Program Overview

---

Introduction to the Art History Program

The BA Art History program at Birkbeck offers students the opportunity to study the visual arts as a central element of human endeavour in an accessible, engaging, and flexible way. The program is taught by world-leading scholars and makes the most of the amazingly rich art collections, monuments, and study facilities of London.

Course Overview

Our BA Art History provides a structured and progressive approach to the study of works of art understood as socially and politically engaged things. Working with active researchers with expertise ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day, and encompassing a range of media from painting, sculpture, and architecture to photography, installations, and digital, you will be guided towards a critical understanding of the fabricated world around you.

Why Choose This Course?

• On this course, you will explore the cultural and political contexts of artworks, buildings, and exhibitions, and think more broadly about the role of images within society.
• We teach art history as a rich and dynamic topic, encompassing architecture, installation, exhibitions, print culture, and digital media as well as painting, sculpture, and photography.
• You will be taught by experienced and skilled teachers who are also published writers of groundbreaking art history in periods from medieval to contemporary.

What You Will Learn

You will pursue a structured and progressive approach to the study of works of art understood as socially and politically engaged things. The course covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Debates in Art History
• Doing Art History
• The Artwork in History
• Research Portfolio
• Art and Devotion in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
• Art and Modernity in the Nineteenth Century
• Art and Politics since 1900
• Art and Architecture in Rome c 1500 - 1527
• Art Nouveau Across Europe at the Fin-de-Siecle
• Curating the Contemporary
• Death and Dying: The End of Life in Britain's Long Nineteenth Century
• Decolonising Art Histories in the Wake of the Global Art Turn
• From Private Piety to Princely Pomp: The Art of Northern Renaissance
• Impressionist Paris: Modernity and Difference
• Medieval Sicily: Cosmopolitan Culture
• Mediterranean Encounters in Medieval Italy
• Photography Between Art and Document, 1839 to Now
• Portraiture in England in the Long Eighteenth Century
• The Gothic Cathedral
• Women, Art and Photography in the 20th Century

How You Will Learn

You will learn in a supportive environment which encourages exchange between both students and tutors, and between students, with a mix of interactive lectures and small-group seminars. Teaching is supported by a range of online resources offered via our virtual learning environment.

Foundation Year

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

Key Information and Modules

The BA Art History is available in several formats:

• 3 years full-time, on campus, starting October 2026
• 4 years part-time, on campus, starting October 2026
• 4 years full-time with Foundation Year, on campus, starting October 2026
• 6 years part-time with Foundation Year, on campus, starting October 2026

Entry Requirements

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge, and previous work experience. You may be required to attend an interview and complete a written exercise.

Fees

The tuition fees for the BA Art History program are as follows:

• Full-time home students: Ł9,790 per year
• Full-time international students: Ł18,500 per year
• Part-time home students: Ł7,335 per year
• Part-time international students: Ł13,875 per year

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials. Assessment is an integral part of your university studies and usually consists of a combination of coursework and examinations.

Careers and Employability

On successfully graduating from this BA Art History, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including a sophisticated use of written and spoken English, an advanced critical ability in the use of theoretical perspectives, the ability to use analytical tools, and the initiative to collect and organise complex materials.

Pathways for Art History

This course has additional Pathways to offer you the chance to specialise depending on your interests and career goals, including:

• Art History with Curating
• Art History and Language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese)

Highlights

Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. The teaching and research of history of art were established almost half a century ago at Birkbeck, and today we are an internationally respected centre in this area.