A.
Yes, we are still accepting applications for September 2020/21 entry.
Yes, we are still accepting applications for September 2020/21 entry.
We are aware that many colleges and universities around the world have implemented restricted campus activities and have transitioned to online teaching until further notice. The Institute understands that these are challenging times for all our applicants so please be assured that we are closely monitoring the situation and will try to be as flexible as we can.
If you are an applicant/offer holder, please contact the Admissions team to discuss this further.
We are aware that some IELTS testing centers have been closed in different countries and are actively working on other options. We would like to make you aware that we accept a range of English Language qualifications including:
If you are unable to take any of these tests, please contact the Admissions team for further guidance.
Some English Testing Centres are also resuming services. Visit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)’s website, the Pearson Test of English website or the LanguageCert website for information on tests centres that are reopening now and how to book an English Language Test.
We would allow you to defer your place on your chosen course until September 2021. Please contact the Admissions team for further information.
If you are unable to attend either our Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 start at our London campus, we would be able to refund your deposit. Please contact the Admissions team for further information.
Sotheby's Institute is committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our community, and providing our students with options and flexibility as they take the next steps toward their future. As the COVID-19 situation continues to change around the world, we have proactively decided to offer remote learning opportunities for two of our London Master's programs in Fall 2020. With remote learning, we will be placing a stronger emphasis on the international experience, providing students with access to experts, artists, and guest speakers from Asia, Europe, US, Canada, Latin America, and the Middle East. Students will virtually tour artists' studios, conservation labs, private collections, and renowned art institutions. Students will also benefit from frequent networking opportunities with alumni as well as one-to-one career coaching. The experience of online platforms and digital communication technology will enhance employability in the future. The world is changing, and we are determined to change with it and provide our students with the very best in art education.
To ensure our faculty and staff have all the resources necessary to provide our students with the highest standard quality of education, we are only offering remote learning opportunities in Fall 2020 for MA Art Business and MA Contemporary Art. As we plan to re-open our London campus in January 2021, this is the opportune time to begin our three other Master’s programs for the academic year.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art has been delivering courses online for many years and draws on a great deal of experience and in-house expertise. Our faculty also successfully delivered almost two months of teaching online to the 2019-20 MA cohort in Spring 2020. The Institute is confident that its teaching excellence is maintained in the online format.
Students will require a computer and broadband access. Remote courses will be delivered via Zoom Meetings inside the Institute’s regular Learning Management System, Canvas. Teaching will mix a variety of modes, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, small group work, project work, student presentations and discussions as well as guest speakers. Delivery will mix live with recorded teaching so as to cater to different global time-zones. Peer to peer learning will be fostered via online and social media student discussion boards and communities, as well as online social activities. The Institute’s Library offers a comprehensive and specialized digital collection and full online student support by experienced art librarians.
We aim to return to face to face teaching in Spring 2021 in our historic campus in Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, central London.
Choosing your starting date is a personal choice and depends on your circumstances and preferences. For students joining the program in Fall 2020, the first semester will take place remotely, the second semester is expected to take place on our London campus, and the dissertation must be completed over the summer. For students joining the program in Spring 2021, all courses will take place on our London campus for the first and second semesters, and the dissertation must be completed in Fall 2021.
If you are unsure which option is best for you, please contact our admissions office for guidance.
All of our Master’s programs include field study opportunities that allow students to become immersed in the local art community. The trips contextualize classroom learning through daily visits to fairs, galleries, private collections, museums, artists’ studios, and more. We continue to monitor and respond to the public health situation regarding COVID-19. We plan to resume in-person field study trips in Spring 2021, when we anticipate travel restrictions will be lifted. We will take every precaution to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff and will adhere to all government travel recommendations.
At Sotheby’s Institute of Art-London, postgraduate degrees are validated and awarded by the University of Manchester, part of the esteemed Russell Group of UK universities. The University of Manchester has confirmed that remote instruction this academic year does not alter the validity of the degree or program. Online or in-person, the Institute will adhere to the same learning outcomes and assessment requirements.
The Sotheby’s Institute of Art - London Library offers a comprehensive digital library and full student support by experienced art librarians. Online resources include over 100,000 ebooks from databases such as JSTOR, ProQuest and Ebsco which also contain articles, dissertations and journals. Additional databases are Artstor for images, Nexis Uni for legal documents as well as Oxford Art Online. Specialist art business resources and analytics include auction price databases Artnet and Artprice, and ArtTactic market reports. Librarians deliver live course-specific training sessions on navigating online research, workshops on referencing and also 1-2-1 support sessions.
International Time Zones will be taken into account for all MA teaching. Lectures will be recorded so that students may access the materials asynchronously if needed. We will also offer other forms of teaching, special events, professional development, and social opportunities and are mindful that students are in many time zones and will endeavor to schedule these accordingly.
On Tuesday 16 June 2020, the Home Office/UKVI updated its COVID-19 guidance for Tier 4 students: students who will start studying through distance or blended learning in the 2020-2021 academic year can be sponsored. This means the Institute can now issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies to eligible students starting on the Fall Remote Learning semester.
If you are refused a student visa, please contact the Admissions department immediately in order to assist you with continuing your studies.
Applicants to the London campus from non-EU countries who require a Tier 4 student visas to enter study in the United Kingdom.
Some UK Visa and Citizenship Application Centres (UKVCAS) will reopen for existing customers on 1 June 2020. Individuals can check which UKVCAS centres are open. Service and Support Centres (SSCs) are temporarily closed because of COVID-19.
For visa customers outside of the UK
Some UK Visa Application Centres (VACs) are resuming services, where local restrictions allow. For updates to the status of VACs, contact:
TLS Contact if you’re in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East
VFS Global for all other countries
Please be aware, ongoing global restrictions mean some UKVI services will remain closed. Applicant’s should contact their local VAC to find out the latest status. Where services are resuming, existing customers will be contacted.
For EU applicants intending to study in the UK in 2020-21: EU, non-EU EEA nationals, and Swiss citizens and their eligible family members can still come to the UK (without requiring a visa) until the end of the transitional/ implementation period which is 31 December 2020. They can apply for immigration permission in the UK under a scheme designed by the UK government known as the EU Settlement Scheme. They will need to do this if they wish to remain in the UK after the end of the transitional / implementation period, or otherwise apply under another category of the immigration Rules. Those arriving from January 1, 2021 will need to apply for immigration permission to come to the UK under a category of the immigration Rules which are in place at that time.
Whilst we anticipate no issues with using loans to pay for the remote learning semester (Fall 2020), we highly recommend that you check with your loan provider in order to see if they accept the loan going towards the remote learning semester.
Our usual scholarships deadline has now passed. At this moment in time we don’t have plans to re-open the program but we may revisit this decision at some point in the summer. Please note there is no guarantee this will happen.
Sotheby’s Institute holds the health of its students and staff as a top priority and will follow public health guidance strictly. This means that relevant advice around social distancing and personal protective equipment will be followed as appropriate. It also means that our intention to offer 100% face to face teaching may need to change. In this event we will prioritize the continuity of teaching in order that students’ ability to continue their program of study is not unduly effected, while their health is safeguarded. It is therefore possible that social distancing and other measures will require us to limit the number of students in our building at any one time, in which case we will endeavor to deliver some elements of our teaching online. It is also possible that a second wave of pandemic requires us to close our building, in which case all teaching will continue online.
Please reach out to admissionslondon@sia.edu should you have any more questions or concerns