Art History BA

Course overview

At the beginning of this course, you are required to take a year-long module that introduces you to issues and methods in art history. This module develops your understanding of the visual arts, their display, and their interpretation. All subsequent modules elaborate on the issues raised in this module. In the second year, you will undertake an International Study Module which involves a trip abroad to an arts centre in Europe, accompanied by tutors. In previous years, students have been to Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Rome.

Your modules might include: Introduction to Art History; The Courts of Northern Italy; Futurism; Photographing America; Renaissance Women; Installation Art; and Visualising the Body. You will also have the opportunity to take a range of fine art modules in photography and drawing.

Year one

Year one is a qualifying year, which means that you must pass it, but the results do not count towards your final degree. You gain familiarity with the practices of working at degree level, and gain an understanding of the different ways in which historical material can be used.

Year two

The second year of the degree (also referred to as Part I) is weighted at 40 per cent of the final assessment. You will demonstrate a greater assurance of working at degree level, and direct aspects of your study with some measure of independence. The programme includes a compulsory vacation study module which involves a study trip abroad to an arts centre in Europe accompanied by tutors. This trip is linked to the writing of a study project and an examination.

Year three

The final year of your degree (also referred to as Part II) is weighted at 60 per cent of the overall assessment. At the end of year three, you will be expected to demonstrate an efficient use of scholarly apparatus, to take initiative in your work and have some independence of judgment. You will have the option of taking a dissertation at either 20 or 40 credits, subject to approval by the department.

Entry requirements

A levels: ABB-AAC, including no more than two A levels from art and design, design and technology, drama and theatre studies, film studies, fine art, textiles and photography

English language requirements 

IELTS 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)

TOEFL iBT 100 (no less than 21 in listening and writing, 22 in reading and 23 in speaking)

Alternative qualifications

For details please see alternative qualifications page

Modules

The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result, may change from year to year. The following list is therefore subject to change but should give you a flavour of the modules we offer.

Typical year-one modules

• Introduction to Art History I
• Introduction to Art History II

Typical year-two modules

• Vacation study project

Please contact the Department of Art History for more information.

Typical year-three modules

Please contact the Department of Art History for more information.

Typical optional modules 

• The Courts of Northern Italy
• Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp
• Modernism and America
• Art and National Identity in the 19th Century
• From the Bastille to the Eiffel Tower: A Cultural and Architectural History of Paris 1789-1889
• British Art in the Age of Van Dyck
• Spanish Art: The Age of Velazquez
• New York Dada and its Legacies
• French Romantic Art: Revolution, Empire, Restoration
• American Visual Cultures

Skills and careers

As a graduate, you will have an in-depth understanding of the subject, how various periods of art history have influenced or been influenced by other aspects of culture and society, and how the art of one nation impacts on that of another. You will be aware of issues surrounding the history of the production, reception and display of art, the development of key historical art movements, as well as knowledge of the writing of art history and art criticism. Your key transferable skills will include communication skills, and the ability to produce a logical argument through essays, research projects and the dissertation.

Average starting salary 

The average starting salary for 2009/10 full-time graduates of the Department of Art History was £16,297.31.*

*Average starting salary from known destinations of first-degree leavers who studied full-time, 2009/10.