Art History and Visual Culture (with Foundation Year) BA

Our foundation programme is a preparatory year designed for talented UK students with an interest in arts and humanities subjects, but whose personal circumstances make achieving our usual entry requirements difficult.

During the foundation year you will be a full member of the university, with all the opportunities this offers, including the same accommodation options as direct entry students.

As you work through your year, you may develop different ideas about your progression degree. That’s OK. Your tutors will guide you through your choices, which includes joint honours courses offered within the Faculty of Arts. For now, apply for the named pathway which most interests you.

Why choose this course?

• Automatic progression to your degree upon successful completion of the Foundation Year - there's no need to reapply.
• Preparation for success - gain the skills and confidence during the foundation year to thrive as an undergraduate.
• Great support - benefit from dedicated foundation year tutors.
• Carefully designed curriculum - each of the six modules aims to give you the best start to your progression degree.
• Freedom to explore - deepen your knowledge of your favourite topics and explore new ones.
• Build employability - develop your CV-boosting skills through integrated professional competencies training during the foundation year.
• Change your mind – this Foundation Year allows progression to a wide range of Arts and Humanities degrees. Only music degrees, and some modern language degrees require specific subjects at A level or equivalent. If you do change your mind about this subject during the year, you can discuss your alternatives with your tutor.

When you progress to your chosen degree:

• Explore real-world challenges across interdisciplinary themes with our ‘Engaged Arts’ optional modules.
• Work with our dedicated Faculty of Arts Placements Team to assist with your employability skills development via a range of placements, internships and volunteering opportunities.

Our latest stats

• 7th best university in the UK for work experience (Rate My Placement Best Universities for Work Experience, 2025)
• Top 3 most targeted UK university by leading employers (The Graduate Market, High Fliers Research, 2024)

Explore more

• A day in the life of an Arts and Humanities Foundation Year student
  
• What our Foundation Year students say

Your department

• The Foundation Year is based within the School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies but operates across the whole of the Faculty of Arts.
• Once you progress to your chosen degree you will be based within one of our schools and departments.

Important information

This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.