With an emphasis on object-based learning, interdisciplinary study and rigorous critical thought, our History of Art BA encourages you to see the world differently. This degree will develop your knowledge and understanding of visual arts and material culture, covering a wide range of visual imagery and using London's extensive public collections, libraries, museums and architecture.
UK students International studentsGrades AAB Subjects No specific subjects, though essay-based subjects are an advantage. At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects. GCSEs English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4.
Grades ABC more about contextual offers Subjects B in essay-based subject GCSEs English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4.
Points 36 Subjects A total of 17 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.
Points 32 more about contextual offers Subjects A total of 15 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units. BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction. D3,D3,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects. AAB at Advanced Highers (or AA at Advanced Higher and BBB at Higher). Not acceptable for entrance to this programme. Not acceptable for entrance to this programme. Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades AAB
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus. Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL. For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
The English language level for this programme is: Level 2 Show details Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page. A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Our teaching ranges from the medieval to the contemporary across an increasingly broad geography, with particular strengths in European art, the Americas, Africa and South Asia. In addition to offering a comprehensive and inclusive foundation in the history of art, the programme allows students to focus on their specific interests within and around the discipline, drawing from fields including anthropology, archaeology, history and philosophy. You may be interested in the new History of Art, Materials and Technology (MAT) route, which aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of works of art as physical objects. You will gain a thorough understanding of artists’ techniques and methods of making, as well as questions of materiality and technology. Students following this route will be well prepared for careers that involve dealing with works of art first-hand, such as art dealers, art conservators, and museum and gallery professionals. Students interested in following this route should apply to the BA History of Art programme in the first instance. First-year compulsory modules provide a foundation in the fundamentals of art history, its topics, and its methodologies. These modules explore the significance of art within different cultural and historical contexts. You will select a Thematic Seminar module, which explores a particular topic through small-group teaching in museums, galleries and sites around London. You will also take a module in a modern foreign language and select modules in a subsidiary subject – either anthropology, archaeology, history or philosophy. Students following the MAT route will take modules focused on materials, media and technologies and their application as artists’ materials. The second year includes two Advanced Lecture modules, which provide an in-depth study of a significant art history theme, such as medicine and death in late medieval art. You will select from a wide range of optional modules dedicated to specific periods and topics (‘Period Modules’) and study departmental modules that will develop your analytical skills. You will also continue your subsidiary subject in either anthropology, archaeology, history or philosophy. If you are following the MAT route, you will take modules that delve deeper into the technical aspects of art. In your final year, you will complete a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic discussed with and supported by your tutors. You will also explore your chosen research interests by taking Special Subject modules. These modules change regularly, but recent examples include Art and Visual Culture in Early Modern England, South African Photography, Art and Visual Culture in Modern South Asia, and The Social Life of Artworks. You can also take one module from other disciplines across UCL.
The high-quality research undertaken by staff informs the content of our degrees and keeps our teaching at the forefront of the discipline. We have specialists in all periods from the medieval onwards, with particular strengths in the study of modern and contemporary art and experts in the history of materials and technologies. UCL's central London location provides easy access to important collections, including the British Museum, the British Library, the National Gallery, the Tate Galleries and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Students will also benefit from access to art facilities and resources on campus, including the UCL Art Museum, which houses a significant collection of artworks. These include works by Turner and Rembrandt and important 20th-century prints. These resources are used regularly to support our teaching.
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) in History of Art. If you choose the Materials and Technology route and successfully complete 360 credits, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) in History of Art, Materials and Technology.
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available. Full-time Year One
You will study a compulsory module in ‘History of Art and its Objects’ and two survey modules on key monuments and central issues in art history. You will select a thematic seminar taught mainly in galleries, museums and sites in London. You will take a 15-credit module in a modern foreign language and 30 credits in a subsidiary subject – anthropology, archaeology, history or philosophy. Students on the MAT route will take modules on materials, media and technologies in place of the subsidiary subject. Year Two
You will study Advanced Lectures focused on specific periods and topics and choose from a range of optional ‘period’ and methodologies modules within the department. You will take 30 credits in the same subsidiary subject as your first year or, if you are following the MAT route, further modules on the technical aspects of art. Year Three
All students write a dissertation of 10,000 words involving individual research and choose from a range of optional modules from within and outside the department. Students who have selected the History of Art, Materials and Technology (MAT) route will take modules focused on understanding artists’ techniques, methods of making, the technical aspects of art and questions of materiality and technology. The MAT route also offers a final year Art/Work/Space module that enables you to gain practical work experience while writing an independent research project. Students on both the single-honours or MAT routes will have the opportunity to apply to study abroad during their third year of studies. You will have the ability to opt-in to an application-based study abroad option once you have begun your degree at UCL. In order to transfer to this programme, students will need to complete the study abroad application process, and successfully obtain a placement. A limited number of study abroad placements will be available, and places will be subject to students’ first-year grades and a successful application in their second year. After completing the year abroad, students will return to UCL to complete the final year of studies. The total duration of the degree programme for students who are accepted for the optional year abroad is four years. The UCL Study Abroad Office will help advise students who are interested in applying for a year abroad on the language of instruction at the approved partner universities. Students may attend a university that teaches in English or in another language if they have sufficient proficiency in the target language. Students will likely be required to provide evidence of their proficiency as part of their application. Most of our partners require an intermediate proficiency in the target language. All UCL History of Art students take a language option during their first year of studies in London, and it is recommended that they continue to study this language in their second year of studies if they are allocated a place at a university teaching in a language other than English.