Program Overview
The Art History and Geography at University of St Andrews is a MA programme in Humanities over 48 months, delivered On-campus. This programme equips graduates with advanced knowledge and practical skills for professional and academic careers in the field.
Students gain a rigorous grounding in both the theoretical foundations and applied dimensions of humanities. The programme combines coursework, research components, and practical projects that develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and specialist expertise relevant to industry and research needs.
Graduates of the Art History and Geography programme are well-prepared for careers in academia, industry, government, and the private sector across United Kingdom and internationally. The programme provides an internationally recognised qualification within the Bologna higher education framework.
Key Program Features
- Duration: 48 months
- Language of instruction: English
- Study mode: On-campus
- English requirement: IELTS 7
- Tuition: GBP 17,040 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 9,000 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
- Location: St Andrews, United Kingdom
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the Art History and Geography programme are prepared for diverse careers in humanities:
- Researcher / Academic
- Cultural Programme Manager
- Editor / Writer
- Translator / Interpreter
- Museum Curator
- Communications Specialist
Program Curriculum
In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in art history alongside modules in usually two other subjects.
During your third and fourth years (known as Honours), you will take specialised modules in art history (and in one other subject if doing a joint Honours degree).
Typically, you will take three modules per semester during your first two years, and two modules per semester during your Honours years.
Course information may change. Module information and course content, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at the University of St Andrews. We display the most up-to-date information possible, but this could be from a previous academic year. For the latest module information, see the module catalogue.
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Students will take at least one of the following first-year modules:
- Art in Europe and Beyond 1600-1800: a survey of European art and architecture in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as global networks of trade, exploration, and colonialism.
- Art in Europe and Beyond to 1600: a survey of medieval and Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture in Southern and Northern Europe, as well as key points of contact with the non-Western world.
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Students will take both of the following second-year modules:
- Modernity, Empire, and Revolution: Art from 1789-1900: explores the intersection of visual culture with modernity, empire and revolution in the long nineteenth century, predominantly but not exclusively in Europe.
- Art, Culture and Politics, from 1900 to Now: examines the relationship between art and political struggle in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exploring how practitioners around the globe have contributed to socio-cultural change and forged new ways of seeing.
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If you decide to take art history in your third and fourth years, you will choose from a wide variety of advanced options. Subject to availability, these may include:
- African Modernisms
- Ajab: The Aesthetics of Wonder in Islamic Art
- Approaches to Art History
- Art and the Ocean: Materiality, Representation, Ecology, 1500-1750
- Art in the Portuguese World, circa 1400-1750
- Art of the Ming and Qing Dynasties from a Global Perspective
- Art History and Environmental Crisis
- Art, Science and Technology 1700-1900
- Art, Theatre and Performance in France 1600-1800
- Aspects of Japanese
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
You need the following GPA score:
Applicants for graduate programs must have the equivalent of a bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s degree with a minimum GPA equivalent to Upper Second Class on the UK Honour scale. Admitted applicants typically have an undergraduate GPA of or better on the UK Honour scale. No exam grade should be lower than 4.5 (European grade scale) or D (American grade scale).
Your GPA (Grade Point Average) is calculated using the grades that you received in each course, and is determined by the points assigned to each grade (e.g. for the US grading scale from A-F).
A good 2.1 UK Honours Degree (or overseas equivalent). If first language is not English, an IELTS 7.0/TOEFL 100IB score is required.
English Proficiency: IELTS 7 or equivalent.
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 17,040 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 9,000 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
Tuition fees: GBP 17,040 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 9,000 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
IELTS requirement: 7
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Contact University of St Andrews directly for scholarship, grant, and financial aid information for this programme. Many European universities offer merit-based and need-based funding for international and domestic students.
About University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
St Andrews, United Kingdom
The University of St Andrews, founded in 1413, is Scotland’s oldest university and one of the most prestigious institutions in the United Kingdom. Located in the historic coastal town of St...
University Profile- Start Date September 2026
- Language English
- Duration 48 months