Postgraduate Courses in the History of Art
Studying a postgraduate course in the history of art is for those who are interested in contemporary art and visual culture. The history of art seeks to explore how and why visual images and objects have been created and how they have been interpreted and understood. Postgraduate courses in the history of art are designed to meet the ambitions of graduates who wish to develop an understanding of the main critical and methodological debates, engage with a range of modern and contemporary paintings, objects, installation, photography, film, and new media, or wish to develop a specialist research area. Students might come from a wide range of backgrounds and experience, but all must share a motivated and questioning approach – often these qualities are more important than previous experience in the subject. If you’re interested in exploring the wider context of the visual arts, a postgraduate course in the history of art will offer you the opportunity to study art in context - from the Renaissance to the present day.
What does the history of art offer as a discipline?
Drawing on the diversity of histories, theories, methods , and practices of art history, it offers possibilities to look at aspects of art and visual culture from for example, Britain, mainland Europe, North America or from a more global context. The history of art, as an academic discipline, offers opportunities to carry out research into specific aspects and examples of art. These areas of interest are a diverse as history itself but might include: art theory and historiography; identity and cultural difference; theories of subjectivity, modernism and postmodernism; gender, sexuality, race, and class; popular culture; cinema; interior decoration; city cultures; typography, graphics; media and mass communication; and curating.
Course structures
Postgraduate courses might offer students an interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary study in the critical histories, theories, methods, and practices of art history, often in close proximity to Britain’s cultural and artistic institutions, so you’ll become familiar with museums, galleries and auction houses both at home and abroad . Students are encouraged to develop a personal approach to the analysis of their own areas of interest and expertise. Courses may be full- or part-time and are often taught on a modular basis with a dissertation on a chosen topic.
Modules typically seek to introduce students to critical and methodological ways of interrogating the discipline of the history of art. The emphasis then being placed upon ways in which to examine, investigate, interrogate, assess and consider a number of issues: from modernism to nation, race and class, and from patronage to gender and sexuality.
Dissertations might examine the formation of the history of art history, look at the challenges of modernist art practice, or examine the changing nature of the representation of the human image. The student is generally free to develop his or her interest in the direction thought appropriate, usually in consultation with a supervisory tutor.
Why study the history of art?
History of art graduates enter employment with a high standard of education, including good communication skills, critical, creative, and analytic skills, and other transferable skills – all highly valued by employers. As such, they go on to secure employment in the media , creative , and culture industries such as museums and galleries, magazine and book publishing, the tourist and leisure industries, film and television companies, curating, archives and libraries, and advertising agencies and creative consulting . Graduates will also be equipped with the research skills to undertake PhD study in the UK or abroad.
What are the entry requirements?
Entry requirements will vary according to the institution but it is expected that a student entering a postgraduate course in the history of art will have an Honours degree in an area such as Art History, Fine Art Practice, English, Humanities, Design Studies, Philosophy, Performance, Film and Media Studies, Women’s Studies, and Sociology. Don't delay, apply now for your postgraduate course in the history of art and discover what this subject has to offer.
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