Art History and Visual Culture

Art represents power, reflects society, and provokes thought and emotion. Studying the history of art helps us understand how we arrived at our present and imagine the future. At Nottingham, you'll explore visual cultures across different periods, media, and societies, and examine how art is discussed and interpreted.

Art in context

Field trips - Participate in a funded field trip to a major European city, where you will develop your own project
On-campus galleries - Utilise the Lakeside Arts galleries as an integral part of your learning
Site visits - Regular visits to study sites and objects first-hand

Art in community

Engage with Nottingham's vibrant arts community, including opportunities for placements and volunteering at Nottingham contemporary and artist-led Primary.

Research-led teaching

The Centre for Research into Visual Culture encourages undergraduates to participate in its research. Recent seminars have involved debates on monuments, iconoclasm, and social justice movements.

Hollywood Internships Programme

Through internships with prominent organisations like A24, Disney, Warner, Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate, and WME, you will gain firsthand exposure to the entertainment industry's inner workings, from script evalutation to audience research.

Supported by industry experts and alumni, including Peter Rice, former Chair of Disney General Entertainment Content, these internships provide unparalleled opportunities for professional growth and networking.

The awards are competitive, and part of an extensive placements programme at Nottingham

Key stats

Ranked in the top 20 for History of Art (Guardian University Guide 2024)
100% of our students agree we have made the subject interesting (National Student Survey 2022)

Why choose us?

Practical experience - Link up with our cultural partners such as Nottingham Contemporary, New Art Exchange, Primary, Backlit and Surface.
Learn with experts - Regular talks and guest lectures including artists, conservation specialists, and curators
Historical range - Explore visual culture from the Renaissance to the present day
Diverse media - Study painting, sculpture, architecture, graphics, photography, film, and more
Crop-up gallery - Crop-up Gallery is a student led curatorial group that aims to take up temporary residence at established exhibition spaces in Nottingham.

I think sometimes people think studying history of art is all looking at Renaissance paintings and finding the secrets – like the Da Vinci Code! Sometimes, very rarely, it’s like that, but really it’s about understanding the intricacies of a social and political landscape through its visual culture.

Read Chloe's full profile >

Chloe Austin

BA History of Art graduate, 2019, Exhibitions and Research Manager at Maximillian William, London

Our courses

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Faculty of Arts

Art History and Visual Culture BA (Hons)

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
V352

Duration
3 years full-time

Start date
Sep 2025

Faculty of Arts

History of Art and English BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
QV33

Duration
3 Years full-time

Start date
Sep 2025

Faculty of Arts

Liberal Arts BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
AAA

UCAS code
Y002

Duration
3 or 4 years full-time depending on language or placement choices

Start date
Sep 2025

Faculty of Arts

Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
BCC

UCAS code
Y14F

Duration
4 years full-time

Start date
Sep 2025

See all

About our courses

Different ways of exploring art suit different teaching methods. We utilise technology to enhance learning experiences, such as using Padlet to facilitate discussions and idea sharing outside of seminars.

We also emphasize experiential learning by getting out of the lecture theatre and examining art in its real-world context. This approach helps students understand the commissioning, production, and curation of art pieces.

Our teaching methods include:

Field trips
Lectures
Practical classes
Seminars
Tutorials
Placements
Workshops

Teaching quality is our priority, all History of Art staff have nationally recognised teaching awards. Along with that, 100% of our students said our staff explain things well (National Student Survey 2022).

Assessment

We use a variety of assessment methods to evaluate your understanding and skills, including:

Commentary
Dissertation
Essay
In-class test
Portfolio (written/digital)
Group coursework
Presentation
Reflective review
Written exam

As an art history graduate, you will have developed key transferable skills, including:

problem solving and analysis
planning and researching
gaining evidence and communications finding
objective thinking
presenting ideas and information

Work placement module

An integral part of your degree, our work placement module helps you:

Construct an outstanding CV
Practice graduate-level interview skills

The multi-week work placement gives you insights, specialised knowledge, and experience to help you be sure you’re on the right path.

Creative pathways

Student network internships - Our competitive internships offer you the opportunity to gain experience with leading US and UK media companies.
Lakeside Arts - The UK’s only city-wide paid cultural internships program offers you the chance to work for six months in one of Nottingham’s leading cultural institutions.

Graduate destinations

Upon graduation, you will have the opportunity to work for a range of roles in diverse sectors, including but not limited to:

curator
education and learning
audience engagement
marketing and public relations
visitor experiences
conservation
academics and research

Many history of art graduates take some time building their careers through a series of roles to reach a specific career goal or decide what job suits them best.

Find out more about how you can use your degree >

''The Creative Pathways Graduate Internship made me realise that a career in the arts is by no means unattainable. It's given me the skills and confidence to apply for other creative roles. Through collaborating with colleagues on marketing, project support, and day-to-day admin, I feel like I’ve got a great insight into different creative careers and what I would suit best.''

- Emily Tregale, 2020-21 intern

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

This core module for single honours second year students allows you to discover a city through detailed exploration of its history and art.

Extensive preparation is followed by a four to five day visit and the development of a portfolio.

This visit will give you a real insight into studying, researching and experiencing art and architecture in another country.

''Having a whole city of artwork to work with allowed us to be individual in our choice of topic, and it was an amazing opportunity to refine and focus our art historical interests before deciding on a dissertation topic.''

- Bethany Wright, BA History of Art

See our study abroad webpage for more information.

Please note: In order to study abroad you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria.

We follow the university's flexible admissions policy and take educational and personal circumstances into consideration.

Further details are available on our applying pages.

Watch the video below:

Join us and be guided by our Admissions Manager, Maryam. With her expert guidance, you'll discover some common myths we hear from potential students. From your reference worries to your predicted grades, and everything in between, Maryam clears up some key points you need to know to start your university experience.

Faculty of Arts

Arts and Humanities Courses with Foundation Year

Who is the foundation year for and what is it like?

Art History and Visual Culture

Answering big questions through art history and visual culture

Faculty of Arts

A day in the life of a history of art student

Second-year student Jasmine shares a typical day...

Help and support

If you’re looking for more information, please head to our help and support hub, where you can find frequently asked questions or details of how to make an enquiry.