Art History

Our MA in Art History allows you to deepen your understanding of art, design, architecture, and visual cultures as created, encountered, and interpreted across a range of cultures and historical periods.

You must hold a UK honours degree (or equivalent), preferably with at least a 2:1 classification. Although your degree does not need to be in Art History or a closely related subject, you will need some knowledge of the subject and an understanding of relevant critical approaches, as the MA in Art History assumes all candidates have the knowledge and skills usually acquired by pursuing the subject at undergraduate level. If your degree or background is not in art history or a related subject, you could study one of our undergraduate art history modules first in order to gain an introduction to critical debates in art history. We especially recommend Art and visual cultures in the modern world (A236), Art and life before 1800 (A237), or Art and its global histories (A344). Alternatively, we strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the current themes and issues in the discipline by reading up on the subject in advance. You'll find suggestions for preparatory reading at: https://fass.open.ac.uk/art-history/ma If you’re in any doubt about the suitability of your qualifications or previous experience, please contact us before you enrol.