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History of Art MA

London, Bloomsbury

Immerse yourself in art and artefacts from every time and place with a Master's in History of Art at UCL. Over a year, you'll build the expertise to engage with visual and material cultures critically, interpreting them within their social and cultural contexts. Guided by UCL's renowned academics in a large, multi-disciplinary university, you'll explore contemporary methodological debates, define your own scholarly stance, and evolve into an independent researcher. This programme offers an excellent foundation for a dynamic career in academia, heritage or curation, empowering you to make a meaningful impact on art and culture.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
£16,500
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
All applicants: 14 Oct 2024 – 15 Jan 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 3

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


Students develop skills for engaging with visual materials and also gain historical knowledge, enabling them to interpret artefacts within their social and cultural contexts. They are introduced to current methodological debates in the field and encouraged to define their own position through reasoned historical and theoretical arguments.

Who this course is for

The programme is designed for those with a first degree in history of art or with some experience in the subject, a high level of commitment and an aptitude for academic work.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL History of Art is one of the world's most dynamic centres for the study of art history and visual cultures. In REF 2021, our department's research was ranked 1st in London and 3rd in the UK for Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory. All staff are active researchers in a range of specialist fields. Our teaching and research move beyond traditional forms of art history to address visual and material cultures more broadly, and we are committed to a wide range of critical and historiographical enquiry.
 
The MA in History of Art is a challenging and versatile degree. You will study in a community of approximately 50 graduate students; simultaneously, you will work in smaller groups and have close contact with tutors in your Special Subject modules.

The department is located in Bloomsbury, close to the Warburg Institute, the British Library and the British Museum. The National Gallery, Tate galleries, and the Victoria and Albert Museum are also within easy reach.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

UCL's History of Art graduates have an excellent record of success in entering PhD programmes, careers in museums and galleries, the art trade, the heritage industry, art publishing and art conservation.

The MA is an excellent starting point for a career in academia, curating, and working in the heritage industry, commercial art galleries and other sectors of the cultural industries.

“I use my degree every day, I think having a background in the humanities is such a strength in the entrepreneurship and business world. I have a library of soft skills that were taught from my degree..  and I truly thank all of my professors for helping me becoming the communicator, writer and researcher that I am today.” 

Kaitlin Fritz, Alumna Art History MA 

Employability

Our History of Art MA provides focused training in the history of art and its methodologies. It encourages students to develop original critical thinking on all aspects of visual culture and promotes serious engagement with historical and contemporary cultural debates. Students will learn to work collaboratively and independently to develop written and oral communication skills.

Many former MA students have successfully received funding for PhDs and subsequently obtained academic positions at prestigious institutions in the UK, North America and elsewhere. The unique combination of visual analysis and intellectual rigour offered by the MA has also proven valuable in diverse careers for recent graduates, including in museums and galleries, the art trade, the heritage industry, art journalism and publishing, art conservation, performance, art and design, marketing and advertising, and even business. Hear about some of our recent graduates' successes. 

Networking

The Department has a very active research culture, hosting regular events with visiting artists, scholars, and curators worldwide as part of our Research Seminar Series, the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Art, and Past Imperfect. 

Our proximity in central London to a wide range of museums and galleries and ongoing and extensive contact with other London Art History departments offers exceptional access to a wide range of public events and shared seminars. We also receive career and training opportunities from museums, galleries and exhibitions that we distribute to our students.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through lectures, seminars, tutorials, and gallery and museum visits.

Assessment is by two essays for each of the taught modules (six essays in all), the Dissertation and a viva.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 7-8 hours per week. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments (approx. 30 hours a week).

In the summer term, there is dedicated supervision time for the dissertation project. Throughout the programme, students usually spend a lot of their time studying in the UCL Library and the nearby Senate House and British Library and looking closely at London's museums and galleries. In addition, all academic staff and personal tutors have regular office hours, which students are encouraged to attend.

Modules

Three key components make up the MA in History of Art.

The Compulsory Module is an advanced seminar dealing with contemporary debates and theories on art and visual culture. 
Lecturers will introduce you to various texts, methods, and approaches, which is one of the most distinctive aspects of our programme.

Two Special Subject Modules 
These focused and regularly changing modules are linked directly to the current research of staff in the department. Approximately seven of these modules are offered each year across various periods. We encourage critical thinking across periods and regions, and all our modules, irrespective of their historical frame, are engaged with contemporary concerns; consequently, we encourage you to consider Special Subject modules that are linked thematically rather than solely by period or geography. 

The Dissertation is developed in spring and summer in discussion with a supervisor.
The programme, which can be studied full-time or part-time, is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and gallery and museum visits. 

The three taught modules run concurrently throughout the year. Special Subject modules usually incorporate a field trip, often abroad. Assessment is by two essays for each of the taught courses (six essays in all), the Dissertation, and a viva. If you are studying full-time, you will take two compulsory modules (including the Dissertation) and two optional modules throughout the year.

If you are studying part-time, you will take one compulsory module and one optional module in Year One, then one compulsory module (the Dissertation) and one optional module in Year Two.

Compulsory modules




Optional modules

Race/Place, Exotic/Erotic: Difference and Desire in Modernist and Contemporary Art Practice



Gold, Silver, Bronze: Art, Materiality and Value, c.1400 to the Present

Art as Theory: the Re-making of Criticism


Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in History of Art.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media (morning)

—

An opportunity to meet the Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media MSc programme lead and ask any questions you have about programme content, career prospects and life and study in the Department of Anthropology and at UCL. You will also see some of the facilities offered at our new Stratford campus and meet our students.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media (afternoon)

—

An opportunity to meet the Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media MSc programme lead and ask any questions you have about programme content, career prospects and life and study in the Department of Anthropology and at UCL. You will also see some of the facilities offered at our new Stratford campus and meet our students.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000 £16,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students are expected to pay the entrance fee to any admission-charging exhibition or museum or archive visited by a class; the tutor will usually negotiate a group discount where this is significantly cheaper than the individual student discount.

Students who are facing financial hardships can apply for UCL Financial Assistance Funds.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

The department awards several bursaries covering a proportion of fees to Master's or Research students. Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/art-history/postgraduate/postgraduate-funding for full details.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study History of Art at graduate level
  • why you want to study History of Art at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Along with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to show how your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme delivers.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

History of Art
History of Art

naomi.quinn-friedman@ucl.ac.uk

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