About this program
Art History BA
At Essex, you will acquire a broad foundation in the history of visual culture: both by learning about canonical forms of art and architecture and by discovering what has been overlooked or marginalised, such as medical photography, tattoos or objects from political protests. You will also develop the skills you need to make exciting new connections between the forms of visual culture you study, developments in other disciplines, and broader social and political forces.
To study on our course, you don’t need an Art History A-Level. In fact, we believe that the best art historians are those who bring fresh eyes and new perspectives to their objects of inquiry.
Admission requirements
UK entry requirements
A-levels: BBB
BTEC: DDM
IB: 30 points or three Higher Level certificates with 555.
We are also happy to consider a combination of separate IB Diploma Programmes at both Higher and Standard Level. Exact offer levels will vary depending on the range of subjects being taken at higher and standard level, and the course applied for. Please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.
Access to HE Diploma: 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above
International & EU entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
English language requirements
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall. Different requirements apply for second year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.
For more information about admission requirements, please contact the school or the inquiries team.
Does this course require proof of English proficiency?
The TOEFL® test is accepted by 10,000+ universities and higher education institutes in over 150 countries. Book your test today!
Learn moreChat with students
Program content
Year 1
- Collect, Curate, Display: A Short History of the Museum
- Writing and Researching Art History
- Art and Ideas: I
- Skills for University Studies
- Art, Sex and Death
- Space, Place and Locality
- Art Revolutions
- Modern Revolutions in Science, Politics, and Culture
Year 2
- Art and Ideas II: More Art, More Ideas - Critique and Historiography in the History of Art
- After Impressionism: European Art From Van Gogh to Klimt
- Becoming Modern: European Art From Futurism to Surrealism
- The Unconscious: Analytical Psychology, Culture and Society - Jung
- Digital Heritage and Museums
- The World in Question: The Social, Cultural, Political & Environmental Legacies of the Enlightenment
- Art in Latin America
- Beyond the BA: Skills for the Next Step
Final Year
- Art and Ideas III
- Contemporary Art: 1980 to the Present
- Visualising Bodies
- Inventing the Future: Early Contemporary 1945-1980
- Art, the Law and the Market
- Freud: Mind, Culture and Society
- Curatorial Project
- Final Year Dissertation Project
Program delivery
Art History BA: 3 years
Art History BA (Including Year Abroad): 4 years
Art History BA (Including Placement Year): 4 years
- Close examination of texts written by artists, critics, art historians and philosophers
- Subsidised gallery visits to work ‘in situ’ for each course
- Gain practical experience in curating, such as handling and installing artworks
- Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminar sessions or discussion classes
Tuition
Tuition fee for the academic year 2020-21
- Home/UK fee: £9,250
- International fee: £16,850
Qualification
You will develop the skills you need to transform your excitement about art, architecture and visual culture into the ability to uncover new insights about the material you study. You will also develop a solid grounding in the history of art and other forms of visual culture, including the ideas and forces that shaped their production, distribution and reception.
Career paths
The visual arts and culture industries have become an increasingly significant part of the national and international economy, and our art history graduates leave Essex with the skills to take advantage of this growing opportunity.
Some of the sectors with jobs well suited for our graduates include: museums and galleries, auction houses, education (e.g., in schools, universities and cultural institutions), marketing and advertising, and new media. Our degree also prepares students to run their own galleries, to work as specialist arts lawyers and PR agents, and for positions in charities, fashion and publishing.
About this institute
University of Essex
We’re a university where curiosity prevails, and where exploring new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries, isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected. We’re proud to be Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017 and ranked in the top 30 in...
