Integrated Master in Art History: Art History

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.

On the four-year MArtH Version of this course (five years if taking a year abroad or placement year), you will gain solid knowledge of Art History and develop the key skills of the discipline during your first three years at Essex. In your final year, you'll take MA-level modules, which will enable you to investigate more advanced topics, and write a draft journal article. You'll cover a wide range of topics throughout the course including:

• Digital Media
• Curating
• Museums
• Heritage
• Latin American Art
• Contemporary Art
• Art and Human Rights

Our MA modules include:

• Critique and Curating
• Current Research in Art History
• Curating Latin American Art
• Curating Inside Out
• Heritage and Human Rights

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive. We are 3rd in the UK for research outputs in art history (Grade Point Average, REF2021). You will be taught by our expert staff in your very first year, a rarity in the UK.

• Achieve a masters level qualification with this four-year course variant
• We are 3rd in the UK for research outputs in art history (Grade Point Average, REF2021)
• We house a collection of over 750 pieces of art from Latin America, ESCALA comprising original art works, seminal texts and a state-of-the-art teaching and research space

The majority of our Postgraduate Taught Masters will consider applicants with 2.5/4 or C or 79% from Bachelor Degree.
 

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.