Undergraduate Course
BA (Hons) Art History
Overview
The details
Art History
V314
October 2026
Full-time
What is the BA Art History?
The BA Art History is a three-year degree, extendable to four with an optional placement or study abroad year.
You’ll explore art, architecture and visual culture across different periods, places and societies while developing the skills to analyse how images, objects and spaces shape the world around us. Combining historical knowledge with contemporary perspectives, you'll discover both iconic works of art and overlooked forms of visual culture, preparing you for careers across the arts, heritage and creative industries.
Why this course
The BA Art History challenges you to look beyond traditional ideas of art. You'll explore everything from paintings, sculpture and architecture to photography, fashion, protest objects and digital culture, developing new ways of understanding how visual culture reflects society, politics and history. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Learn from internationally recognised art historians whose research spans medieval art, contemporary visual culture, museums, architecture and global artistic traditions. Their expertise brings fresh perspectives into your learning while helping you develop the skills to think critically about visual culture. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
You'll develop practical experience through regular visits to museums, galleries and exhibitions, studying works of art first-hand while learning how collections are interpreted and displayed. If you're interested in curating, you'll also have opportunities to explore exhibitions, museums and gallery practice through specialist modules. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Add a placement year or study abroad to broaden your cultural experience, build professional skills and gain valuable international perspectives.
By the end of your degree, you'll have developed excellent research, communication, analytical and project management skills, preparing you for careers across museums, galleries, heritage, publishing, education and the wider creative industries.
Who should apply
- Students interested in art, architecture, museums and visual culture
- Curious thinkers who want to understand how art reflects society, politics and history
- Students considering careers in museums, galleries, heritage, publishing or cultural organisations
- Anyone looking for a humanities degree with highly transferable research, analytical and communication skills
What you'll learn
- Art history and visual culture: Explore art, architecture and visual culture from the medieval period to the present day
- Critical approaches: Examine how social, political and cultural contexts shape the creation and interpretation of art
- Museums and exhibitions: Understand how collections are curated, displayed and experienced by different audiences
- Research and analysis: Develop advanced skills in visual analysis, academic research and critical interpretation
- Professional practice: Build communication, project management and presentation skills valued across the cultural sector
Your learning experience
- Gallery and museum visits: Take part in regular study visits to museums and galleries, including London's major collections and local cultural organisations
- Expert teaching: Learn from internationally recognised art historians and researchers with expertise across diverse periods, cultures and media
- Optional study abroad year: Spend a year at one of our partner universities and experience another culture with the Study Abroad programme
- Optional placement year: Gain professional experience in a museum, gallery or cultural organisation with university support from Placements at Essex
- Specialist facilities: Benefit from the Art Exchange gallery, departmental collections and strong links with museums, galleries and cultural partners including Firstsite
- Research-led learning: Develop your own interests through independent research projects supported by expert academic supervision
Careers and outcomes
A BA Art History degree can prepare you for careers in sectors and roles such as:
- Museums and galleries: Curator, collections officer, exhibitions coordinator, learning officer or gallery assistant
- Heritage and culture: Heritage officer, archive specialist, conservation support and cultural project management
- Publishing and media: Arts journalism, publishing, editorial, communications and content creation
- Creative industries: Auction houses, commercial galleries, arts marketing and cultural consultancy
- Education and research: Teaching, postgraduate study and academic research
- Further study: Postgraduate study in art history, curating, museum studies, heritage or related disciplines
Employers of graduates from this course
Graduates from this course have progressed to roles in leading cultural organisations, including:
- National Portrait Gallery
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Sotheby's New York
- Momart Ltd
- John Lewis
Why we're great.
- We are distinct - study the social and political implications of art and go beyond its historic institutions.
- Our structured programme of study trips at home and abroad takes you far afield and explores local settings
- 3rd in UK for research outputs in art history (Grade Point Average, REF2021)
Course content
Components and modules explained
Components
Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.
Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.
| Status | What this means |
| Core |
You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted. |
| Core with Options |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted. |
| Compulsory |
You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
| Compulsory with Options |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
| Optional |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.
Modules
Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.
In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.
Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:
| HR | 100 | 4 | FY |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History. |
The module number. |
The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification. |
The term the module will be taught in.
|
COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY
Writing and Researching Art History
(15 CREDITS)
This module is intended as a skills-building course for first year art history students, to develop writing skills across a range of assessed and non-assessed writing types (essay, critical review, reading summary, label text, catalogue essay etc). The module will also present an introduction to research methods in art history, and a historical overview of art historical writing.
View Writing and Researching Art History on our Module Directory
COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY
Art and Ideas: I
(15 CREDITS)
This module tackles some of the biggest questions surrounding the history of art. You will explore some key theoretical issues in the history of art, such as the nature of representation, by engaging critically with seminal texts and artworks. In this module, you will develop your analytical and interpretive skills, and leave with a solid foundation for the study of the history of art.
COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY
Ways of Seeing
(15 CREDITS)
This introductory module asks you to consider how art historians look (and have looked) at art and visual culture across history. In so doing, it seeks to train you to see and think like an art historian.
COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY
Beyond the BA: Skills for the Next Step
(0 CREDITS)
This course introduces key academic, professional and personal skills to support a successful transition beyond undergraduate study. Students develop confidence in critical thinking, communication, teamwork and self reflection while exploring future study and career options.
View Beyond the BA: Skills for the Next Step on our Module Directory
COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY
Art and Ideas II: More Art, More Ideas - Critique and Historiography in the History of Art
(15 CREDITS)
How did our society decide what counts as ‘art’ and what is ‘culture’? Is there really such a thing as high vs low culture? What are the political stakes of these divisions? This module looks at the shift in ideas from ‘art history’ to visual and material cultural studies. This module will engage with these debates and teach you new methods for seeing, interpreting and understanding art, design, craft, performance, fashion, film and videogames. These new ways of seeing are often driven by new theoretical ideas , and allow us to look at culture to draw out new perspectives on social and political issues of activism and social change, sex, technology, police violence, migration, austerity and crisis, state surveillance, and our relation to animals and the environment.
COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY
Art and Ideas III
(15 CREDITS)
This third art and ideas module deepens your existing thematic and historiographical knowledge building on Art and Ideas II. In this module, we will familiarise ourselves with some of the most influential and insightful theoretical approaches to art in the 20th and 21st Century.
COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY
Capstone - Art History / Curating / Heritage
(30 CREDITS)
In this module you will produce a capstone project, taking the form of either of an 8,000-word written dissertation, or a curatorial project or heritage project of equivalent scope. The finished capstone project should show an all-round grasp of your subject and the ability to present your material clearly, succinctly and in the most appropriate sequence. It should also demonstrate evidence of a serious engagement with your topic, a mastery of the information currently available, and the inclusion of your own reasoned, critical judgements. A supervisor will help guide you as you begin to develop a research question, start researching the topic and write the dissertation or develop the curating or heritage project. This is a capstone module, available to final-year students on Art History, Curating, or Heritage courses with permission only.
View Capstone - Art History / Curating / Heritage on our Module Directory
Entry requirements
Clearing entry requirements
We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of our courses with most offers expected to be made at CCD - CDD (88 - 80 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent. A complete breakdown of expected Clearing entry requirements, by course, is available on our Clearing entry requirements page.
We consider each application individually and requirements may be lower for some of our courses, so please still get in touch if your grades are below those outlined.
English language requirements
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in an equivalent test that we accept.
Details of English language requirements and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here
If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.
Pre-sessional English courses
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Additional Notes
If you’re an international student, but do not meet the academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College
Fees and funding
Home/UK fee
£9,790 per year
International fee
£21,500 per year
Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
If your course has the option to include a placement year or study abroad, and you choose to do so, you will pay the following:
Placement year
20% of your standard tuition fee for that year
Study abroad
Full year abroad
15% of your standard tuition fee for that year
Single term abroad
Standard tuition fee
Scholarships and financial support
There may be scholarships, bursaries or discounts available to help with the cost of this course.
Fees and funding guide
What's next
Open Days
Our events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex. We run a number of Open Days throughout the year which enable you to discover what our campus has to offer. You have the chance to:
- tour our campus and accommodation
- find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
- meet our students and staff
Check out our Visit Us pages to find out more information about booking onto one of our events. And if the dates aren’t suitable for you, feel free to book a campus tour here.
2026 Open Days (Colchester Campus)
How to apply during Clearing
Once you’ve checked that we have the right course for you, applying couldn’t be simpler. Fill in our quick and easy Clearing application form with as much detail as you can. We’ll then take a look and get back to you with a decision.
If you already hold an offer from Essex
Please don't reapply through Clearing. We'll review your existing application using our Clearing entry requirements. If you're worried about meeting your offer or would like to change course, please contact our Admissions Team on ugquery@essex.ac.uk.
Interviews
We don’t require an interview for most of our courses that are available through Clearing, however there are some courses such as those in our School of Health and Social Care and East 15 Acting School where an interview (or audition) may be required. If this is something that’s required for the course you have applied for, we’ll email you with all of the details.
Visit Colchester Campus
Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.
Virtual tours
If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360-degree virtual tour allows you to explore our University from the comfort of your home. Check out our Colchester virtual tour to see accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
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