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History of Art and Visual Studies (MA) (2021 Entry)

Picture of history of art students



  • Course Code
  • P-V4PJ
  • Course Type
  • Postgraduate Taught
  • Qualification
  • MA
  • Duration
  • Full-time: 1 year
  • Part-time: 2 years
  • Location of Study
  • University of Warwick


Develop your research skills on History of Art and Visual Studies MA. Warwick's History of Art department, ranked in the top 10 in all major UK league tables (Complete University Guide 2020, The Guardian University Guide 2020, The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020), allows you to explore the broader issues in the discipline today, such as global art history, display and performance, aesthetics and perception and architecture and urbanism.


Our MA is designed to prepare students for specialised postgraduate research in the fields of Art History and Visual Studies. You will have the option of spending the autumn term in Venice or can study for the full year on the Warwick campus. The course enables you to develop your research skills by studying different periods and media in the history of art, and by taking an active part in research, exploring some of the broader issues in Art History today such as cross-cultural interaction and the arts, the spatial contexts of art, architecture and urbanism, and the arts within a global society.


Core Modules

  • Art History and its Methods
  • Dissertation
  • Academic Preparation for History of Art (non-credit bearing)

Optional Modules

Previously, a selection of the following options have been offered:

  • Research in Medieval and/or early Modern Art/Architectural History (taught in Venice)
  • Research in Modern and/or Contemporary Art and Architecture (taught in Venice)
  • Exhibiting the Contemporary (taught in Venice)
  • East meets West: The Visual Arts in Colonial and Post-colonial India
  • Leonardo: Art and Science
  • The Thirties: The Arts and Society in inter-war Britain
  • Giotto and Assisi
  • Colour and its Meaning

Optional modules taught in small groups allow you to create your own pathway to the dissertation. You'll have between four and eight hours on average per week of classes, with some seminars taken out of the classroom and artworks studied on site. Modules are assessed by a 5000 word essay. The dissertation (15,000 words) enables you to work closely with your supervisor on a one to one basis to research and write on a topic of your choice.


Minimum requirements 2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in History of Art or a related subject

English language requirements Band B
IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above

International Students
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information please visit the international entry requirements page.


For up-to-date information concerning fees, funding and scholarships for Home, EU and Overseas students please visit Warwick's Fees and Funding webpage.

Additional Course Costs

Students who elect to study in Venice in the autumn term will need to purchase their return travel to Venice. Students might expect to pay £50-100 pcm more on accommodation in Venice than they would do in Warwickshire.


Graduates from these courses have gone on to work for a range of sectors, including Arts Management, PR, Teaching, Galleries and Auction Houses. Many others have undertaken further study at PhD level.

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

  • Careers History of Art Alumni workshop
  • Discovering Careers in the Creative Industries
  • Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
  • History of Art – Securing Internships
  • Career planning and making applications

There are a number of different ways to visit the University of Warwick throughout the year. We host bespoke PG visits, where you can talk directly with your chosen department and explore our campus through a personalised tour. Some departments also host their own events and open days, where you can learn more about your department or course of study. To find out more about all of these opportunities, visit our Postgraduate Visits page.

Related Taught Courses


History of Art (Graduate Diploma)