History of Art Graduate Diploma

Find out more about our History of Art taught Graduate Diploma

P-V4P3

Diploma

9 months full-time;
21 months part-time

29 September 2025

History of Art

University of Warwick

The History of Art Diploma is designed for students whose background may not be in art history but wish to study the subject at postgraduate level. Ranked in the top 10 in all major UK league tables (Complete University Guide 2021, The Guardian University Guide 2021, The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021), Warwick's History of Art department will provide you with a strong foundation in history of art as a discipline.

Our Graduate Diploma is specifically designed for students whose background may not be in art history, but who wish to study the subject at postgraduate level.

The Graduate Diploma provides an ideal bridge to further postgraduate study and is designed to prepare students for the MA, providing a strong foundation in history of art as a discipline. When the opportunity arises seminars will be taken out of the classroom and artworks will be studied in situ. The independent research project will enable you to work closely with your supervisor on a one-to-one basis to research and write on a topic of your choice.

Skills from this degree

• The ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, to take decisions in complex and unpredictable situations, and to learn independently
• Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
• Continue to advance knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level

The Practices of Art History module provides you with an introduction to the discipline and helps you understand the ways in which the history of art can be studied. You can develop your interests by choosing other modules ranging in focus from the Middle Ages to Contemporary Art and Architecture.

Teaching takes place in small group seminars where you are encouraged to reflect upon and discuss works of art and the ways in which these have been interpreted. When the opportunity arises, seminars are taken out of the classroom and artworks are studied in situ.

Your studies culminate in the independent research project (8,000 words), in which you will work closely with your supervisor on a one-to-one basis, to research and write on a topic of your devising.

Class sizes will naturally vary, however seminars normally involve 8 to 14 students.

You will have between six and ten hours on average per week of classes.

Modules are assessed via a mixture of written assessments, slide tests, formal examinations, presentations and project work.

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platformLink opens in a new window. 

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue. 

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent).

• 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.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Practices of Art History

This module will introduce you to the ways in which art history has developed as an academic discipline, illustrating the manifold ways in which it has been practiced from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present.

Academic Preparation for Art Historians

This module (which is not taken for credit) will help you to develop the academic skills you need for graduate study in History of Art. It will facilitate the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study, as well as helping you to engage with History of Art as a new discipline.

Independent Research Project

The Independent Research Project is an extended essay of 8,000 words in length about a topic that you select, with the support of your supervisor. It allows you to pursue your interests in much greater detail than is possible in course work and results in a significant piece of research, which could lay the groundwork for further postgraduate study.

• The Renaissance: North and South
• Art and Disruption, 1900-today
• East meets West: The Visual Arts in Colonial and Post-colonial India
• Reality After Film
• Visual Art and Poetry
• Deconstructing Medieval and Early Modern Buildings

Page updates

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.