Ranking
Top 5
in the UK for History of Art
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Course overview
Discover the stories, cultures and context behind artworks of all kinds. Gain hands-on experience in galleries and arts spaces through work opportunities and get involved with Birmingham’s thriving art scene.
Gain the practical and analytical skills that you need to work in a range of careers, including the arts and cultural sectors.
One of the most unique modules was Art History in the Field - we looked at Parisian art and architecture, and the module involved a week-long trip to Paris so we could go and study the art in person!
Course highlights
- Top 5
in the UK for History of Art
Complete University Guide 2026
- Top 5
in the UK for History of Art
Guardian University Guide 2026
Discover how art shapes and reflects the world around us. Develop a critical understanding of artworks ranging from paintings and sculpture to photography and performance, gained through a variety of hands-on opportunities and approaches to study.
- Attend seminars and events at our art gallery on campus which houses works by famous artists such as; Van Gogh, Monet, Turner, Magritte and Kollwitz.
- Experience historic and contemporary art up close with study trips to local and national galleries including Ikon, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and the Ashmolean in Oxford.
- Get practical arts experience with our Inside the Gallery and Professional Skills modules - learn how to curate an exhibition, and engage with Birmingham city's lively scene bursting with artistic opportunities.
- Get involved with our active Art History community – gain publishing and editorial experience on our department’s blog, The Golovine, and enhance your student experience by joining our dedicated student History of Art Society or get creative and join the Art Society.
The Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies is based in the internationally renowned on-campus art gallery, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, home to masterpieces by Monet, Picasso, Kollwitz, and Van Gogh. Additionally, the University of Birmingham and the city have extensive art collections and institutions, including painting, sculpture, posters, photography, and manuscripts.
The galleries of the Barber Institute are currently closed due to essential building works. Teaching will recommence in the galleries from autumn 2027. Until then, we will maintain the object-focused learning that sits at the heart of our programmes by immersing students in the rich collections elsewhere in the university and across the city.
Get out of the lecture hall and into the galleries
From the university-funded European trip in second year, to the on-site Barber Institute of Fine Arts, to Birmingham Museum and Galleries, the Ikon Gallery, and Digbeth’s art scene, there’s plenty of in-person opportunities to explore art.
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Course delivery
Study at the University of Birmingham and learn from world-class experts—authors of key works and leaders with global teaching and research experience.
Lecture
Seminar
Tutorial
- Lectures: These give you an insightful, expert introduction to key topics; they also provide guidance to support your reading and assessments.
- Seminars: These are small group discussions where you share and test ideas with your academic tutor and your peers. Seminars help you understand topics better and build confidence in sharing your thoughts.
Support during your studies
At Birmingham, you’ll have plenty of support to help you adjust to university life:
- Personal Academic Tutors: You'll have a tutor assigned to you who will guide and support you throughout your studies.
- Wellbeing Officers: The Wellbeing team help with extensions, disabilities, extenuating circumstances, or any personal challenges. They’ll also connect you with further support on campus or elsewhere.
- Academic Writing Advisory Service: Tutorials, workshops and support in structuring an argument and developing your own academic voice.
- Student Experience Team: They offer research opportunities, and cultural, intellectual and social activities to enhance your university experience.
Contact hours
Your degree is designed to help you achieve 120 credits per year, which equals about 40 hours of learning each week. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, independent study, revision, and assessments.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed in different ways to suit each module. At the start of a module, you’ll be told how and when you’ll be assessed. Methods will vary but may include coursework (e.g., essays), group or individual presentations and projects, exams, reports or computer-based assignments.
Feedback: You will receive timely feedback on each assessment, so you can learn from it and improve your performance in future assessments.
Module information
The modules listed for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
The optional module information listed for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.
Year 1
Year 1
2026/27 Session
The following must be taken:
Students must choose both of the below modules or 20 credits of Languages for All modules or additional options provided by the department each year.
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| A History of Art in 20 Objects A | 10 |
| A History of Art in 20 Objects B | 10 |
Year 2
Year 2
2027/28 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Art History in the Field: Overseas Study Trip | 10 |
| Research Techniques in History of Art | 10 |
Students must take THREE optional modules in Semester 1 and TWO optional modules in Semester 2.
The following is an indicative list:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Abstraction and Beyond | 20 |
| American Art in the 1960s | 20 |
| Art, Architecture and Design in Fin-de-Siècle Vienna | 20 |
| Art, Race and the British Empire, 1837-1901: Contexts, Approaches, Legacies | 20 |
| Craft: Practices, Concepts, Activism | 20 |
| Impressionism and After: Art and Society in Late Nineteenth-Century France | 20 |
| Inside the Gallery: Curating an Exhibition | 20 |
| Making Culture: New Ways of Reading Things | 20 |
| Modern Erotica: Sex, Censorship, and Art | 20 |
| Nature framed: the art and politics of landscape 1700 to 1900 | 20 |
| Political Art | 20 |
| Post-War: Art in Britain After the Second World War | 20 |
| Power, Society, Politics: Religious Art in Northern Europe, c. 1400-1600 | 20 |
| Real and Ideal: Art and Society in Mid Nineteenth Century France | 20 |
Year 3
Year 3
2028/29 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Long History of Art Dissertation | 40 |
Students must select TWO modules in Semester 1 and TWO modules in Semester 2.
The following is an indicative list:
Students may also apply to undertake a Professional Skills module. If successful this will be taken in place of one of their semester 1 taught modules.
You can apply to study abroad for a year in an approved university around the world. If you achieve a grade of 2.1 or above in your first year, you will be eligible to apply for a Year Abroad in your second year. If your application is successful, you will go abroad in your third year and return to us for your final year.
Entry requirements
To secure a place at Birmingham, you'll need to meet our general entry requirements as well as those specific to your course.
- A Level
ABB
- IB
6,5,5 including 32 points overall.
- BTEC
BTEC Extended Diploma: DDD. Equivalent accepted, see below for full information.
Number of A levels required: 3
A Level
ABB. General Studies not accepted.
BTEC qualifications
- BTEC Extended Diploma: DDD.
- BTEC Diploma: DD, plus B at A-level.
- BTEC Subsidiary Diploma: D, plus AB at A-level.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
Applicants who take the EPQ and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in the EPQ. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
Core Maths qualification
Applicants who take the Core Maths qualification and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in Core Maths. If you are also taking A-level Maths, you will not be eligible for an alternative offer through studying Core Maths. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
English language requirements
If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification or a Presessional English course.
- TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing.
- IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any band.
- Pearson Test of English (PTE): PTE 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills.
- Cambridge English(exams taken from 2015): Cambridge English: Advanced Minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component
- Language Cert ESOL SELT (UKVI): B2 ‘Communicator’ with no less than 33 in each skill
- Trinity ISE II: Not applicable
- Trinity ISE III: Pass in each Skill
Presessional English courses
If you have a conditional offer for Birmingham where English is a requirement, you can take a Presessional English course as an alternative to retaking IELTS or a similar qualification. We offer on-campus courses all year round starting from September, including additional online courses in the summer term. Teaching takes place in small classes with no more than 18 students to maximise class participation.
Am I likely to receive an offer for 2026?
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Alternative Offers
Students who are eligible and complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive an alternative offer, which is typically two grades below the standard offer.
Our Contextual Offer scheme
Our Contextual Offer scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the Contextual Offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer. You don’t need to apply for this – it will be assessed and applied at the point of application if you’re eligible.
- Pathways to Birmingham
BBC - A level
- Contextual Offer
BBB - A level
Fees and scholarships
The University tuition fee covers the cost of your tuition, examination and graduation, and includes membership of the Guild of Students.
- £9,535*
per year for domestic (UK) students for 2026/27
*The University will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. If Parliament agrees on an increase in tuition fees, the University will increase fees for each year of study, normally in line with these changes and will communicate any change in the fees to you without delay. The fee for September 2025 entry was £9,535 for UK students. If you are applying for 2026 entry, you will be advised of the annual tuition fee once it is confirmed by the Government.
Undergraduate loans
To help with the cost of studies, undergraduate students from the UK can apply for student finance through the Student Loans Company. The support available is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan which helps to cover living costs.
Scholarships, grants and bursaries
At Birmingham, we believe that financial worries should not be a barrier to accessing higher education. That’s why we offer a range of additional financial support for students through scholarships, bursaries and other awards.
Financial support for Home students
If you're a UK student and starting university in September 2026, find out more about what financial support is available to you.
Financial support for International students
We want to help you reach your full potential. Explore our wide variety of scholarships available for international students.
Application process
Whatever your journey to university looks like, we’re here to support you every step of the way. For all undergraduate courses at Birmingham, you apply online through UCAS. The UCAS website has lots of information and advice around the process.
- 14 January 2026
Application deadline for September 2026 entry. Applications close at 18:00 GMT.
View further information on how to apply for undergraduate courses, including advice for UK and overseas applicants.
Career opportunities
As a History of Art student at the University of Birmingham, you'll have excellent opportunities to develop skills that are attractive to a wide range of employers, such as:
- Visual and textual analysis
- Strong communication skills
- An awareness and appreciation of other cultures
- Researching, analysing and interpreting information
- Managing your time and prioritising your workload
- Leadership and teamwork
- The ability to form concise and articulate arguments
Opportunities during your degree
- Boost your skillset, knowledge and experience through our employability-focused modules. With the "Professional Skills Module" you can apply for exclusive roles in a range of sectors, including: small business; charities; social enterprise, commercial, arts, culture and heritage; and public sector. Take our "Inside the Gallery" module and learn how to curate an exhibition while developing your knowledge of the arts sector further.
- You can also benefit from our biennial Art History Careers Fair. Graduates return to campus to talk to current students about their careers, how to find opportunities and the wide variety of roles available in the industry - recent speakers hold positions at the Wallace Collection, Birmingham Museum and Gallery, Sotheby’s Institute, and the White Cube Gallery.
Our History of Art graduates choose to forge careers within and outside the Arts sector. Recent graduates have entered teaching, law, sales, government, media and business. In the Arts, examples of graduate jobs include Archivist, Curator, Gallery Coordinator, Events Officer, Exhibitions Assistant, and Learning and Access Officer.
Our History of Art students have gone on to secure roles such as Founder, Gallery Administrator, Artist, and Director working for organisations such as:
- National Portrait Gallery
- Sotheby's
- Tate
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Arts Council England
The University has commissioned Cturtle as our data partner for tracking our alumni destinations. The data above is a subset from 43,666 alumni who completed their course up to 31 July 2024.
I’ve been really fortunate to have received a wealth of support from the University throughout my start-up journey. We’ve grown to now support over 1,000 artists across the UK, and developed partnerships with organisations and universities worldwide that share our vision for a more accessible art market.
The University is the top choice for the UK's major employers searching for graduate recruits.
The Graduate Market in 2025, High Fliers report
Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique.
Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations.
Careers Network
Our aim is to make sure that success in your studies leads you on to a fulfilling career. Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offer support to help you identify your options, develop your skills and gain access to opportunities that propel you towards your career goal.
Built in Birmingham. Forged for the future.
Hear from some of our inspiring alumni who have gone on to work for leading employers such as the UK Space Agency and BBC Sport.
Upcoming events
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Student experience
Your experience studying at Birmingham will give you the opportunity to discover new experiences, develop different skills and make friends for life.
Our bustling campus with its beautiful grounds, friendly community, and excellent facilities will quickly make you feel at home. We offer you a huge variety of accommodation options in the UK’s second city, exciting activities to get involved in outside your studies, as well as all the support and advice you need.
Accommodation
Coming to Birmingham to study might be your first time living away from home. In our student accommodation, you can enjoy your independence in safe, welcoming and sociable surroundings.
Living in Birmingham
Our cosmopolitan city has a unique history and so much to see and do. With an ever-changing food and drink scene, a vibrant nightlife and plenty of culture, our city is more than somewhere to study.
Student support
Whoever you are and wherever you come from, we are committed to providing the best possible support to our students, both before you start and throughout your time on campus.
Campus life
Our beautiful campus is the place where our diverse community comes together to learn and socialise. Like a town of its own, it’s just minutes from the hustle and bustle of the UK’s second city.
Flexible programmes to suit you
Not sure what you want to study?
Explore your options for combining subjects and shape your degree around your interests, whilst developing key skills for the world of work.
Take a virtual tour
Explore our beautiful campus from wherever you are. Get a feel for the wide range of historic and modern spaces and state-of-the-art facilities.