complemented by guest lectures, workshops and studio visits by international and local industry professionals.
Your creative research will encourage you to explore new ways of creating and skills for continual innovation, while critical frameworks will help you to develop your knowledge in building a sustainable enterprise and practice around your art.
Choose a plan below to find out more about the subjects you will study and the course structure.
International student visa holders can only study full-time.
RMIT graduates are informed contemporary artists who work across disciplines and media in the arts industries as professional practising artists, exhibiting nationally and internationally.
Balancing the conceptual with the practical, graduates continue to make significant contributions to contemporary art and culture in roles such as:
Many staff, students and graduates have also exhibited at biennales around the world and many have won awards through local and international competitions, positioning RMIT at the forefront of the arts industry.
Progressive and collaborative thinking is in demand across major professional fields, like education, health, and entertainment, and artists are playing important roles in shaping creative endeavour in these areas.
Grants continue to be available through local and federal funding, which allow graduates to establish and progress their careers. Established institutions, including Federation Square, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), as well as an increasing number of commercial and artist-run spaces, provide exciting opportunities for graduates.
You need to satisfy all of the following entry requirements to be considered for entry into this degree.
You must have:
To have your professional experience considered you must submit with your application a CV and a personal statement detailing your experience.
Assessment of the selection task is merit-based and is determined by the statements and folio within your selection task and the folio presentation.
You must also complete and submit a selection task. Please refer to the 'Selection tasks' tab for more details.
There are no prerequisite subjects required for entry into this qualification.
You must complete and submit the Fine Art selection task.
Entry into this degree is competitive, and applications are assessed in the order that they are received until the selection task date, if places are still available. For your best chance at admission into this degree, you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
The link to submit your selection task will appear on the applicant dashboard after you have submitted your application.
| Application type | Register and submit the selection task by |
|---|---|
| All applications | 17 July 2026 |
Provide a statement introducing us to your recent and current contemporary fine art creative practice and how it engages with the discipline in a critical way. Your response should describe the material aspects of your creative practice, including what media and techniques you have developed your expertise in; introduce the concepts you are exploring; and describe how your inquiry is located in the field of fine art (maximum 150 words).
Describe what you want to explore in your Master of Fine Arts studies and what you seek to gain. You should discuss both the practical and conceptual opportunities you see for your practice, and the reason you want to study this program (maximum 150 words).
Outline any relevant experience to your current practice or the areas you want to explore in this program. Consider including previous study, creative work presentations (exhibitions, performances etc), publications, employment, voluntary work, creative practices, etc. (maximum 150 words).
You are required to supply a curated folio of your creative work that reflects your current concerns and achievements. Your folio may consist of images, video and sound work, or online project documentation. Please curate what works you want the program to look at instead of simply leading to your website.
Please ensure to provide captions for all your works, including author(s), title, year, media/materials, size, duration. If your work is a collaboration, please precisely detail your role and the role of the collaborator/s in the project.
Within the PDF, you can provide links to your work/s. If you are unable to host sound or video works online, you can upload them in the following format:
Please indicate if you have used AI or other digital tools in the development of your artworks/folio or application text, and how you have used them (maximum 50 words).
Some applicants will be selected based on their selection task and will not be required to attend a folio presentation. If further information is needed to make a selection decision, you will be invited to attend a folio presentation.
You must meet the University's minimum English language requirements to be eligible for a place in this program.
You need to satisfy all of the following requirements to be considered for entry into this course.
You must have successfully completed an Australian bachelor degree (or equivalent overseas qualification).
You may also be considered if you have at least 5 years of relevant work experience, studio practice or professional practice.
To have your professional experience considered you must include in your application a CV and a personal statement that details your experience.
There are no prerequisite subjects required for entry into this qualification.
Selection task: You are required to submit a completed selection task along with your application.
Folio presentation: If further information is needed to make a selection decision, you will be invited to attend a folio presentation. This can be conducted in person or via video call.
To study this course you will need to complete one of the following English proficiency tests:
Note: RMIT does not accept scores from 'at-home' or 'online' testing.
For detailed information on English language requirements and other proficiency tests recognised by RMIT, visit English language requirements and equivalency information.
Don't meet the English language test scores? Complete an English Language Pathways (Academic English) Advanced at RMIT University Pathways (RMIT UP).
You can gain entry to this master's degree from a range of RMIT undergraduate courses, if you meet the entry requirements.
If you have successfully completed one of the following qualifications specialising in fine art, you will be eligible for advanced standing as follows:
| Qualification level | Advanced standing | Remaining program duration |
|---|---|---|
|
Bachelor Degree (AQF level 7) |
48 credit points (equivalent to one semester full time study) |
144 credit points (equivalent to three semesters full time study) |
|
Bachelor Honours Degree (AQF level 8) |
96 credit points (equivalent to two semester full time study) |
96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) |
|
Graduate Certificate (AQF level 8) |
48 credit points (equivalent to one semester full time study) |
144 credit points (equivalent to three semesters full time study) |
|
Graduate Diploma (AQF level 8) |
96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) |
96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) |
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national policy for Australian qualifications in vocational and higher education.
Applicants with a bachelor degree (honours), graduate certificate, graduate diploma or masters qualification majoring in a different discipline may also be eligible for credit transfer of up to 48 credit points (equivalent to one semester full time study).
Credit and exemptions will be assessed consistent with the principles of the RMIT Credit Policy.
Upon successful completion of this master's degree, you may be eligible to undertake further studies in related programs at RMIT University, including postgraduate research programs, subject to the program's entrance requirements.
You can gain entry into this degree from a range of RMIT undergraduate programs.
RMIT has pathway arrangements with many partner institutions around the world.
If your institution has a pathway arrangement with RMIT you may be able to receive credit and reduce the time it will take to complete your preferred RMIT program.
Find out if your institution has a pathway arrangement with RMIT
If you have qualifications from an institution that is not an RMIT partner, credit into your RMIT program will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
If you have successfully completed one of the following qualifications specialising in fine art, you will be eligible for advanced standing as follows:
| Qualification level | Advanced standing | Remaining program duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree (AQF level 7) | 48 credit points (equivalent to one semester full time study) | 144 credit points (equivalent to three semesters full time study) |
| Bachelor honours degree (AQF level 8) | 96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) | 96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) |
| Graduate certificate (AQF level 8) | 48 credit points (equivalent to one semester full time study) | 144 credit points (equivalent to three semesters full time study) |
| Graduate diploma (AQF level 8) | 96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) | 96 credit points (equivalent to two semesters full time study) |
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national policy for Australian qualifications in vocational and higher education.
When you are submitting an application, please indicate that you want to be considered for credit.
Applicants with a bachelor honours degree, graduate certificate, graduate diploma or master's degree qualification majoring in a different discipline may also be eligible for credit transfer of up to 48 credit points (equivalent to one semester full-time study).
When you are submitting an application, please indicate that you want to be considered for credit and provide detailed course syllabus (also known as course outline), outlining volume of learning, course content and weekly topics, learning objectives/outcomes, assessment types and weightings, and reference to the learning resources.
Credit and exemptions will be assessed consistent with the principles of the RMIT Credit Policy.
Upon successful completion of this degree, you may be eligible for entry into an RMIT Master by Research or Doctoral (PhD) program.
Amounts quoted are indicative fees per annum, and are based on a standard year of full-time study (96 credit points). A proportionate fee applies for more or less than the full-time study load.
*Fees are adjusted on an annual basis and these fees should only be used as a guide.
This program is offered on a full-fee paying basis only. If you are offered a place, you will need to pay the full tuition costs of your program. However, eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) may apply to defer payment of some or all of their tuition fees via the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme.
For information on how to pay your fees or how to apply for a refund, please see Paying your fees and applying for refunds.
In addition to tuition fees, you will be charged an annual student services and amenities fee (SSAF), which is used to maintain and enhance services and amenities that improve your experience as an RMIT student.
The SSAF is calculated based on your enrolment load and the maximum fee for 2026 is $373.
You may also be required to purchase other items related to your course, including field trips, textbooks and equipment. These additional fees and expenses vary from course to course.
Eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) may apply to defer payment of some or all of their tuition fees via the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme.
You may be eligible to apply to defer payment of the Student services and amenities fee (SSAF) through the SA-HELP loan scheme. If you use SA-HELP, the amount will be added to your accumulated HELP debt.
If your FEE-HELP and/or SA-HELP loan application is successful, the Australian Government will pay RMIT, on your behalf, up to 100% of your fees. This amount will become part of your accumulated HELP debt.
You only start repaying your accumulated HELP debt to the Australian Government once you earn above the minimum income threshold for repayment, which is set each year by the Australian Government (this also applies if you are still studying). The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include this on your income tax notice.
For more information about loan repayment options see Commonwealth assistance (HELP loans) or Study Assist.
You may be eligible to apply for income tax deductions for education expenses linked to your employment.
See the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for more information.
For Master of Fine Art students who can demonstrate circumstances which impact their study; worth up to $20,000.
For Bachelor of Fine Arts (second or third year), Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and Master of Fine Art students whose primary art form is sculpture or printmaking, and who can demonstrate circumstances which impact their study: worth $10,000.
RMIT awards more than 2000 scholarships every year to recognise academic achievement and assist students from a variety of backgrounds.
In addition to tuition fees you also need to pay for:
You also need to account for your living expenses. Estimate the cost of living in Melbourne.
In addition to tuition fees, you will be charged an annual student services and amenities fee (SSAF), which is used to maintain and enhance services and amenities that improve your experience as an RMIT student.
Find out more details about how fees are calculated and the expected annual increase.
Find information on how to apply for a refund as a continuing international student.
RMIT awards more than 2000 scholarships every year to recognise academic achievement and assist students from a variety of backgrounds.
Use our Frequently Asked Questions to learn about the application process and its equity access schemes, find out how to accept or defer your offer or request a leave of absence, discover information about your fees, refunds and scholarships, and explore the various student support and advocacy services, as well as how to find out more about your preferred program, and more.
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.
Learn more about our commitment to Indigenous cultures
