Bachelor of Visual Art (Honours)
Bachelor of Visual Art (Honours)
Duration: 1 year full-time.
Applications for 2027 entry are now open
Our Bachelor of Visual Art (Honours) (BVA (Hons)) is a one-year full-time program open to high-achieving candidates who have completed an undergraduate degree in visual art (or equivalent). Our BVA (Hons) program provides you with an opportunity to extend your artistic practice and develop your research skills and understanding of contemporary art.
As a BVA (Hons) student you are given an on-site studio and full access to our facilities. You will work under the guidance of a supervisor of your choice to engage in practice-led research, utilising appropriate methodologies to develop an original body of artwork and accompanying written exegesis. Our BVA (Hons) program equips you to pursue a career as a practising artist and provides a pathway to post-graduate research.
To learn more about studying Honours at ACSA, contact Academic Director Monte Masi.
For advice around how to approach your Honours proposal and other documents required with your application, check out our Honours Application Guide.
Applications due 10 December 2026: Apply here
Course Learning Outcomes
On completion of the BVA (Hons), you will be able to:
- Integrate practical and theoretical inquiry into the creation of works of art.
- Apply methodological approaches to the production of artworks.
- Synthesise information to express individual research.
- Adapt their own research to a range of real-life visual arts contexts.
- Construct projects which reflect an empathetical and ethical understanding of the visual arts.
Honours Scholarship
Our BVA (Hons) Scholarship provides support to an outstanding student to undertake our program. The scholarship of $7500 is awarded to a successful applicant as a contribution to study-related expenses. Applications for the scholarship open along with applications to study Honours.
Honours allowed me to push beyond comfort, to explore, experiment and trust the process of not always knowing, in a space where ideas were nurtured and allowed to take shape.
Mari Villanueva
2024 BVA (Honours) graduate and emerging artist
Studying for an Honours degree at Adelaide Central School of Art has been without a doubt the highlight of my educational experiences.
Jorji Gardner
2023 BVA (Honours) graduate and emerging artist
I came away with a strong sense of direction, and a clear idea of how to achieve my individually tailored goals. [Studying at ACSA] has been one of the most worthwhile things I have ever done.
Yana Lehey
2023 BVA (Honours) graduate and emerging artist
[Studying at ACSA] enabled me to hone critical thinking skills and develop as an independent thinker, not only in my art practice, but within the wider world.
Julie Harding
2023 BVA (Honours) graduate and emerging artist
Course Information
During Honours, students are paired with an academic supervisor of their choice from the School’s eligible lecturing staff. Students meet with their supervisor for one hour each week to discuss studio and research developments. All of our Honours supervision staff are active engaged researchers and practitioners. A select summary of research areas of expertise is provided below:
- Decolonial Theory
- Environmental Theory
- Social Practice
- Feminisms and Queer Theory
- Art, Science and Technology collaborations
- Memory studies
- Contemporary approaches to figurative and abstract painting
- Folk histories
- Contemporary fandom and pop culture
- Spatial practices and performativity
Semester 1
Honours Research Methods 1.1 .125 EFTSL | 6 credit points
Contact hrs: 3 hrs per week x 16 weeks
Research hrs: 5 hrs per week x 16 weeks
In this unit, students will plan, develop and write a Research Proposal and a Literature and Artefact Review, guided by a series of lectures, critical readings, tutorial presentations and individual supervised sessions.
Honours Studio Practice 1.1 .375 EFTSL | 18 credit points
Contact hrs: 1 hour per week supervision x 16 weeks, plus an additional 16 hrs for group sessions and activities
Studio Research hrs: 25 hrs per wk x 16 wks
Based on the project proposal, students will embark on self-directed studio research and investigation under the guidance of a nominated supervisor to develop a substantial body of artwork. Regular critiques and group discussions with peers form an integral part of this unit.
Semester 2
Honours Research Methods 1.2 .125 EFTSL | 6 credit points
Contact hrs: 3 hrs per week x 16 weeks
Research hrs: 5 hrs per week x 16 weeks
In this unit, students consolidate and apply research into relevant theory and art practice to demonstrate the projected outcomes of their studio research. Students produce a 5000 word exegesis articulating the direction and underpinning concepts expressed in their final body of work.
Honours Studio Practice 1.2 .375 EFTSL | 18 credit points
Contact hrs : 1 hr per week supervision x 16 weeks, plus an additional 16 hrs during the semester for group sessions and activities
Studio Research hrs : 25 hrs per wk x 16 wks
Students continue working on self-directed studio research and investigation under the guidance of their supervisor and produce a final body of artwork. Regular critiques and group discussions with peers form an integral part of this unit.
The BVA (Hons) is assessed by a combination of weightings from the two components of the course.
Semester 1 results for HSP 1.1 and HRM 1.1 are assessed internally. Final grades for these units will appear on the academic transcript, but do not contribute to the final BVA (Hons) grade.
The final BVA (Hons) grade is determined by an independent external panel. The assessment task for HSP 1.2 constitutes 75% of the final BVA (Hons) grade and the assessment task for HRM 1.2 constitutes 25%.
Semester 1 2026
Term 1 | 9 February – 3 April
Term 2 | 20 April – 12 June
Tuition Fee due date | 19 February
Census Date | 5 March
Semester 2 2026
Term 3 | 13 July – 4 September
Term 4 | 21 September – 13 November
Hons Final Assessment Week | 16 – 20 November
Tuition Fee due date | 27 July
Census Date | 10 August
Read 2026 Student Handbook here
At the end of each academic year, the School interior is cleared out and painted white to become a three storey exhibition space for the BVA and BVA (Hons) graduating cohort. Each graduate’s work is professionally photographed onsite, and each graduate is photographed in their studio as their first professional headshot. These images form the basis for our Graduate Catalogue publication which accompanies the graduate exhibition.
How to apply
Applications for Honours in 2027 are now open. Apply here
If you are interested in applying for Honours in 2027 you can contact our Student Services Officer, Genevieve Spalding or call our admin office on 08 8299 7300.
Candidates must have successfully completed an undergraduate degree in visual arts (or an equivalent qualification) with a credit average or higher.
Applications must be submitted using the online Honours Application Form (available when applications are open) and be accompanied the following supporting materials:
- Certified copy of an identity document (e.g. birth certificate, driver’s licence, passport)
- Certified copy of Australian citizenship or permanent residency (e.g. passport, visa grant notice)
- Certified transcript of academic records OR digital copy that can be verified online (e.g. My eQuals), including evidence of completing undergraduate degree in Visual Art (or equivalent qualification) with a credit average or higher
- Curriculum Vitae containing exhibitions, grants, written publications, awards or any experience since graduation relevant to the proposed Project Proposal
- 5 – 9 images in one PDF showing a range of recent work relevant to the Project Proposal. Please include detailed for the images, including title, dimensions, materials and date.
Other example of work if applicable (video excerpts should be no more than 2 minutes) - 500-word project proposal
For advice around how to approach your Honours proposal and other documents required with your application, check out our Honours Application Guide.
Admission is by competitive entry.
Our BVA (Hons) Scholarship provides support to an outstanding student to undertake our program. The scholarship of $7500 is awarded to a successful applicant as a contribution to study-related expenses.
Applications for the 2027 Honours Scholarship are now open. Apply here
If you are interested in applying for Honours in 2027, you can get in touch with our Student Services Officer Genevieve Spalding or call admin on 08 8299 7300.
Honours Graduates
Our Honours Graduates have a high rate of success in the visual arts sector. Recent Honours graduate successes include:
- Lucia Dohrmann, BVA (Hons) 2017, selected for the 2026 Tamworth Textile Triennial
- Alycia Bennett, BVA (Hons) 2016 | Winner, 2023 Prospect Portrait Prize and selected for the 2026 Tamworth Textile Triennial
- Nicole Clift, BVA (Hons) 2019 | selected for 2026 residency at PADA studios, Lisbon
- Ash Tower, BVA (Hons) 2014 | 2025 Anne and Gordon Samstag International Travelling Scholarship
- Inneke Taal, BVA (Hons) 2019 | 2023 Anne and Gordon Samstag International Travelling Scholarship