Our undergraduate BA Art History offers you flexible pathways of study, as well as the option of an additional year studying abroad. Recently transformed to take advantage of the most up-to-date developments in the field, our course covers the whole history of art, enabling you to choose from a variety of specialist options. You engage with art works that range from Old Master paintings, through the Pre-Raphaelites and Surrealists, to the most up-to-date contemporary art and visual culture. Modules explore a wide variety of media, including architecture, urbanism, photography and video, as well as painting, drawing, printmaking, performance art and sculpture. We have also embedded clear pathways to careers in curating and museumship throughout the course should you wish to take them, with modules in every year dedicated to the histories, theories and practices of museums, exhibitions and galleries.
The special characteristics of our courses are flexibility and choice. In your first year, you usually take four or five modules that include pre-requisite(s) for your course but, in many cases, mean you can try subjects you have not come across before. If you are taking a humanities or social science, then you have the greatest choice, as most of our first-year modules do not assume any specialist knowledge.
Year 1
Art & Ideas
The Pre-Raphaelites: Revolutions in Art & Life
Dada & Surrealism between the Wars: Bad Dreams
Ways of Seeing
Collect, Curate, Display: A Short History of the Museum
Year 2
The Renaissance in Tuscany
More Art, More Ideas - Critique & Historiography in the History of Art
Picturing Paris: The Capital of the Nineteenth Century
After Impressionism: European Art from Van Gogh to Klimt
The Art of Exhibition: Salon, Biennal, Blockbuster (Available from October 2015)
Becoming Modern: European Art from Futurism to Surrealism
Art in Latin America I
Journeys Through Time & Space: Architecture & Urbanism
Year 3
You spend this year studying abroad
Year 4
Art & Culture 1945 - Present: Modern Art was a CIA Weapon
Art in Latin America II: Modern and Contemporary
History of Photography (NRG)
The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Film, New Media, Software
The Reinvention of Man & the World: Art & Architecture in High Renaissance Italy
Art & Ideas III: Aesthetics After-Kant
A third year dissertation project is also available as an option.
Universities in the United Kingdom use a centralized system of undergraduate application: University and College Admissions Service (UCAS). It is used by both domestic and international students. Students have to register on the UCAS website before applying to the university. They will find all the necessary information about the application process on this website. Some graduate courses also require registration on this website, but in most cases students have to apply directly to the university. Some universities also accept undergraduate application through Common App (the information about it could be found on universities' websites).
Both undergraduate and graduate students may receive three types of responses from the university. The first one, “unconditional offer” means that you already reached all requirements and may be admitted to the university. The second one, “conditional offer” makes your admission possible if you fulfill some criteria – for example, have good grades on final exams. The third one, “unsuccessful application” means that you, unfortunately, could not be admitted to the university of you choice.
All universities require personal statement, which should include the reasons to study in the UK and the information about personal and professional goals of the student and a transcript, which includes grades received in high school or in the previous university.
IELTS band : 6
To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to
take an IELTS test. More About IELTSA-levels: ABB-BBB GCSE English: C
BTEC National Diploma: DDM in Fine Art
IB: 32-30 points (we consider IB certificates at the Higher level on a case-by-case basis)
Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 6 level three credits at distinction and the remainder at merit (or above) or achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 45 level three credits at merit (or above).
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall with minimum 5.5 in each component (or equivalent). Different requirements apply for second year entry.
No work experience is required.
"The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."
Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.
Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students
* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Essex.
For up-to-date information on funding opportunities at Essex, please visit: www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance.
