MLitt Art History

A 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree. A degree in art history is strongly recommended but is not an essential requirement. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

Recent postgraduates in Art History are employed in: 

• universities 
• art consulting
• museums 
• galleries 
• auction houses 
• archives
• web design
• cultural diplomacy
• publishing houses and magazines 

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.

Compulsory

Themes in Art History:  introduces students to a selection of key issues, concepts and writings in the field.

Optional

Art History students choose three postgraduate-level course modules, with the option to choose one of those modules from the undergraduate-level Honours programme. 

Here is a sample of optional modules that may be offered:

• Art and Technology 
• Art History in the Studio: Materials, Processes, Techniques
• Object Lessons in Photography 
• Representation and the Body
• The 'New Vision' in Twentieth-Century European Photography 
• The Book as Object and Idea 
• The Classical Tradition 
• The Documentary Impulse 
• The Image of the Artist 
• Writing on the Visual 

The modules listed here are indicative, and there is no guarantee they will run for 2025 entry.  Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue. 

Dissertation

The final three months of your course will be focused on writing the major assessment piece, a 15,000-word dissertation. Across the two semesters, students participate in a series of skills workshops designed to help prepare for the dissertation element. Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation must be submitted by a date specified in August. 

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there are exit awards available that allow suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and, assuming you have attained appropriate grades, receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.