Higher Diploma in Art

The Higher Diploma in Art provides students with opportunities to deepen their knowledge, skills and experience in visual art practice. This part-time programme provides lifelong learning options for adults who wish to participate in flexible learning and acquire a level 8 qualification in art. During the Higher Diploma, students progress from creative exploration, inquiry and discovery, to engagement with context, audience, histories and theories informing critical cultures. Successful completion of the award provides eligible students with access to final year BA in Fine Art at NCAD.  Several higher diploma students have successfully progressed and have completed a BA in Fine Art.

Social, ecological and economic challenges continue to impact on creative processes and increasingly visual arts practitioners require the ability to collaborate, innovate and influence. This two-year programme includes skills-based workshops, research methods, discipline orientation, project-based learning, and professional practice combined with theories underpinning contemporary critical culture.