Program Overview
The History of Art at The Courtauld Institute of Art is a MA programme in Humanities over 9 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 History of Art 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: 9 months
- Language of instruction: English
- Study mode: On-campus
- English requirement: IELTS 7
- Tuition: GBP 19,320 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 9,150 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
- Location: London, United Kingdom
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the History of Art programme are prepared for diverse careers in humanities:
- Researcher / Academic
- Cultural Programme Manager
- Editor / Writer
- Translator / Interpreter
- Museum Curator
- Communications Specialist
Program Curriculum
The Courtauld MA History of Art combines a range of modules and teaching methods.
Special Options
These typically take the form of small group discussion seminars, but may also include exhibition or site visits, and – depending on topic – can include trips in or beyond London or the UK.
In some cases, Special Option groups cluster together in the Autumn semester for joint sessions on issues of common concern, before dividing into more specialised groups in the Spring semester. One-to-one tutorials ensure you get tailored feedback on ideas for your assessments from your Special Option tutor.
Critical Debates
In the Autumn semester, students from different Special Option groups come together for ‘Critical Debates’ around particular themes or problems of relevance to their Special Option – interrogating the idea of ‘The Middle Ages’, for example, or examining the migration of people, objects and ideas since the 19th century. Taught through a combination of lectures and discussion seminars, ‘Critical Debates’ provides opportunities for students to engage with issues of broad concern in their chosen art-historical subfield. Students will be taught alongside those from the MA Curating and MA Contemporary Art and the Moving Image, expanding your peer network.
Virtual Exhibition
The Spring semester group module focuses more heavily on questions of display, curation and exhibition, taking advantage of London’s museums and galleries, including The Courtauld Gallery. It is taught through lectures and discussion groups and culminates in a ‘Virtual Exhibition’, an exercise that encourages students to conceive an (imaginary) exhibition or display, judiciously selecting exhibits and writing, for example, a sample label and catalogue entry. The Virtual exhibition complements the assessed essays, as a visually-led exercise that allows students to develop arguments through the selection and juxtaposition of artworks. The Virtual Exhibition often produces some of our students’ most original and inventive work, and has served for many as a stepping stone into issues of museology and curating.
Dissertation
The final component of the MA is the 10,000-word dissertation, submitted in May. A series of classes and workshops help you to prepare for this independently researched assessment, complemented by one-to-one tutorials with a lecturer with specialism in your chosen field (typically your Special Option tutor). Courtauld MA dissertations are often highly original contributions to scholarship across a wide field, regularly commended by external examiners for being of publishable quality.
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 3.5 on a US 4.0 grading scale. Admitted applicants typically have an undergraduate GPA of or better on a 4.0 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).
- Bachelor\xc2\x92s Degree \xc2\x96 Students will normally have achieved a good 2.1, considered to be an overall average 65% or above.
- We accept overseas qualifications equivalent to a 2.1 in a UK first degree (e.g. US applicants should have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above).
English Proficiency: IELTS 7 or equivalent.
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 19,320 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 9,150 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
Tuition fees: GBP 19,320 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 9,150 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
IELTS requirement: 7
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Contact The Courtauld Institute of Art 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 The Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art
London, United Kingdom
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation.
University Profile- Application Deadline 2009-01-18
- Start Date 2017-10-01
- Language English
- Duration 9 months