Program Overview

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BA (Hons) History of Art and Museum Studies with Foundation Year

Why study this course with LJMU?

• 100% of students said: "Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course" in the most recent National Student Survey
• Excellent overall student satisfaction rates in consecutive National Student Surveys
• Follow our course activities on Instagram and Facebook
• Option to specialise and tailor your assessments according to your career plans or personal interests in Art History
• No exams - all assessments by coursework
• You can get involved with the Schools own internationally-important gallery, the Exhibition Research Lab
• Taught in the John Lennon Art and Design Building so you can mix and work with artists across a range of disciplines

About your course

Informed by internationally important research, the BA (Hons) History of Art and Museum Studies with Foundation Year programme is taught in our award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building and offers exciting international internship opportunities.

You will also find that you have the opportunity to examine particular art works and artists of your own choice in detail. In fact you can even design your own course. For example, if contemporary art is your passion, you can choose it as your research topic for almost all assessments, whereas if you plan to work as a Museum Curator, you can be assessed on your museum placements.

We have contacts with many local art galleries and museums, but our collaboration with Tate Liverpool is particularly beneficial, as you will spend time there getting to know its collections as well as the curators who can tell you what it's really like to work in the sector. There are more museums and galleries in Liverpool than in any city other than London - so it is an excellent city in which to study History of Art and Museum Studies.

However, our contacts aren't only based in and around Merseyside. Our internships in Venice and New York offer unique opportunities to really immerse yourself in the art world and experience living abroad for a few months. We also typically organise field visits to the art capitals of London, Amsterdam, Florence, Barcelona and Paris.

To find out more, visit the History of Art and Museum Studies Facebook page.

Foundation Year

The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the interest and ability to study for a degree, but do not have the qualifications to enter directly onto the History of Art and Museum Studies honours degree programme yet.

Once you pass the Foundation Year you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).

Course modules

What you will study on this degree

Further guidance on modules

Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.

Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.

Foundation Year

• Art and Culture (30 credits)
• Investigating Liverpool (30 credits)
• War: Conflict in the Humanities and Social Sciences (30 credits)
• Peace: the Pursuit of Harmony in Humanities and Social Science (30 credits)

Year 1

• Artists and Practices (20 credits)
• Frameworks in Art History (20 credits)
• Introduction to Art History (20 credits)
• An Introduction to Museums and Galleries (20 credits)
• Collaboration with Contemporary Art (20 credits)
• Global Art (20 credits)

Year 2

• Curating: Histories and Practices 1 (20 credits)
• Art and Representation (20 credits)
• Methods in Art History (20 credits)
• Curating: Histories and Practices 2 (20 credits)
• Internship and Professional Development (20 credits)
• Design Histories (20 credits)

Year 3

• Research Project (Dissertation) (40 credits)
• Research Paper and Symposium Presentation (40 credits)
• Major Project Practice (20 credits)
• Major Project Development (with the Museums Association) (20 credits)

Your Learning Experience

Teaching Support Assessment

Excellent facilities and learning resources

We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.

You will be taught by friendly lecturers in small-group tutorials and workshops, which give you the chance to discuss course material more informally. There will also be study visits and workshops at local museums, galleries and art institutions. A lot of your time will be devoted to personal study including library and online research and, as the course progresses, this will increase as you work on your research-based project, which may be offsite - for example if you choose to curate an exhibition in an art gallery.

Work-related Learning

The School of Art and Design's History of Art and Museum Studies department is fortunate to have many influential connections, both in Liverpool and internationally. Our links with other local high-profile organisations such as the Bluecoat Arts Centre, Open Eye Gallery, National Museums Liverpool, FACT, Liverpool Biennial, Static Gallery and Tate Liverpool have resulted in successful projects as well as employment for students.

Thanks to our strong links with a number of art institutions, this course offers many opportunities including our Peggy Guggenheim Internship Programme in Venice - each offers unique and varied opportunities to experience the art world and add real value to your CV. As part of our Internship module you will have opportunities to gain work experience in a wide variety of art-related institutions, including museums and galleries, auction houses, sites of cultural heritage, archives and artists' studios. We also offer unique opportunities to experience the art world through exchange placements at universities across Europe and in the USA.

We offer opportunities to arrange mock interviews with art professionals and to develop your teamwork skills by organising a public symposium at a museum or art gallery. In your final year, you will have the opportunity to take on a major project, which could involve running art activities in schools, curating an exhibition, conserving art works or writing for a newspaper. All of these experiences will help you to develop the key transferable skills that employers look for.

Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

From the moment you begin your studies at LJMU, you will be allocated a personal tutor who will be available to meet you one-to-one to give feedback or support on work or projects and help you plan your future career.

Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.

We acknowledge that all students perform differently depending on the way they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of assessment methods. However, there are no exams on this course; all assessment is through coursework. This may include:

• essays
• a dissertation
• literature reviews
• reflective portfolios
• individual and group presentations
• live projects (e.g. curating an exhibition, teaching within schools)
• reports on field studies or placements

Constructive feedback is crucial in helping you to identify your strengths and areas where you may need to put in more work. For this reason, we offer written and oral feedback immediately after each completed assignment as well as mid-way through, and at the end of, each semester. However, you will be encouraged to discuss your work informally with your tutors on an ongoing basis. As your tutors know you well you can be confident that their advice is based on deep knowledge of your work and your potential.

Career paths

Past graduates have found careers as curators, education officers, marketing or public relations officers or co-ordinators of volunteers in museums, conservation experts, teachers, auctioneers, arts administrators, art insurance brokers, local authority arts officers, archive managers, charity arts grants administrators and journalists.

The course has a strong network of supportive graduates who regularly feed back into the course by making visits and providing advice. A number go on to study postgraduate degrees.

Tuition fees and funding

Home

• Foundation first year: £5,760
• Second and subsequent years: £9,535

International

• Full-time per year: £17,750

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

• Grades/points required from qualifications: DDD (72)

Work out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth by visiting the UCAS Tariff Calculator.

GCSEs and equivalents

• Evidence of Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy on their application form.

GCSE Equivalences accepted:

• Key Skills Level 2 in English/Maths
• NVQ Level 2 Functional skills in Maths and English Writing and or Reading
• Skills for Life Level 2 in Numeracy/English
• Higher Diploma in Maths/English
• Northern Ireland Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
• Wales Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number

A levels

• DDD

BTECs

• Extended Diploma: MMP

Access awards

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Pass overall with a minimum of 72 points.

International Baccalaureate

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

OCR Cambridge Technical

• Extended Diploma: DMM

Irish awards

• Irish Highers - Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.

T levels

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.

Further information

• DBS, Occupational Health requirements
• Reduced offer scheme

At LJMU, we are dedicated to widening participation in education. We understand that academic potential isn't always accurately represented by grades alone. Therefore, we consider additional information included in your application. If you meet certain eligibility criteria, we may make an offer lower than our typical entry requirements.

International requirements

• Qualifications will be considered in line with normal entry requirements. Any applicant whose first language is not English will be required to have IELTS 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each component).

Further information

• DBS, Occupational Health requirements

Find your country

Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.

How to apply

Securing your place at LJMU

UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses. Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here

It is important that prospective students have enthusiasm for viewing art and design, for visiting museums and galleries, and for undertaking research. Students need to be enquiring and to be open to working in a self-directed manner.