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BA (Hons) History and History of Art
Course
options
Key Details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Arts
- UCAS Course Code
- VV13
- Course Length
- 3 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
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Why you should choose us
3rd
UEA is ranked 3rd overall for research quality in History
Times Higher Education REF 2021 AnalysisCourse Overview
Are you ready to study the past in all its complexity? This degree combines two historical disciplines, History and History of Art. You’ll engage with textual sources and explore the art and material culture of different periods and cultures. Based in the world-famous Sainsbury Centre, you’ll become part of a unique community. We’re the only Art History Department in the UK that is located within a world-renowned art museum.
Our History and History of Art course explores the unfolding history of humanity. You’ll gain critical awareness of the problems of the present, as you explore the political, cultural, and social forces that shape the modern world. You’ll understand how art is made and how knowledge is constructed.
You’ll also gain detailed knowledge of the many ways people have made, displayed, and interpreted art. You’ll examine objects and artworks, including significant aspects of European art history. You’ll also explore the work of artists and material culture from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.
Our course allows you to immerse yourself in the historic city of Norwich. You’ll study in the collections of the Sainsbury Centre, which was designed by Norman Foster. Learning from world-leading experts, you’ll gain different perspectives on history, visual art, and material culture.
We’re part of an international network for the study and display of art. This includes the Sainsbury Centre, Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, and Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. One of the many advantages of the network is the opportunity it provides to connect you with local and national museums. Our graduates have gone on to rewarding and exciting careers in the cultural, creative, and heritage sectors. We look forward to you joining our community.
Placement Year and Study Abroad
You’ll have the option to apply to study abroad for one semester of your second year. Studying abroad is a wonderfully enriching life experience – you’ll develop confidence and resilience, while learning about another culture.
For further details, visit our Study Abroad section of our website.
Study and Modules
Structure
You’ll begin your degree by studying art, artists, and the process of creating. You’ll engage directly with artworks first-hand in order to explore different techniques and visual effects and deepen your appreciation of their functions and meanings. At the same time, you’ll be introduced to art history as a discipline and to one key period of history: medieval, early modern, or modern.
In the second semester, you’ll engage with some of the most significant topics in art history, beginning with an exploration of the role of portraiture in shaping our identities. You’ll also be introduced to periods of tension and conflict in history which have in turn provoked controversies in historical debate.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 20)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 20)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
You’ll be taught by leading scholars in the field of art history and will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and field trips.
Throughout your degree, your learning activities will involve a combination of lectures, small group seminars, and tutorials, combined with independent learning. A representative week will consist of 15-20% class time, 40% work on assessments and 40% on independent learning.
Your seminar groups will very rarely have more than 18 students. This allows for plenty of dialogue between tutors and students. Teaching methods vary, but most sessions are organised around investigation of particular topics supported by close analysis of artworks and texts.
In lecture modules, you’ll engage with a range of art-historical problems and methods. Your lectures will be delivered by members of staff from art history, and history, plus specialist guest speakers.
In your first year, you’ll be guided to prepare material for classes, which you’ll often later use as a starting point for an assessment. You’ll also be given the opportunity to engage with a diverse range of relevant presentation styles such as catalogue entries and exhibition reviews.
Assessment
You won’t sit any formal examinations. Instead, in each year you’ll be assessed on written coursework, usually in the form of essays, presentations, critiques, posters, exhibition catalogues to name only a few. Our assessment methods have been developed to measure your skills, but also to aid your learning.
In your first year, assessment will be aimed at cultivating the skills of close analysis and critical thinking you’ll need throughout the degree.
Structure
In year two, you’ll be able to choose from a very wide range of historical and art historical topics and begin to tailor your studies to your own developing interests. These modules will allow you to develop more specialist knowledge of particular problems and periods. In the spring semester, you’ll be invited to consider how your historical studies relate to contemporary debates about art and explore the role of galleries and museums.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 40)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 20)Optional C Modules
(Credits: 20)Optional D Modules
(Credits: 20)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
As you progress through your course you’ll expand your knowledge, skills and understanding as you become familiar with different art practices and techniques and become accustomed to reading diverse historical sources and art historical and critical texts.
As the course progresses, you’ll have the opportunity to explore more specialised topics that reflect the current research of those teaching the modules. Each year, as your knowledge and study skills become more advanced, you’ll be introduced to material that will encourage your own independent research on topics that interest you.
Assessment
In your second year, you’ll have more autonomy over the way you respond to your assessment prompts, devising your own essay topics and further developing your perspective as an art historian and as a careful reader of historical sources.
Structure
In your final year, you’ll choose three modules which involve close engagement with advanced topics in history and art history. Current art history modules address topics such as identity, psychology, memory, materiality, decolonisation, social inequality and injustice, ecology, climate change and sustainability from a broad range of historical and global perspectives, while history modules include the revolutions in France and Russia, the First World War and death in the Middle Ages.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 30)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 30)Optional C Modules
(Credits: 30)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
In the Spring semester of your third year, independent learning increases again in line with work towards your dissertation.
As you develop specialist knowledge in your final year, you’ll also begin work on a dissertation. This will enable you to refine your understanding of a particular topic and develop the independent perspective crucial to practicing art history beyond university.
Assessment
You’ll have a chance to dive deeply into topics related to the specialisms of our research-active staff. You’ll write an extended essay in which you’ll explore a topic of your own choice through a combined historical and art-historical perspective and your final assessment is your dissertation, which is a piece of independent research that you’ll carry out under the guidance of an academic supervisor.
Employability
After the Course
As a History and History of Art graduate, you’ll be ready for a wide range of careers in the heritage industry, the art world, academia, art publishing and other areas of business. Your experience of studying in a world-famous art museum will give you a competitive edge.
Along with your expertise in history and history of art, you’ll graduate with excellent transferable skills including high standards of writing, research and presentation, which will help with your future career in many different industries including museums and galleries, the art market, the Civil Service and teaching.
You’ll also be well placed to study for a postgraduate degree either here at UEA or at another university. Our Careers Service is here to support you with advice on writing CVs and internships. In the department, we work closely with the Careers Service to provide workshops and seminars with successful alumni.
Careers
Examples of careers that you could enter include:
- Museums and art galleries
- Archives
- The heritage sector
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Teaching/lecturing
Discover more on our Careers webpages.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4 or grade C.
In place of Mathematics GCSE we can also consider Functional Skills Level 2 Mathematics.
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Contextual Offers
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
A levels
AAB
Contextual offer: BBB
BTEC
Level 3 Extended Diploma: DDD
Contextual offer: DDM
Combinations of BTEC and A levels
Extended Diploma: DDD
Contextual: DDM
Diploma: DD plus B at A level.
Contextual: DD plus C at A level.
Extended Certificate: D plus AB at A level.
Contextual: D plus BB at A level.
BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Pathway. Pass Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 36 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 9 credits at Level 3
T levels
Not accepted.
Foundation Year options:
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes such as - History with a Foundation Year and History of Art with a Foundation Year.
- Further Examples of Typical Entry Requirements
International Baccalaureate
33 points overall
Irish Leaving Certificate
4 subjects at H2, 2 subjects at H3
Scottish Highers
AAAAA
Scottish Advanced Highers
BBC. A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4 or grade C.
In place of Mathematics GCSE we can also consider Functional Skills Level 2 Mathematics.
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. For specific details about your country, view our information for International Students.
A levels
AAB
BTEC
Level 3 Extended Diploma: DDD
Combinations of BTEC and A levels
Extended Diploma: DDD
Diploma: DD plus B at A level.
Extended Certificate: D plus AB at A level.
BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers
International Baccalaureate
33 points overall
- INTO UEA
If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
-
IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components)
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.
-
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
You’ll need to pay some additional costs for optional field trips, which are subsidised by the department. You’ll also need to pay some costs for the field trip to Venice in the second year if you choose that option.
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of other course-related costs.
How to Apply
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information: