MA In Art History and Curating
Birmingham, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
29 Aug 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 10,900 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK students | 12 May 2025 for international students
** £10,900: full time | £5,450: part time
Introduction
You’ll also establish important professional networks and gain vital practical skills, invaluable to museum and commercial sectors.
We also offer a distance learning programme over 18 months. Find out more about the PGCert Art History and Curating by distance learning.
You’ll study in our internationally renowned on-campus art gallery, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, home to masterpieces by Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh. Classes are also taught at other galleries in Birmingham.
(Please note due to essential building works the Barber Institute of Fine Arts will be closed Spring 2025-Spring 2026).
You’ll complete a curatorial project working with our academic staff and museum professionals from our partner organisations. Recent partners include The Barber Institute of Fine Arts in a unique partnership with the V&A, and Grand Union, an Arts Council England portfolio organisation.
- Expand your understanding of different areas of museum and art gallery practice, such as art interpretation; modes of display; marketing; access and learning; and administration and finance.
- Contribute to the department’s official blog, ‘The Golovine’, and attend our regular research seminars.
- Prepare for your future by gaining practical skills by working on a curatorial project and pitching your own business ideas in our Enterprising Culture module.
- Our Barber Institute of Fine Arts boasts a specialist research library, containing books and catalogues about art history, visual culture, curating and collecting.
Career Opportunities
By studying a postgraduate degree in Art History, Curating and Visual Studies at Birmingham, you’ll develop transferable skills suited to a range of career paths. These skills include the ability to research and analyse information, write to tight deadlines, and strong verbal and written communication skills.
Our Art History, Curating and Visual Studies graduates enter many roles, including:
- Gallery managers and curators
- Exhibition curator
- Secondary School Teacher
Employers our Art History, Curating and Visual Studies graduates have worked for include:
- Imperial War Museums
- Saatchi Gallery
- Secondary schools
Careers Network
Get ready for tomorrow, with advice, guidance and opportunities at every step of your studies. From developing new skills to preparing for a PhD, our Careers Network can help you gain an advantage in the job market or advance in your field.
Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offers a range of events and support services including networking opportunities, career coaching, one-to-one guidance, careers fairs and links with leading graduate recruiters. We also offer subject-specific careers consultants and a dedicated careers website for international students.
Gallery
Curriculum
Please visit the course webpage below for up-to-date information on modules.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships
To help you afford your studies, we’ve put more than £33 million into student support and scholarships. We also offer a range of advice on searching for funding and managing your finances.
Explore scholarships and funding
125th Anniversary Scholarships for International Students
We have a proud heritage of removing barriers to education. In 2025, we celebrate our 125th anniversary as a University. To mark this milestone, we’re offering £4,000 scholarships to students from a select number of countries and £5,000 scholarships to students joining us from India.
Scholarships for international students
At Birmingham, we believe in removing all barriers to education, so all of our talented students can achieve their full potential. As an international student you can take advantage of our wide range of University run scholarships as well as the many scholarships and bursaries from external funding organizations.
Student Testimonials
Program delivery
The Barber Institute is home to an on-site research library which, in conjunction with the holdings of the University Main Library and the Special Collections of the Cadbury Research Library, makes Birmingham one of the best-resourced Departments of History of Art in Britain.
It is important to remember that our academic excellence is not confined to a single building or gallery. Our university boasts award-winning art installations across the campus and the wider city of Birmingham, providing you with countless opportunities for artistic inspiration and academic growth. Our expert academics, renowned in their fields, will guide you through your learning in exciting and innovative ways, ensuring that your studies continue to be engaging and transformative.
Teaching Year
We have three teaching terms per year, the autumn, spring, and summer terms. Term dates can be found on our website.
As a full-time student, you will typically take three modules in each of the first two terms, followed by your dissertation. If you are a part-time student, you will typically take three modules each year, followed by your dissertation.
Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework, and assignment preparation.