DEGREE GUIDE

History of Art

What do History of Art degrees involve?

History of Art degrees teach you how to analyse visual culture, exploring artistic movements, styles, and the social, political, and historical contexts behind artworks. You will study key areas such as Renaissance and modern art, architecture, visual theory, museum studies, and curation. These courses help you develop strong research, critical thinking, and interpretative skills while learning how art reflects and shapes societies. As you progress, you may specialise in areas such as contemporary art, non-Western art, or digital visual culture. You will also gain hands-on experience through gallery visits, archive research, and opportunities to engage with museums and cultural institutions, preparing you for careers in curation, heritage, journalism, and art conservation.

Example
Modules

Introduction to the History of Art: Explore art and architecture from the Middle Ages to today, learning how style, technique and meaning changed across time and cultures.

Art, Design, Architecture: Meaning and Interpretation: Analyse visual and material culture, investigating how artworks and spaces express ideas and shape experiences.

Approaches to the History of Art and Architecture: Discover the key methods art historians use to interpret objects, images and buildings.

Common Degree Names

💼 Some programmes offer placements with galleries, museums, auction houses or arts organisations.
🌍 Study abroad is available at many universities.

BA (Hons) History of Art
BA (Hons) History of Art and Architecture
BA (Hons) History of Art and English
BA (Hons) History of Art and Visual Culture
BA (Hons) History of Art and Philosophy

A history of art student's research desk with an open book showing a Chinese ink landscape painting, art postcards, a brass magnifying glass, a research notebook with handwritten composition notes, and a Visual Culture textbook.

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

History of Art teaches you to analyse visual culture; from ancient sculptures to contemporary installations. This is an academic, essay-based subject, so universities want to see that you can think critically, research thoroughly, and express ideas clearly in writing.

Subjects that strengthen your application:

History of Art – ideal if your school offers it, but relatively few do
History – excellent for developing analytical and research skills
English Literature or Language & Literature – strong preparation for essay writing and interpretation
Art or Art & Design – useful for understanding artistic techniques and visual language
Philosophy, Classical Civilisation, or Religious Studies – valued for critical thinking and contextual study
Modern Languages – helpful if you're interested in European or global art history

✨ You don't need to have studied History of Art before – most courses start from the basics. What matters is having essay-based subjects that show you can analyse, research, and write well.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Art & Design, often alongside an A-level in an essay-based subject
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three - see relevant subjects above) alongside your Career-Related Study; an Art & Design pathway would be directly relevant

Entry requirements vary, especially for combined courses (e.g. History of Art with a Language). Always check specific course requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5s or MYP

📘 Art or History at GCSE (or equivalent) level can be helpful, but they are not required at level 2 if you study them at level 3.

💬 Interviews
Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience

You don't need work experience to apply for History of Art. If you have a school placement to fill, a gallery, museum, auction house, or arts organisation could give you useful insight into how art is curated, displayed, and interpreted. For this subject, visiting exhibitions and engaging critically with art matters far more than any placement.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What draws you to understanding art in its historical context? History of Art isn't just about appreciating beautiful objects - it's about analysing how art reflects and shapes societies, ideas, and power. If you've found yourself curious about particular artists, movements, periods, or cultures, think about what sparked that interest. Visiting galleries and museums, reading art criticism, watching documentaries, exploring art online, or thinking about how art connects to history and politics can all show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see that you're ready to analyse and interpret art critically, not just admire it.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Humanities or Art History

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Humanities or Art & Design)

Accepted by universities offering History of Art. Choose a pathway with essay-based units and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

Start Your Journey → £3 a month

Full access to all self-discovery tools and guides. Cancel anytime.

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Context sentence

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

custom skills note goes here

Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a History of Art degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Visual Art, Craft & Design: The degree is built around looking closely at visual art: how paintings, sculptures, buildings, prints and designed objects were made, what they communicate, and how style and technique shift across cultures and centuries.

The Past & How It Shapes Us: Every artwork sits inside its moment, shaped by the politics, religion, patronage and daily life around it. Studying art history means reading the past through what people made, as much as studying the objects themselves.

Different Cultures, Languages & Beliefs: Art history opens up cultural worlds. You'll study Chinese painting and calligraphy, contemporary Latin American art, and the way different cultures across the globe have used images and objects to express identity, belief and belonging.

Students who thrive in a History of Art degree are often motivated by

Research and Discovery

You're excited by the idea of uncovering something genuinely new: being at the cutting edge, running experiments, and contributing knowledge that didn't exist before. You want to discover, not just learn what others have found. The prospect of adding something original to human understanding is what drives you, and you're willing to spend long periods on uncertain work for that possibility.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes History of Art click for the students who love it?

A painting or a building can say as much about the people who made it as anything they wrote down. They look at one and want to know who made it, why, and what it meant to the people who first saw it. They are happy moving across centuries, cultures and every kind of art, because there is always something more to chase. And they think nothing of spending months on a single question until they turn up something nobody knew before.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you find yourself really looking at things — noticing details in paintings, buildings, or designs that other people walk past?
Do you enjoy understanding why something was made and what it meant to the people who created it, not just whether you like it?
Does it satisfy you to look closely and carefully at something, and notice things that aren't obvious at first glance?

Careers a History of Art degree could lead you to

History of Art

What do History of Art degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Heading 6

Heading 6

Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a History of Art degree could lead you to

Example
Modules