Social History of Art MA

Course overview

The MA Social History of Art will equip you with a deep subject knowledge of the history of artistic practices in the broadest sense, grounded in fundamental questions about why this study matters in the world today. You’ll build the research, analytical, critical and communication skills to succeed in a variety of careers.

The emphasis of the course is on social and political approaches to art history, whether looking at the most recent and contemporary, or in the study of the deeper roots of the cultures we inhabit. From Medieval and Renaissance art to live practices now, from the study of our most local environments to the arts of Africa, Asia and beyond, we approach art as central to the production and reproduction of our shared and different social worlds.

Building on over 70 years of teaching in the field of art history, we have an international reputation for innovative, critically engaged and globally conscious approaches to the discipline. This course has well-established strengths in areas including:

• feminist and gender studies

• the relations between art and capitalism

• the legacies and critiques of colonialism

• Jewish studies

• climate and environment.

We offer an exceptional range of choice in the areas you can specialise in, and the knowledge you build throughout core and optional modules leads to a major independent research project.

On this course you'll benefit from studying in a research-intensive Russell Group university, where art historians study alongside fine artists and others studying galleries, museums and heritage.

Across the areas we teach, we attend critically to the institutions and spaces in which art is encountered. We’re able to draw on professional collaborations and long-standing expertise among many of our staff who have worked in major museums, galleries and arts and cultural organisations, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Applying

Entry requirements

You’ll need a bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent qualification, for example (though not exclusively) in a humanities or social science subject, such as History, Literature, Languages, Art History, Philosophy or Sociology, or in a practice-based Arts subject where your degree included a significant proportion of historical and theoretical studies.

International

Our admissions team are experienced in considering a wide range of international qualifications. If you wish to discuss whether your qualifications will meet the necessary entry criteria, contact the School’s admissions team.

You can also check the accepted qualifications for your country or region.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

Career opportunities