Overview

Visual and material culture reveals how societies have understood themselves across centuries, and learning to analyse it closely offers a genuinely different way of seeing the world. The BA (Hons) History of Art at the University of York is led by research ranked first in the UK for its impact, taught by staff who are also practising curators with international reputations. Students benefit from close partnerships with institutions including the Tate, the National Gallery and York Minster, alongside funded field trips to galleries and collections across the UK. The course suits students who want a genuinely vocational route into art history, with real flexibility to explore specialisms from fashion and photography to Islamic art and architecture.

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What You'll Learn

• Foundational questions in art history, alongside the materials and techniques of art and architecture

• How art and architecture connect across cultures, periods and places

• Analytical and observational skills for interpreting visual material first-hand

• Art and its institutions, exploring how artworks function within museums, heritage organisations and beyond

• Research skills preparing you for independent dissertation work

• Specialist option modules spanning fashion history, photography, Islamic art and Renaissance painting

• The option to learn a language alongside your art history studies

• An independent 7,000 to 8,000-word dissertation on a topic of your own choosing

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to deploy a broad knowledge of art and architecture from diverse periods and places, with in-depth critical understanding of more than one subfield. They will be equipped to apply high-level descriptive and analytical skills when encountering new visual material, drawing on a range of methodological approaches and identifying sources for further research. Through an original independent dissertation, students will develop the ability to manage a sustained research project from start to finish, consulting significant sources and experts along the way. Graduates will leave able to evaluate how artworks are valued and employed across institutions, well prepared for careers in curating, arts administration, education, publishing and the wider cultural and heritage sectors.a