BA (Hons) HISTORY OF ART WITH GALLERY AND MUSEUM STUDIES WITH A PLACEMENT YEAR

Based in the world-famous Sainsbury Centre, you will study the history of art and museums across the world while exploring the central issues facing the gallery and museum sector today. As well as learning about how art is made, the artists who make it, and its meanings and cultural context, you will develop knowledge and a range of practical skills relating to various aspects of museum and gallery work.  

Alongside key themes in art history, you’ll study topics central to a career in museums, galleries and the heritage sector. You’ll examine the politics and practicalities of different kinds of display across diverse collections and exhibitions, from contemporary art galleries to natural history collections, from historic houses to heritage sites, examining the varied practices of the curators, conservators and educators tasked with engaging broad audiences with art and material culture. 

You’ll explore contemporary debates in art history and consider the role and relevance of galleries and museums in culture and society in the past, present and into the future. 

Our BA History of Art with Gallery and Museum Studies with a Placement Year is ranked in the top 20 for History of Art by 'The Guardian University Guide 2023'.

About

This degree programme combines art history with the study of the history, theory and practice of museums and galleries. You’ll engage with artworks from pre-history right through to the present day from across the world, exploring a wide variety of art forms. You will also examine key issues facing galleries and museums today, developing a range of professional skills relevant to the art and heritage sector. 

You’ll have the opportunity to study the world-famous collection of art held in the Sainsbury Centre, encountering objects and artworks first-hand while learning about the processes and politics of collecting, reflecting on cultures of display and thinking about engaging diverse audiences. You’ll be taught by experts in a range of disciplines, who will encourage you to approach art, material culture and display from different perspectives.  

In your first year, you’ll establish firm foundations for the study of art and museums. In your second and third years, you’ll select from a range of optional modules that cut across the history of art and the history, theory and practice of gallery and museum studies.  

On History of Art with Gallery and Museum Studies with a Placement Year, you will normally spend 9-12 months of your third year in a placement, gaining invaluable working experience and employability skills in a relevant area of your choice. 

All this results in a degree with incredible breadth and depth where you can cultivate key intellectual and professional skills relating to art history and gallery and museum studies.  

This course is delivered by UEA’s world-leading department of Art History and World Art Studies. Staff specialisms include the art and archaeology of the climate crisis, postcolonial discourse, medieval visual cultures, artists’ photography and film, museum studies, curatorial studies, heritage studies, visual art and poetry, and contemporary art and exhibition making. 

We are part of a close network of internationally-renowned centres for the study and display of art: the Sainsbury Centre, the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Students benefit from these networks as well as our links with local and national museums and galleries in Norwich, London and further afield. 

Placement Year and Study Abroad

Want to graduate with professional experience? On this course, you’ll normally spend 9-12 months of your third year* in a placement, gaining invaluable work experience and employability skills in a relevant area of your choice. You’ll be expected to seek your own work placement, and will be supported in doing so by UEA’s Career Central Service and your School. Support for you to find your placement will start early in the first year and will be tailored to the particular needs you will have at various stages of the process. 

The field in which you will do your placement will depend on your own interests, and some of the preparatory workshops will help you have a clearer idea of what these are, what your values are, and which career they may lead to. Graduates of History of Art with Gallery and Museum Studies go into a wide range of sectors, and so placements can be done in fields such as heritage, business, the public sector, creative industries and many more. We will, however, require that the tasks you will conduct as part of your placement meet the required learning outcomes and are complex enough to help you develop a range of skills that you will be able to translate and use during the final year of your degree and your post-graduation career.   

 * Placements may be shorter on some occasions, or take place during different years of the degree, but this has to be agreed by the Placement Director and Learning and Teaching Services. 

After the Course

You’ll graduate ready for a wide range of careers in the museum, gallery and heritage sector, academia, art publishing, teaching and business. You’ll be equipped with sought-after skills such as independent and critical thinking, visual literacy, time management, teamwork, organisational and research skills, public speaking and more. Your experience of studying in a world-famous art museum will give you an edge in the sector. 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. 

Career destinations

A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.

Recent graduates have entered a number of fields, including: 

• Public museums and art galleries 

• Commercial art galleries 

• Event management 

• Publishing 

• Journalism 

• Teaching/lecturing