BA History of Art

BA History of Art is a wide-ranging degree which explores art history and visual culture from the Medieval era to the present.

As you progress to Years 2 and 3, tailor your studies by selecting pathways of study that align with your interests.

The range of staff expertise offers you the opportunity to study a varied and exciting curriculum.

We provide a wide selection of subject areas, paired with in-depth research and study. Our expertise lies in Medieval, Renaissance, Post-Renaissance, Modern, Contemporary, and Global art history.

Additionally, we benefit from the expertise of faculty members within the Institute of Cultural Practice. Course units cover topics such as the study of museums as institutions, collecting, practical aspects of curating and exhibition-making, and art writing.

Placement year option

In your third year, apply what you've learned to the real world through a placement year, boosting your employability, and unlocking your dream career. Plus, you'll build valuable connections that could launch your future.

Overseas opportunities

We offer two unique summer internships at the world-famous Venice Peggy Guggenheim Collection. In your second year, you'll go on a five-day field trip to a European city, such as Paris, Rome, Barcelona, or Berlin. The trip combines guided tours and talks with independent research and culminates in an extended essay on your return to the UK.

You may also apply to spend one semester studying abroad during the second year of your degree. Exchange partners are offered via the Worldwide Exchange scheme, in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Extracurricular opportunities

Join student societies including the the Manchester Art Group , Arts Emergency and the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Student Society, who all aim to bring together students who have an interest in the arts, culture and creativity and encourage the production of a new generation of thinkers.

Teaching takes place in a variety of formats, including lectures, small seminar groups, workshops, gallery visits, and one-to-one tutorials.

Our aim throughout is to support your interests and to help you to improve your skills and become confident independent learners.

Seminars are normally very interactive, they are an opportunity for you to discuss readings and ideas in a supportive environment and to build your skills and confidence. Some course units feature group projects culminating in online content development or a physical exhibition/display.

Your learning will be supported by material on our virtual learning environment, Blackboard, including access to core texts and recorded lectures.

Where possible our courses include fieldwork visits to galleries or special exhibitions throughout the UK. This means regular classes in Manchester at places like HOME, the City Art Gallery and the University's own Whitworth Art Gallery.

We offer several travel bursaries through the Lady Chorley Fund to assist final-year students with their dissertation research.

We use assessments including essays, exams, presentations, small-scale practical assignments, and learning logs - designed to help you develop a range of skills. Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques. In your final year, you will write a dissertation on a subject of your choice.

Throughout, you will benefit from expert support and supervision provided by lecturers and professors who are authorities on their subjects.

You will get written and verbal feedback and will be able to meet with your tutors on a one-to-one basis to discuss your progress. As a student here you'll gain both academic writing skills and insight into the development of arts-specific composition, such as catalogue entries, gallery interpretation, exhibition reviews and journalistic articles.

The rich cultural heritage and attractions of Manchester and the North-West are within easy reach.

The Manchester Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery offer unique access to the environment of the working museum and art gallery, as well as to important works of art.

The Whitworth is a major resource, and its outstanding collections of paintings, prints, textiles, and wallpapers are used extensively in our teaching.

You can also explore original art in the city's famous galleries, such as the Lowry, Manchester Art Gallery, and the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.

At the heart of our academic resources lies the University Library, ranked among the UK's finest, with arguably the best access to electronic resources of any library in Europe.

This is one of the largest academic libraries in Britain and houses a Special Collections Department (the John Rylands Library), an internationally renowned resource which holds one of the finest collections of rare books, manuscripts, illustrated books and other material relevant to Art History.

Art History students also enjoy a discipline-specific library in the same building as our department providing a pleasant and quiet working environment for students.

Learn more on the Facilities page.