Art History BA (Hons)
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UCAS Code: Combined Honours only – see combinations tab|Duration: 3 years|Full Time|Creative Campus
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Liverpool has more museums and galleries than any UK city outside London. It also hosts the country's largest contemporary art biennial. This makes it a lively place for studying art history.
In your three years, you'll explore art and visual culture from a wide historical range. You'll focus on modern and contemporary art. Hope’s partnership with Tate Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool enriches the course. You'll hear from guest speakers in the museum field. You'll also get access to Liverpool’s best art collections. The course focuses on critical thinking and visual literacy. It explores different approaches and theories in art history.
Hear from student Bryony Large about what it's like to study Art History at Hope.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, smaller groups of seminars, tutorials, one-to-one meetings and field trips.
For the Art History part of your combined honours degree, there will be approximately 6 teaching hours per week in your first year, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years. As well as teaching hours, you will be expected to spend a number of hours working independently each week, as well as working in groups to prepare for any group work you may have.
Assessment and feedback
Assessment methods vary but include learning essays, reflective writing, assignments, presentations, project work and a research project.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
Curriculum overview
The Art History course begins with a core art history module that explores key developments in ancient, medieval, early modern, modern, and contemporary art. Building on this framework, you will also study specialist art history modules shaped by the expertise of staff. The Art History course also includes professional practice projects and opportunities to engage in hands-on methods of making art to deepen your understanding of how art is created.
Year One
Introduction to Art History: Themes and Issues
This chronological module in the art history studies course introduces key events, styles, and movements in the history of art, from Antiquity to contemporary art. You will examine what artists created and why, how their work was received, and how it related to the social history of the time. The module includes visits to major collections such as the Walker Art Gallery and Lady Lever Art Gallery to study first-hand examples of the styles covered.
Art History: Close Up Lecture
The ‘Close Up’ programme extends the lecture series through in-depth investigation of particular themes, makers, and objects. Lectures may include:
- Close-up investigation of a single artwork or artefact incorporating both formal and contextual analysis
- Considering diverse historical and cultural contexts for individual artworks, artefacts, and practices
- Challenging the ‘grand narratives’ of art history by highlighting marginalised areas of practice
- Workshops, studio sessions, or museum/gallery visits to handle and discuss materials, artefacts, and artworks first-hand
Historic and Contemporary Practices in Art History
This module explores the history and context of artefacts, their materials, and cultural production processes in relation to the contemporary. A critically driven inquiry into methods of making and the significance of materials enhances awareness of artefacts as evidence of global and multicultural relationships. Lectures and seminars alternate with practical workshops, handling sessions, and visits to museums, galleries, and urban public sites. This module complements the ‘Introduction to Art History’ module, offering material, practical, and critical perspectives on both historic and contemporary themes and issues. Specialists from museums, galleries, cultural sites, and archives contribute to the syllabus.
Tutorial
The weekly tutorial in the art history course focuses on developing study skills and methodologies while encouraging student-led discussion and activities. Tutorials also provide a valuable space for debating and discussing topics introduced in lectures and seminars.
Year Two
Special Topics in Art History
The Special Topics modules in the art history course provide the opportunity to study focused themes in detail, based closely on tutors’ expertise. Students choose two topics from a choice of four. Examples include Art and Environment, Gender and Sexuality in Visual Culture, Propaganda in Art, Design and Visual Culture, and Key Concepts in Twentieth Century Photography.
Professional Practice
This practical module runs alongside Fine Art students as a year-long lecture and seminar series. It introduces the workings of cultural institutions and covers aspects of exhibition planning, project management, and fundraising. The practical components take place in seminars and are largely self-directed. Assessment, through a presentation and Learning Portfolio, focuses on the preparatory stages of exhibition planning.
Tutorial
Tutorials in the art history course continue to offer a space to develop study skills and methodologies while debating key topics in art history. Tutorials also provide support for all assignments, with particular attention given to the Special Study Proposal, which serves as a viability study for the Year 3 research project.
Year Three
Museum and Gallery Studies
This module in the art history course provides a systematic understanding of how artworks are collected, cared for, displayed, exhibited, and interpreted by museums and galleries. It critically examines topics such as the purpose of museums and galleries, their audiences, and presentation strategies, considering examples like collection displays, museum architecture, blockbuster exhibitions, biennials, and digital museums.
Students will explore areas including conservation, curating, exhibition design, education, installation, marketing, branding, and fundraising, while also learning about recent theoretical developments in museum studies, such as decolonising the museum. The module includes sessions led by museum professionals who share their expert insight into working at high-profile museums and galleries. Students are also introduced to a range of writers and philosophers of art and wider culture, alongside discussions of social themes such as gender and religion.
Professional Practice
The Professional Practice module focuses on advanced transferable skills and considers future career goals, including job searching, applications, training development, and overall language and presentation skills. Guest speakers from academic and cultural institutions provide opportunities to explore various career pathways and options for postgraduate study.
Tutorial
Final-year tutorials in the art history course directly support the writing of your final research project, whether a Special Study or a combined dissertation.
Entry requirements
| A-Levels | BCC - BBB |
|---|---|
| UCAS Tariff Points | 104 - 120 UCAS Tariff points must come from a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent). Additional points can be made up from a range of alternative qualifications |
| BTEC | DMM - DDM |
| Access to HE | 104 - 120 Tariff Points |
| IB | 26 |
| Irish Leaving Certificate | 104 - 120 Tariff Points from Higher Level qualifications only |
| Welsh Baccalaureate | This qualification can only be accepted in conjunction with other relevant qualifications |
| T-Levels | Merit |
| Subject Requirements | No specific subject requirements |
International entry requirements
| Specific Country Requirements | Select your country |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall (with reading and writing at 6.0) and no individual score lower than 5.5. We also accept a wide range of International Qualifications. For more information, please visit our English Language Requirements page. |
Careers
Graduates in Art History can go on to work in galleries and museums, academia, the heritage and cultural industries, community work, the media, publishing, marketing, advertising, education and the commercial arts sector.
Skills developed studying Art History, such as visual analysis, independent and critical thinking, and working with complex theoretical concepts, can open up a wide range of career opportunities. Students will also have an opportunity to do a student-led voluntary work placement (in Year Two or Three) or a year-long Placement Year in industry between Years Two and Three.
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are £9,535* for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,535*.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
*subject to Council approval.
Additional costs
As well as tuition fees, there is an additional cost of approximately £300 to cover the cost of the optional field trips each year.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2026/27 are £14,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is only available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: