About this programme
Master's programme in Fine Art is a Master's Degree programme at Oslo National Academy of the Arts in Oslo, taught in English. It runs for 2 years and carries 120 ECTS credits. The register gives Oslo as the campus town. It lists the degree as Master. Oslo National Academy of the Arts is an arts, music and architecture academy in Oslo.
How it compares
Master's programme in Fine Art is one of 4 English-taught Fine Arts programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 4 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.
What you will study
The Master's Programme in Fine Art at Oslo National Academy of the Arts is a two-year, full-time degree of 120 ECTS taught in English. The programme code is MABK. It is built for students who want to become independent artists and active contributors within contemporary art and related areas of society, and it prepares fine-art professionals for a national and international practice.
What you study
The programme is interdisciplinary and not medium-specific. Teaching covers painting, drawing, photography, video, film, sculpture, installation, performance and new media. It welcomes students who want to work across media as well as those who want to pursue a particular discipline.
Studio work sits at the core. Tutorials and group critiques support the development of your individual practice. The programme is organised in four course categories:
- Artistic Practice: studio work, technical instruction, artistic production, reading, archival research, fieldwork and collaborative or discursive practices, guided by a main advisor and group critique.
- Thematic Focus: workshops, seminars and lectures that tie ideas and topics to artistic production, often cutting across practices and discourses.
- Theory for Practice: theoretical and art historical approaches that help you build a language for reflecting on your own work and others'.
- Exhibition Practice: experimenting with public formats such as exhibitions, performances, readings, interventions, radio transmissions and publications, with courses on the histories, contexts and conventions of display.
Writing is a point of emphasis. In the second year you produce a research paper rooted in your practice, plus a text to accompany your graduation exhibition.
How the programme is organised
The first year is structured by a shared course tying critical discourse to your artistic processes and to the choices you face when exhibiting. The emphasis is on experimenting and exploring processes, ideas and materials. By the end of the second semester you must have completed one or more works that show you can bring together your own research with the critical perspectives of your main advisor and critique peers.
The second year builds on that experimentation and focuses on your graduating solo presentation, a group project, and life beyond the academy as a practising artist.
Each academic year you are allocated a new main advisor from the academic staff, based on a system of student prioritisation. Advisor groups mix BA and MA students. Coursework requirements include studio production, tutorials, active participation in workshops, seminars and lectures (minimum 80 per cent attendance), follow-up on feedback, participation in and moderation of group critique, and developing exhibition projects under curatorial guidance.
You are encouraged to spend part of your studies abroad, normally in the second semester, through ERASMUS, KUNO (a Nordplus network of Nordic and Baltic art academies) or bilateral agreements. The Academy is a member of ELIA.
Who it suits
This suits someone who wants regular, close engagement with artists, theorists and curators, and who is comfortable with critique as a working method. You should be ready to adopt an international perspective, build networks during your studies, and take part in collaborations with other institutions and art circles. Speaking and writing skills matter, and so does research. The programme also expects you to reflect on how your practice circulates publicly, through exhibitions, the Open Academy, performances, events and lectures.
Admission, language and next steps
You need a three-year degree in fine art (a Bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS or equivalent). Your first degree must include specialisation of at least 80 ECTS within the discipline of the master's programme. The criteria prioritised are independent practice and artistic research, motivation, suitability for the programme and previous relevant experience. All applicants must document proficiency in English.
The application deadline is 01 February 2027. Check the programme page for how to apply and for the full coursework and assessment details.
Job opportunities after graduating
- Independent artist with a national or international practice
- Contemporary art practice across painting, drawing, photography, video, film, sculpture, installation, performance and new media
- Exhibition and presentation work in galleries and public spaces
- Curatorial collaboration on exhibition projects
- Art writing and research
- Collaborative and discursive art projects
Before you apply
Master’s applications go straight to Oslo National Academy of the Arts, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.
Facts on this page come from the Study in Norway register, the official English-programme list run by HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Fees are in NOK as the institution lists them. "Not listed" means the register has no figure, not that the programme is free. Always confirm requirements, fees and deadlines with the institution.
Quick answers
Is Master's programme in Fine Art taught in English?
Yes. The Study in Norway register, run by HK-dir, lists it as an English-taught programme at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Only English-taught degree programmes are included here.
How long does it take?
The register records 2 years of study and 120 ECTS credits. Sixty ECTS credits are one academic year of full-time study.
Where is it taught?
The register lists Oslo as the campus town for this programme at Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
How do I apply?
Master’s applications go straight to the institution, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme, and some programmes require a minimum grade average. Oslo National Academy of the Arts publishes its requirements on the programme page.
When is the application deadline?
Each institution sets and publishes its own deadline for each programme, and the dates can differ between applicants from outside the EU/EEA, EU/EEA applicants and Nordic applicants. Confirm the date for your own situation on the programme page at Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
What does it cost?
No annual fee is listed for this programme. Degree students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition at Norwegian institutions, and the fees vary by institution and programme, so ask Oslo National Academy of the Arts what applies to you. For students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland the record shows no tuition fee. Fees are in NOK as the institution lists them. Every student also pays a semester fee of about NOK 1,000 to the student welfare organisation linked to the institution.
Do I need a permit to study there?
Students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need a study permit from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). UDI asks for proof of admission, housing and funds of NOK 15,488 a month or NOK 170,368 a year (2026/27), on top of any tuition fee. A study permit allows work of up to 20 hours a week during term and full time in the holidays. Students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland register with the police within three months of arrival instead.
Is this programme officially listed?
It comes from the Study in Norway register at studyinnorway.no, the English-programme list run by HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The programme page at Oslo National Academy of the Arts is linked from this page so you can compare.
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