Key information
- Duration:
- 3 years full time
- Typical A-level offer:
- ABB
View full entry requirements - UCAS code:
- V350
- Start date:
- September 2026
- 97% of our research overall in Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory was assessed to be world leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)
- 5th in the UK for History of Art
- 5th in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design
Explore art and how it shapes people. Develop skills in interpreting art across time and space, learning from and using innovative modern methods.
Why choose this course at ΒιΆΉΣ³»?
At ΒιΆΉΣ³», we do Art History differently. Our approach is radically open – we explore art as a powerful force that shapes how people think, feel and act.
From ancient mosaics to music videos, and from Pre-Raphaelite jewellery to global environmental art, you can follow your interests. You’ll develop visual literacy to decode and interpret a range of visual languages, from fine art and advertising, to AI and design. In an age of image saturation and misinformation, these skills are essential.
You’ll engage with innovative methodologies that foreground materiality, the sensory, feminist and queer art histories, decolonisation and institutional critique. With this critical grounding, you’ll be able to bring fresh perspectives to the cultural, creative and heritage sectors.
Employability is embedded throughout the degree. You’ll:
- tackle a live brief set by professionals working in relevant cultural and creative sectors
- take part in a study trip to Rome to develop transferable skills in observation, critical analysis and site-specific research
- curate a public exhibition to gain hands-on experience in project planning and audience engagement
- produce industry-relevant outputs such as podcasts, gallery texts and funding proposals, all designed to mirror professional practice
- enjoy opportunities to collaborate with leading cultural organisations, such as , and .
You’ll thrive in a vibrant and supportive academic community, taught by world-leading researchers and dedicated teachers. Small-group teaching fosters confidence and curiosity. You’ll take electives from other subjects to open your mind to other disciplines and tailor your degree to your interests. And our vibrant student community brings global and interdisciplinary perspectives to our classroom discussions.
At ΒιΆΉΣ³», you won’t just study Art History – you’ll help shape its future and build your own.
I would say my favourite thing about the course is the interdisciplinary nature of it.” Imogen Plumb
Art History BA
- Video transcript
Imogen: I would say my favourite thing about the course is the interdisciplinary nature of it. So, although I take Art History, I’ve done... like cover topics in my lectures such as religion, politics... archaeology... [umm]... and I feel like you just get such a... because of the lecturers’ broad research... you get such an eclectic mix of different topics, and I feel like I’m not just narrowed to learning about art history... [umm] and I feel like... that it enlightens you [umm]... and you’re able to just get a broader understanding on things that maybe you wouldn’t do at other unis.
Course content
This is a single-honours course, allowing you to focus in depth on your core subject. Find out more from our guide to undergraduate study
We’re planning to run the modules listed below in the academic year 2026/27. We’ve made some changes to keep the course fresh and future-facing.
-
Whatβs changed on this course?
Year 1
- The core module Doing Art History (2026/27) is new and replaces Art on Site: Place, Identity, Meaning (2025/26).
- The core module Sights and Sites (2026/27) is new and replaces Spaces of Art: Exhibitions and Display (2025/26).
- The core module Objects, Curation and Display (2026/27) is new and replaces Writing Art History (2025/26).
- The core module Researching, Creating and Communicating in the Humanities 2 (2025/26) has been removed.
Year 2
- The core module Art and the City International Study Trip (2026/27) used to be titled Art and the City 2 (2025/26). In 2026/27 the core module is 30 credits and is taught across two semesters. In 2025/26, it was 15 credits and taught in one semester.
- The core module Reading in Detail: Critical Texts (2026/27) used to be titled Reading Art History (2025/26). In 2026/27 the core module is 30 credits and is taught across two semesters. In 2025/26, it was 15 credits and taught in one semester.
- The core module Art History at Work (2026/27) is new and replaces Word and Image (2025/26).
Year 3
- The core module Final Exhibition Project (2026/27) is new.
Your degree
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and workshops.
30%: Lecture
50%: Seminar
15%: Practical
5%: One-to-one
Assessment
Assessment methods typically include critical and creative responses, essays, reports, presentations and professional-facing tasks.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 250 hours of contact time and about 950 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
Spring teaching
Your degree
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and workshops.
30%: Lecture
50%: Seminar
15%: Practical
5%: One-to-one
Assessment
Assessment methods typically include critical and creative responses, essays, reports, presentations and professional-facing tasks.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 250 hours of contact time and about 950 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
Autumn and spring teaching
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While itβs our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this canβt be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
Autumn teaching
Spring teaching
Study abroad (optional)
Apply to study abroad – you’ll develop an international perspective and gain an edge when it comes to your career.
If your application to study abroad is successful, you’ll have to meet the academic requirements at ΒιΆΉΣ³» and also at the partner university. Find out more about studying abroad as a ΒιΆΉΣ³» student
Placement (optional)
To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can provide you with information and advice. If you’re successful in obtaining a placement, this will form part of your course.
Find out more about placements and internships
Please note that if youβre receiving β or applying for β USA federal Direct Loan funds, you canβt transfer to the version of your course with an optional study abroad period in any country or optional placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid
Your degree
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and workshops.
30%: Lecture
50%: Seminar
15%: Practical
5%: One-to-one
Assessment
Assessment methods typically include critical and creative responses, essays, reports, presentations and professional-facing tasks.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 250 hours of contact time and about 950 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Spring teaching
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While itβs our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this canβt be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
- Art and Politics in Britain 2008-Now
- Mediterranean Fantasies: Revivals and Utopias, 1919-1939
- Posthuman/Premodern
- Sex and the City: The Origins of Modernism in Britain 1870-1910
Autumn teaching
Autumn and spring teaching
Customise your course
Study what inspires you
At ΒιΆΉΣ³», we collaborate across disciplines to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world. And β different to other universities β we invite you to be part of this from the moment you arrive.
Regardless of your background or chosen degree, youβll have the opportunity to engage with issues across disciplines β from the humanities to the sciences, and social sciences.
In the first term, you choose one of three new flagship electives, each of which focuses on our transformation themes of Digital and Data Futures, Environmental Sustainability, and Human Flourishing:
Alternatively, you may choose to study a language from Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Or you can choose to study English Language Teaching. Youβll develop your language skills while also exploring connections across disciplines and cultures.
After the first term, you can choose from across our Progressive Futures electives. Alternatively, you may choose to study β or continue to learn β a language. This gives you the opportunity to customise your course and study what inspires you.
-
Progressive Futures electives
Year 1
Autumn teaching
Spring teaching
- (Re)Imagining Future Worlds through Humour and Play
- Adapting Literature
- American Political Culture
- Art and Artists
- Black British History
- Careers in the Cultural & Creative Industries
- Climate Justice: Policy & Activism in a Time of Global Crisis
- Gender Across Cultures
- Gendering the Life Course
- Global Cinema E
- Global Cultures, Local Lives
- Global Issues
- Global Migration in a Digital Age
- Horror Films: Fears, Phobias and Fantasies
- Inclusive Practice with Young People
- Introduction to Human Rights
- Introduction to the European Union
- Law, Technology and Human Rights
- Leading Social Change: Communication and Activism
- Mental Health and Madness: exploring socio-cultural approaches
- Music and Society
- People, Culture and the Global Economy
- Philosophy, Politics and the Middle East
- Principles of Cognitive Science
- Psychology Now: Contemporary Approaches to Understanding Behaviour
- Society, State and Humanity
- The Age of Adolescence: Reading 20th Century Youth Culture
- The Look of America
- The Meaning of Life
- Understanding the Criminal Justice System
Year 2
Autumn teaching
- Access, Equity and Gender
- Analysing Film (E)
- Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Law
- Business in World Politics
- Crime and Criminal Justice
- Decoding Cultures of Technology and Social Change
- Feminist Philosophy
- Forest Food Gardens: The Theory and Practice of Food Growing
- Global News Cultures
- Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Education
- Inter-cultural Encounters
- Landscapes of Resistance and Social Justice
- Leading Social Change: Taking Action
- Migration, Identity and Rights
- Police and Policing (Elective)
- Political and Social Change in Contemporary Europe
- Race and Ethnicity in US History
- Sleep and Mental Health
- Sustainability and Climate Justice
- Video Games: Creative & Critical Writing
Spring teaching
- Activist Skills for Global Justice and Sustainable Futures
- Advertising (E)
- American City
- Autism and Education
- Clinical Psychology and Mental Health
- Contemporary Issues in Law
- Creative Coding
- Creative Production in the Arts
- Decolonising Education: Knowledge, Power and Sustainable Societies
- Digital Law Toolkit
- Digital Media Literacy: World Politics in Popular Culture
- Education, Peacebuilding and Conflict
- Everyday Digital: Generation, Life-Course and Expertise
- Exploring Death and Dying; Cultural, Theoretical and Practice Perspectives
- Exploring Teaching in Schools
- Forest Food Gardens: Communities, Ecologies and Collaboration
- Language, Mind and Brain
- Leadership for Sustainable Impact
- Making Sense of Complexity: Tools for Addressing Real World Sustainability Challenges
- Philosophy of Race
- Punishment and Penology
- Spirituality, Wellbeing, and Health: understanding practices and connections.
- The Far Right and the Politics of Immigration
- The Liberal World Order - in Crisis
-
Languages electives
Year 1
Autumn teaching
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 2A
- Chinese Beginners A
- French For Professional Purposes 1A
- Introduction to TESOL - Theory and Methodology 1
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 1A
Spring teaching
- Arabic Intermediate B
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 2B
- Chinese Beginners B
- Chinese Intermediate B
- German Beginners B
- Japanese Beginners B
- Japanese Intermediate B
- Spanish Beginners B
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 1B
- Spanish Intermediate B
- TESOL Teaching Practice 1
Year 2
Autumn teaching
- Arabic Beginners A
- Arabic Intermediate A
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 1A
- Chinese Intermediate A
- French Beginners A
- French Intermediate A
- German Beginners A
- German Intermediate A
- Italian Beginners A
- Italian Intermediate A
- Japanese Beginners A
- Japanese Intermediate A
- Spanish Beginners A
- Spanish Intermediate A
Spring teaching
These electives are designed to help you explore key global challenges with world-leading experts from across the University and beyond. Each elective lasts for one term. On this course, you’ll have the opportunity to explore four electives – two in Year 1 and two in Year 2.
Whichever path you take, you’ll develop key skills to tackle the complexity of contemporary challenges. This will help improve your employment prospects and help you contribute to creating progressive futures for all.
Spirit of ΒιΆΉΣ³» Award
Feel involved in life at the University, make friends and enrich your experience with us β the Spirit of ΒιΆΉΣ³» Award is our way of recognising your extracurricular and voluntary achievements.
- Video transcript
Hi everyone! As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the Spirit of ΒιΆΉΣ³» Award is now live.
Students across the ΒιΆΉΣ³» community are already earning their points
What will you do to earn yours?
There's so many ways to get involved.
Head over to the website to start your Spirit of ΒιΆΉΣ³» journey.
Text: The Spirit of ΒιΆΉΣ³» Award is an exciting new programme designed to recognise and celebrate the things you do outside your course.
Participating in the Award makes it easy and fun for you to get involved and make the most of university life.
We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. Weβre planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. Weβll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.
Weβll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from whatβs shown here.
I have learnt volumes about global history, about social change and about visual culture today.”Harry Smart
Art History BA
Find out about studying Art History at ΒιΆΉΣ³»
The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»
Silver
The student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality.
This rating was awarded in 2023, for four years.
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Find out more about our approach to teaching and supporting you to thrive
Our staff
Recent exhibitions curated by ΒιΆΉΣ³» art historians at venues including Tate Modern, The Science Museum and the V&A have received international media interest and attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.”Dr Benedict Burbridge
Professor of Visual Culture
Careers
of ΒιΆΉΣ³» undergraduates have completed work experience by the end of their course (ΒιΆΉΣ³» Career Readiness data at point of graduation 2023/24)
Art History is among the most vocational of all the humanities subjects. By studying Art History, you prepare yourself for a wide range of careers, both within and outside the arts.
As a graduate, you’ll have high-level skills in critical thinking, cultural awareness and impactful communication. You’ll be well prepared for careers in:
- curation
- publishing
- journalism
- arts education
- advertising
- digital content creation
- museums
- heritage.
Where do our graduates work now?
Surveyed 15 months after finishing their courses, our recent Art History graduates worked for employers including:
- .
( 2017-2022)
What to do with an Art History degree
Explore the careers you might be interested in after studying for a degree in Art History
Working while you study
Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work
I’d love to work in learning after my degree. I’ve always loved teaching and explaining to others. Towner Eastbourne has shown me that you don’t have to work in a school to do that.”Elle Batehup
Art History BA
Read Elle’s story
Design your future at ΒιΆΉΣ³»
Taking the next step in your career can feel daunting, but weβll help you to explore, connect and flourish throughout your studies and beyond.
As a ΒιΆΉΣ³» student, youβll learn how to tackle real-world challenges and have access to tailored programmes of careers support:
- our Career Lab helps you to explore your options, build key skills and connect with employers. Take part in internships, community consultancy projects and insight visits, where you can learn about life at organisations including Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, Gatwick Airport and the Knepp Rewilding Project
- one-to-one appointments with your Faculty Careers Consultant can enable you to identify your career goals, write an effective CV and prepare for future interviews
- entrepreneurship initiatives like StartUp ΒιΆΉΣ³» and Ideas Lab can empower you to turn your concepts into reality.
Explore how our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can support you
Winner
Entrepreneurship Catalyst Award
Winner
Supporting Student and Graduate Employability Award
Top 50
Best Universities for Work Experience in the UK
A-level - contextual offer
BCC
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma and one A-level - contextual offer
Grade C in A-level and Distinction, Merit in Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate and two A-levels - contextual offer
Grades BC in A-levels and Merit in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma) - contextual offer
DMM