oxford history of art phd

In this section

Dphil programme, the ruskin dphil programme includes two strands: the practice-led dphil (which includes a substantial written component) and the contemporary art history and theory dphil (by written thesis only)., courtesy damian taylor, jaimini patel, an inventory of small acts, 2018 / the artist, tombs of thought ii / brook andrew.

In the case of the contemporary art history and theory DPhil, the Ruskin can offer supervision across a wide range of research projects. These may include aspects of exhibition curating and organisation, as well as the historiography of twentieth-century art and the theorisation of contemporary artistic practices. In the case of the practice-led DPhil, studio work will be undertaken as a central component of the registered research programme, and will be presented in relation to the argument of a written thesis that engages with the relevant theoretical, historical, or critical context. 

The two strands of the DPhil programme are brought into a productive dialogue, both in a structured way at the weekly research seminar and informally in the studios.  For an indication of the range of practical, historical and theoretical topics that are addressed in the School, please have a look at the programme of the Ruskin research seminars, which take place every term.

The Ruskin School of Art provides an exceptional research environment that enables artists, art historians and art theorists to work closely together in a world-leading, research-intensive university. 

Its intimate size and its dedication to contemporary art practice and theory within a stimulating and dynamic interdisciplinary structure allows it to sustain close relations with other academic departments and faculties, distinguishing it from other, larger art schools, and allowing for a wide range of interdisciplinary and collaborative work at DPhil level.

Applicants would normally be expected to have completed, or to be about to complete, a Master’s course or equivalent, either in Fine Art or in a theoretical discipline related to the research project. It is worth noting, however, that both the practice-led and the history/theory DPhil are demanding academic degrees that presuppose a high level of academic ability.

For enquiries relating to the admissions process, please contact the Ruskin’s Graduate Studies Administrator via email at: [email protected] 

Full details on the DPhil programme and requirements for admission specific to the Ruskin DPhil can be found on:  http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/dphil-fine-art

Part-time study

The Ruskin offers the possibility to pursue a DPhil on a part-time basis. In assessing applications from candidates seeking to undertake a research degree through part-time study, the Committee shall have regard to evidence that: (i) the candidate is suitable to undertake research at doctoral level; (ii) the candidate’s personal and professional circumstances are such that it is both practicable for him or her to fulfil the requirements of the course, and necessary for him or her to study on a part-time basis; (iii) if appropriate, the candidate has the written support of their present employer for their proposed course of study and its obligations; (iv) the candidate’s proposed topic of research is suitable for part-time study; (v) the candidate can meet the attendance requirements relating to part-time study.

Part-time students are required to attend for a minimum of thirty days of university-based work each year, to be arranged with the agreement of their supervisor, for the period that their names remain on the Register of Graduate Students unless individually dispensed by the committee.

Attendance requirements  

Supervisors will normally require that attendance takes place during full-term rather than over the vacations so that students can benefit from seminars, lectures and the research activity of the School. All students, full-time or part-time, are required to attend the ‘research methodology’ seminar, which takes place every Michaelmas Term.

In addition, you may like to consult the DPhil Handbook, which gives further details on the structure of the course, supervisions arrangements, staff research interests, ongoing research projects, facilities etc.

Visiting doctoral students

• Please note that we do not offer the possibility of a visiting or exchange period of study for PhD students currently enrolled in another University.

Previous DPhil students and their research topics

Chay Allen  Experience, Chance And Change: Allan Kaprow And The Tension Between Art And Life, 1948-1976 [2015]

Brook Andrew GABAN: ngarranga-birdyulang dhadharra ngawal murrungamirra (STRANGE: after-scar acting/post-traumatic theatre & powerful objects) [2022]

Helen Benigson Fattened Flattened Tongue Ties: Performing Maternality Online and Offline [2020]

Nicola Brandt Emerging Landscapes: Memory, Trauma and its Afterimage in Post-Apartheid Namibia and South Africa [2015]

Clare Carolin The Deployment of Art:  The Imperial War Museum's Artistic Records Committee 1968-1982 [2018]

Beatrice Cartwright  Feminist Impolitics: Time, Pleasure and Labour in Art 1989-2000 [2023]

Sabrina Chou Constitutions [2022]

Shwanda Corbett Feminist Impolitics: Time, Pleasure and Labour in Art 1989-2000 [2023]

Diego de las Heras Pardo ATLAS OF THE HOLE/ HOUSE OF DEMENTIA: The Escutcheon, The Hearth, and The Floor-cloth as motifs for dwelling and storytelling [2020]

Jessica Draper  Being White Part I: A Self-portrait in the Third Person; Being White Part II: Whiteness in South African Visual Culture [2014]

Yuval Etgar The Ends of Collage [2020]

Hilary Floe The Museum Of Modern Art, Oxford, (1965-1982): Exhibitions, Spectatorship and Social Change [2016]

Patrick Goddard Shit House to Penthouse: An autoethnographic investigation into the interface between artists and East London [2019]

Una Henry The Politics of Knowledge That Leads Elsewhere [2017]

Jessyca Hutchens A Gift of Time: The Contemporary Artist-in-Residency Programme [2022]

Sohin Hwang Vitality of Systems [2018]

Hannah Jones The Oweds [2021]

Natasha Kidd The undoing of an object: communicating the complexities of making an artwork [2019]

Minae Kim The Afterlife of Site-specific Sculpture: A Self-referential Study through Practice [2022]

Jinjoon Lee Empty Garden : A Liminoid Journey to Nowhere in Somewhere [2021]

Mariah Lookman  Looking to Draw: Picturing the Molecular Body in Art and Science [2014]

Matthew Mason  The Independent Curator in the Era of Globalisation [2023]

Dorota Michalska  The Other Side of the Elbe River. Interventions in Art, Modernity , and Coloniality in Poland [2024]

Vichaya Mukdamanee (De)contextualising Buddhist Aesthetics [2016]

Saul Nelson Going on From Picasso? Late Modernism and the Dynamics of History [2022]

Chelsea Nichols Human Curiosities in Contemporary Art and Their Relationship to the History of Exhibiting Monstrous Bodies [2014]

Joseph Noonan-Ganley The Contagion of Desire: Two Case Studies of Appropriation Art [2018]

Kirsten Norrie Cloth, Cull and Cocktail; Anatomizing the Performer Body of 'Alba' [2012]

Tamarin Norwood Drawing: The Point Of Contact [2019]

Charles Ogilvie Outsider Cosmologies and Studio Practice [2017]

Francis Oktech Art and Conversation: Disturbation in Public Space [2013]

Jaimini Patel Modes Of Presence In The Contemporary Sculptural Encounter [2013]

Anita Paz Against Indexicality: Photography as a Formation of Thought [2018]

Simon Pope Who else takes part? Admitting the more-than-human into participatory art [2016]

Robert Rapoport The Iterative Frame: Algorithmic Video Editing, Participant Observation & The Black Box [2016]

Vid Simoniti The Epistemic Value of Contemporary Art [2015]

Flora Skivington  Tacita Dean's Representation Of Time In The British Rural Landscape [2012]

Eiko Soga Felt Knowledge: Ecologising Art and Samani Ainu Cooking [2023]

Arturo Soto Gutierrez Affective Vision: Urban Landscape Photographs and their Paratexts [2021]

Inbal Strauss Form Unfollows Function: Subversions of Functionality [2022]

Babar Suleman (I) LOVE (DICK) ISLAND: The Lifeworld of KhudiMagic [2022]

Brandon Taylor After Constructivism [2012]

Damian Taylor 'Busy Working with Materials' Transposing Form, Re-exposing Medardo Rosso [2015]

Christian Thompson Creative Responses to Australian Material Culture in the Pitt Rivers Museum Collection: Parallels between 'We Bury Our Own' and 'Mining The Museum' [2016]

Oraib Toukan Two Seconds, One Frame: On the Afterlife of Cruel Images [2019]

Naomi Vogt Inventing Ritual: Moving Images of Social Reality in Contemporary Art [2018]

Jason Waite Michi no Oku/The End of the Land: Contemporary Art in Japan and the Catastrophic Condition [2022]

Nina Wakeford NOW, SAY THIS, NOW: the re-amplification of political energies [2017]

Ruobing Wang Green Instruments: A Critical Evaluation Of Environmental Concerns In Contemporary Chinese Art [2010]

Curtis Winter The Recollections: The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) [2020]

Farniyaz Zaker Allegories of the Veil [2015]

Ruskin School of Art 74 High Street Oxford OX1 4BG Email: [email protected] Tel: +44(0) 1865 276 940

128 Bullingdon Road Oxford OX4 1QP

For graduate study enquiries Email: [email protected] Tel: +44(0)1865 276941

Site Version 4.9 Design

Quick Links

Student & staff links.

DPhil Study

The History Faculty offers the DPhil (available on a full-time or a part-time basis) in all areas of post-Classical history. 

The DPhil is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination. The thesis will be based on extensive original research and engagement with current scholarship. Full-time DPhil students are expected to submit their thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission. Part-time DPhil students are expected to submit their thesis six, or at most eight, years from the date of admission.

All research students in the Oxford History Faculty benefit from the advice of a specialist supervisor or supervisors, and all are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of expertise available within the Faculty and the University more widely.  

As a DPhil student, you will have many opportunities to present your work and to share ideas through the Faculty’s wide and varied range of research seminars. You are also encouraged to gain valuable experience by establishing and convening your own networks and workshops. The Faculty and Colleges also provides some funding for field-work and attendance at conferences outside Oxford. DPhil students in the History Faculty may also gain experience in teaching and lecturing through the Introduction to Teaching scheme.

The Faculty Offers Three DPhil Degrees:

DPhil in History

DPhil in History (Economic and Social History)

DPhil in History of Art

Part-time dphil study.

The Faculty is now able to accept a number of students for part-time study towards a DPhil. Part-time students are fully integrated into the research culture of the History Faculty and afforded all the same opportunities and support as full-time students, and are expected to take full advantage of these opportunities. A candidate's supervisor and the co-ordinator of part-time studies, are available to advise part-time students on how to access research and training provision. However, it may not always be possible to offer the part-time study mode in very specialized areas of research.

Although there is no requirement to reside in Oxford, part-time research students must attend the University in person on a regular basis, particularly in term-time, for supervision, research, seminars, and skills training. The pattern of attendance will be individual to each student and worked out between the student and supervisor. The part-time DPhil cannot be undertaken by distance learning, and students must be able to devote 2-3 days a week to their research. The Faculty appreciates that part-time research students will have non-standard attendance and work patterns, and research may be concentrated into certain periods rather then spread out evenly.

If an applicant is in employment, they must provide a letter from their employer stating they may take time off if necessary to attend the University as required for the duration of the course, before the Faculty can confirm their offer of a part-time place.

Students offered a place on the full-time DPhil can switch to part-time study before the course starts, or after they have enrolled, but cannot switch back to full-time.

DPhil Handbook

The DPhil Handbook can be found on the Oxford Historians Hub (OHH) site by clicking here . 

Oxford Historical Monographs (OHM)

Oxford Historical Monographs (OHM) is a series for the publication of Oxford University DPhil theses whose content is historical. It is published by Oxford University Press (OUP).

Study at Cambridge

About the university, research at cambridge.

• Undergraduate courses
• Events and open days
• Fees and finance
• Postgraduate courses
• How to apply
• Postgraduate events
• Fees and funding
• International students
• Continuing education
• Executive and professional education
• Courses in education
• How the University and Colleges work
• Term dates and calendars
• Visiting the University
• Annual reports
• Equality and diversity
• A global university
• Public engagement
• Give to Cambridge
• For Cambridge students
• For our researchers
• Business and enterprise
• Colleges & departments
• Email & phone search
• Museums & collections
• Postgraduate Courses
• Department of History of Art
• About Us overview
• Slade Visiting Professors
• Recent Staff Publications
• Alumni overview
• Distinguished Alumni
• Keeping in Touch
• Equality Diversity Inclusivity (EDI)
• Athena SWAN
• Privacy Policy
• People overview
• Directors of Studies
• Head of Department
• University Teaching Officers
• Emeritus and Honorary Professors
• Affiliated Lecturers
• Research and other Fellows
• Associated Academic Staff
• Slade Professors
• MSt Building History
• Professional Staff
• Graduate Students - PhD in History of Art
• Admissions overview
• Undergraduate study overview
• Why study Art History?
• The Course overview
• Years 2 and 3
• Teaching and Learning
• Studying in Cambridge
• What Our Students Say
• Careers in Art History overview
• Destinations of recent alumni
• Alumni Profiles
• Postgraduate Courses overview
• MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture overview
• How to apply for the MPhil in History of Art & Architecture
• MSt in Building History
• PhD in History of Art overview
• How to apply for the PhD in History of Art
• Language Centre
• Research overview
• Medieval and Renaissance Visual Culture
• Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Art and Architecture
• Modern and Contemporary Art and Theory
• Cambridge Visual Culture
• The Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture
• The Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre (CCRAC) overview
• The People’s Art School and Unovis in Vitebsk: An international conference organised by the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre (CCRAC) in collaboration with the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven overview
• About the Conference
• Organisers and Sponsors
• Conference Programme
• Current PhD Topics in the Department overview
• Francesca Aimi: Domenico Veneziano in Context: Reassessing Florentine Visual Culture in the 1440s
• Anneke de Bont: The Christian Epistemic Image in Northern European Print, c.1570–c.1700
• Helen Bremm: Surrealist Tempera Paintings in Mexico and the United States, c.1940–1970
• Thomas Cooper: May Morris, Making, Textiles, c. 1880 – 1938
• Frankie Dytor: Reanimating the Renaissance, 1873 – 1914
• Research Collaborations
• Visiting Scholars
• Visiting Students
• Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships

• Seminar Series overview
• Graduate Research Seminars overview
• The Medieval Art Seminar Series
• The Cambridge Modern and Contemporary Art Seminar Series
• KUNST: German Theoretical Approaches to Art (1750-2000)
• The Cambridge Architectural History Seminars
• The Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture Seminar Series
• The Renaissance and Early Modern Seminar Series
• Outreach overview
• Masterclasses
• Sutton Trust Summer School
• Resources and Other Programmes
• Events overview
• Past Events

PhD in History of Art

• MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture

The PhD in History of Art is a three year research degree offering the opportunity for independent research under the supervision of an expert departmental member of staff. The Department of History of Art has expertise and welcomes candidates in many areas of history of art and architectural research, but is unable to offer places to candidates for whom no supervisor is available.  Applicants are admitted who meet the course requirements and whose research interests match those of an available established University Teaching Officer. The Department does not offer a taught PhD programme, unlike, for example, many North American Universities.

As well as the research and skills training programme offered by the Department, candidates have the opportunity to attend appropriate courses in associated skills, such as modern languages, palaeography, the use of bibliographic and other databases, and computer skills.

Course Structure & Examination

The PhD in History of Art is a three year programme which commences in October each year.  It is also available on a five year part-time basis.  Students submit their dissertations of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree) at the end of their third full-time year (or part-time equivalent) and will be invited to attend an oral examination which will usually take place during the three months following the submission of the dissertation .  The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by two examiners.  At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.

The programme involves minimal formal teaching. Students will usually have their supervisors confirmed before they have begun their course in October and will typically meet for 45 minutes on a fortnightly basis during term time.  A bespoke programme is evolved by the student in conjunction with their supervisor and will include attendance at the Department’s programme of research seminars and other relevant graduate courses. Attending lectures is optional but students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of lectures offered in the Department, their college and other departments and faculties relevant to their research topics.

As well as the research and skills training programme offered by the Department, students have the opportunity to develop their research skills by attending numerous courses, such as those related to the use of bibliographic resources and other databases, and specific computer skills. Informal opportunities to develop research skills also exist through mentoring undergraduate students and other opportunities presented by fellow students and members of staff.

Students will be provided with feedback via supervisions and their supervisor's termly reports which are available to them via their self-service pages on CamSIS.

Annual Review of Work

Students undertake an annual review of their work throughout their programme which is realised in different ways;  for example, the production of a report or undertaking a presentation. The purpose of the reviews is to ensure that students are on track to submit a successful dissertation by the submission deadline. The first review also serves as a registration exercise, for which students have to submit a report of 10,000 words which is orally assessed by two assessors. The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the student is suited to the demands of PhD research and to address any concerns if there are any. 

Examination

Students submit a dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree) . The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by two examiners. At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.

At a Glance

Course length and dates:

3 years full-time/5 years part-time, October start.

Examination:

A dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words. 

Academic requirement:

A 1st class or a high 2i honours degree and a Masters degree with distinction (if a distinction category exists) in History of Art or a related discipline. 

English language requirement:

See Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

Applications accepted from:

The preceding September.

Application Deadlines:

The final deadline for applicants seeking funding is early January, for the exact date, please see the Postgraduate Admissions website. Even if you are not seeking funding, we strongly recommend that you submit your application by this date, as no applications will be accepted once this competitive and popular programme is full.

If places are still available on programmes beyond this deadline; self-funded applicants will continue to be considered until the final deadline in March, for the exact date please see the Postgraduate Admissions website No applications will be considered after this deadline.

The Secretary The Department of History of Art 1-5 Scroope Terrace Cambridge CB2 1PX Tel: 01223 332975 Fax: 01223 332960

Contact: [email protected] [email protected]

Site privacy & cookie policies, how to find us.

© 2024 University of Cambridge

• Contact the University
• Accessibility
• Freedom of information
• Privacy policy and cookies
• Statement on Modern Slavery
• Terms and conditions
• University A-Z
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Research news
• About research at Cambridge
• Spotlight on...

History of Art

• Admissions Requirements
• Fees and Funding
• Studying at Oxford

Course overview

UCAS code: V350 Entrance requirements: AAA Course duration: 3 years (BA)

Subject requirements

Required subjects: A subject involving essay writing Recommended subjects: Not applicable Helpful subjects: History of Art, Fine Art, History, English, a language

Other course requirements

Admissions tests: None Written Work: One piece, one response

Admissions statistics*

Interviewed: 42% Successful: 13% Intake: 15 *3-year average 2021-23

Tel: +44 (0) 1865 286830 Email:  [email protected]

Unistats information for this course can be found at the bottom of the page

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small.

About the course

Anything designed by human beings exhibits visual and material qualities that are specific to the place and period in which it originates.

History of Art aims to arrive at an historical understanding of the origins, meanings and purposes of art and artefacts from a wide range of world cultures. It asks about the circumstances of objects' making, their makers, the media used, their functions, their critical reception and their subsequent histories.

A degree in History of Art educates students in the historical interpretation of art in its cultural contexts. It also provides skills in the critical analysis of objects through the cultivation of visual literacy, as well as encourages students to analyse critically related texts and documents.

The acquired skills have broad applicability in a wide range of professional settings, as well as providing personal enlightenment and enjoyment.

The University's collections, including the famous Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers museums, provide objects for first-hand study under the supervision of those entrusted with their care. The historic architecture of the University, the city of Oxford and its environs supplies a rich source of study in its own right.

The Oxford degree is designed to provide innovative insights into a wide range of world art, drawing its expertise from various University faculties and the staff of University collections, as well as from the department itself.

There is a strong emphasis on how primary visual and written sources from various periods and places can be analysed in relation to works of art and architecture. Students are also encouraged to explore what it means to call something a work of 'Art' and to consider images and objects that may not necessarily conform to traditional definitions of 'Art'.

Unistats information

Discover Uni  course data provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford for a particular undergraduate course.

Please select 'see course data' to view the full Unistats data for History of Art.

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small. 

Visit the Studying at Oxford section of this page for a more general insight into what studying here is likely to be like.

A typical week

Each week you will have around two lectures, and a weekly tutorial.

Teaching usually takes place in the department or in a college, as well as in one of the Oxford museums and galleries where tutors often lecture in front of actual works of art. Visits to exhibitions or historical buildings will also be part of the course.

Outside the classroom most of your time will be spent preparing essays for your tutorials and working in libraries, archives or museums on longer research papers.

Tutorials usually comprise between one and three students and a tutor. Class sizes may vary depending on the options you choose, but there would usually be no more than around 16 students, and often significantly fewer. 

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by tutors or curators. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students who are studying at doctoral level and have normally received formal training in teaching undergraduates. 

To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our  Academic Year  page.

Course structure

Years 2 and 3.

Visit the  History of Art  website for the latest information on all course details and a full list of current options.

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes .

Academic requirements

Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.

Read further information on  how we use contextual data .

If a practical component forms part of any of your science A‐levels used to meet your offer, we expect you to pass it.

If English is not your first language you may also need to meet our English language requirements .

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown on our  Applying to Oxford  pages.

The following information gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Written test

You do not need to take a written test as part of an application for this course.

Written work

*Applicants should have first-hand access to their chosen object so that they may examine it closely in person. When submitting their response essay, they should include a photographic reproduction of their chosen object if possible. In writing their response, applicants may focus on whichever aspects of the object they consider to be most significant. These might include the medium, the design or style, the technique, the subject matter, and/or the location. No special preparation or research is required and footnotes / references are not expected unless a direct quotation is included. The 750-word response should demonstrate curiosity, sensitivity and clarity in response to the chosen object and visual culture more generally. It should be a new piece of writing, not previously submitted for another programme or for assessment or another school assignment.

Read our  further guidance on the submission of written work  for more information, and to download a cover sheet.

What are tutors looking for?

Candidates should show evidence of lively engagement with visual culture, both contemporary and historical. Prior knowledge of art history is absolutely not a requirement and many successful applicants have never studied the subject before university.

What is looked for in applicants is a keen and critical observation of art and of the visual and material environment in general. At interview, candidates are invited to demonstrate a willingness to engage in focused discussion and debate about visual issues, and in addition to responding to one or more photographs of unfamiliar images, which applicants will not be expected to recognise.

Visit the History of Art website for more information on the selection criteria for this course.

The cultural industries are one of the biggest employers in the world. In addition to museums, galleries and auction houses, there are many governmental and nongovernmental agencies that work to conserve, research and promote cultural heritage and to further the production of art both in the UK and around the world.

Furthermore, History of Art graduates will be especially competitive for posts in any area that requires combinations of visual and verbal skills. These include publishing, advertising, marketing, film, television and web-based media. History of Art also prepares graduates to enter the wide range of professions available to all humanities graduates, including the civil service, law and the financial sector.

Note: These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here in 2024. Course fee information for courses starting in 2025 will be updated in September.

We don't want anyone who has the academic ability to get a place to study here to be held back by their financial circumstances. To meet that aim, Oxford offers one of the most generous financial support packages available for UK students and this may be supplemented by support from your college.

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

For more information please refer to our  course fees page . Fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our  guidance on likely increases to fees and charges.

Living costs

Living costs at Oxford might be less than you’d expect, as our  world-class resources and college provision can help keep costs down.

Living costs for the academic year starting in 2024 are estimated to be between £1,345 and £1,955 for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to meet essential costs. For further details please visit our  living costs webpage .

• Financial support

**If you have studied at undergraduate level before and completed your course, you will be classed as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification student (ELQ) and won’t be eligible to receive government or Oxford funding

Fees, Funding and Scholarship search

Additional Fees and Charges Information for History of Art

There are no compulsory costs for this course beyond the fees shown above and your living costs.

Contextual information

Unistats course data from Discover Uni provides applicants with statistics about a particular undergraduate course at Oxford. For a more holistic insight into what studying your chosen course here is likely to be like, we would encourage you to view the information below as well as to explore our website more widely.

The Oxford tutorial

College tutorials are central to teaching at Oxford. Typically, they take place in your college and are led by your academic tutor(s) who teach as well as do their own research. Students will also receive teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. However, tutorials offer a level of personalised attention from academic experts unavailable at most universities.

During tutorials (normally lasting an hour), college subject tutors will give you and one or two tutorial partners feedback on prepared work and cover a topic in depth. The other student(s) in your tutorials will be doing the same course as you. Such regular and rigorous academic discussion develops and facilitates learning in a way that isn’t possible through lectures alone. Tutorials also allow for close progress monitoring so tutors can quickly provide additional support if necessary.

Read more about tutorials and an Oxford education

College life

Our colleges are at the heart of Oxford’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world.

• At Oxford, everyone is a member of a college as well as their subject department(s) and the University. Students therefore have both the benefits of belonging to a large, renowned institution and to a small and friendly academic community. Each college or hall is made up of academic and support staff, and students. Colleges provide a safe, supportive environment leaving you free to focus on your studies, enjoy time with friends and make the most of the huge variety of opportunities.
• Porters’ lodge (a staffed entrance and reception)
• Dining hall
• Lending library (often open 24/7 in term time)
• Student accommodation
• Tutors’ teaching rooms
• Chapel and/or music rooms
• Green spaces
• Common room (known as the JCR).
• All first-year students are offered college accommodation either on the main site of their college or in a nearby college annexe. This means that your neighbours will also be ‘freshers’ and new to life at Oxford. This accommodation is guaranteed, so you don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to live after accepting a place here, all of this is organised for you before you arrive.
• All colleges offer at least one further year of accommodation and some offer it for the entire duration of your degree. You may choose to take up the option to live in your college for the whole of your time at Oxford, or you might decide to arrange your own accommodation after your first year – perhaps because you want to live with friends from other colleges.
• While college academic tutors primarily support your academic development, you can also ask their advice on other things. Lots of other college staff including welfare officers help students settle in and are available to offer guidance on practical or health matters. Current students also actively support students in earlier years, sometimes as part of a college ‘family’ or as peer supporters trained by the University’s Counselling Service.

Read more about Oxford colleges and how you choose

No deferred applications accepted

FIND OUT MORE 

• Visit the faculty's website

Our 2024 undergraduate open days will be held on 26 and 27 June and 20 September.

Register to find out more about our upcoming open days.

RELATED PAGES

• Which Oxford colleges offer my course?
• Your academic year

Related courses

• Archaeology and Anthropology
• Classical Archaeology and Ancient History
• Modern Languages

FEEL INSPIRED?

Why not have a look at the History of Art podcasts page , where you can listen to a number of core lectures and public seminars.

You might also like to view the Faculty's reading list for prospective students or visit their research blog . In addition, you may find it interesting to explore the following resources:

• BBC Radio 4's 'In Our Time'
• BBC Arts coverage

Follow us on social media

Follow us on social media to get the most up-to-date application information throughout the year, and to hear from our students.

Duration: 2 years part-time

Starts: September 2024

Application deadline, 7pm UK time:

• Thursday 02 May 2024

Please read the  application guidance notes  before applying.

Course Director:   Dr Sean Willcock

Undergraduate Certificate in the History of Art

Course details.

Images shape our lives: they shock and soothe, educate and stimulate. We are bombarded by imagery of all kinds but rarely take the time to stop and think about what makes a picture meaningful or impactful.

Our two-year part-time Certificate in the History of Art, taught at first-year undergraduate level, teaches you how to look at art with a critical and informed eye. The history of art isn’t always what you think. It isn’t just galleries and oil paintings; it is the way humans design the material and visual world around them.

During this course, we will explore the function and significance of art in its historical context as well as considering how its uses and meanings have changed over time. What role has art played in our histories? How does it reflect the world in which it was made – and how does it change it? As well as considering themes of skill and beauty, students will reflect on the politics of representation in images that confront issues of power and identity.

Tutors will lead visits to museums and art galleries throughout the course, with trips to current exhibitions whenever possible. Oxford has a wealth of museums and gallery spaces, and we will take every opportunity to introduce these to you.

Please note that 2024 entry is the last chance to study the Certificate in the History of Art in its current format. If you would like to know more about the changes for 2025 entry, please get in touch: [email protected] .

Online open event: Thursday 11 April 2024, 18:00 BST

Ahead of the next application deadline, join us for an hour online for the chance to meet with the course team, chat to former students and have your questions answered. This online event will  not be recorded . Don't miss your chance to participate!

This event is now full.

Quick links

Who is the course for?

How you will study

• The course in detail  – course structure and assessment

IT requirements

• Teaching staff and contact information
• Application details  – how to apply, fees, award and credit transfer

English language requirements

Pathways and other levels of study

Who is this course for?

You will need enthusiasm, commitment and a high degree of motivation if you are to enjoy and complete this course. You do not need any formal qualification or previous study of the history of art. We will judge all applicants by the same criteria:  evidence of interest in art history and ideas; openness towards studying a range of historical art forms and grappling with critical debates about meaning;  the necessary language skills (see below for English language requirements), a determination to succeed; and sufficient time available to devote to class time and private study.

The course is taught through weekly sessions, usually held on Wednesday mornings from 10am - 12pm at Ewert House, Ewert Place, Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7DD. The classes are lively, structured and informative with plenty of time for discussion. Each class will usually be illustrated with slides and video material.

There will also be study visits to museums and galleries, which we will make every effort to arrange at convenient times.

You will need to spend about 8–10 hours in home study per week in term time.

Teaching delivery

This course is expected to be taught in person at Ewert House, Ewert Place, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7DD. Should circumstances dictate, the teaching can be moved online (either fully or partly).

The course in detail

Course structure.

In the first year, students will learn how to look carefully at various art forms and interpret their historical and cultural significance. Students will explore a wide range of artistic materials and their meanings and develop the critical vocabulary and analytical tools necessary to gain a deeper understanding of art and material culture. Each term students will engage closely with different forms of artistic media, including painting, sculpture and other types of visual and material culture.

Michaelmas term 2024: Unit 1

• Ways of Seeing Part 1
• Materials and Meaning Part 1

Hilary term 2025: Unit 2

• Ways of Seeing Part 2
• Materials and Meaning Part 2

Trinity term 2025: Unit 3

• Ways of Seeing Part 3
• Material and Meaning Part 3

The second year provides a survey of Western art history in its global contexts, considering the fine arts in relation to wider forms of visual and material culture, from Renaissance altarpieces to documentary photography and from medieval artefacts to abstract art. While the year follows a broad chronological sweep, each unit addresses themes that cut across geography and time. 

Michaelmas term 2025: Unit 1

• Medieval Art and Material Culture

Hilary term 2026: Unit 2

• Renaissance Art and Material Culture

Trinity term 2026: Unit 3

• Modern Art and Material Culture

Guidance will be given about reading and detailed book lists will accompany each module.

Completing this course will prepare you well for further study, for example, the Department’s  Undergraduate Diploma in the History of Art.

For Year 1, you must complete five assignments of not more than 1,500 words, and a research project of not more than 3,000 words.

For Year 2, you must complete three assignments of not more than 2,000 words, and a research project of not more than 5,000 words.

There is no formal examination at the end of the Certificate course.

To study at this level you are expected to have some IT skills, access to a computer and the Internet. Your course requires you to engage with the Virtual Learning Environment for course materials and uses the Department’s online assignment submission system. Students need to have regular access to a computer and the internet, and some level of experience and skill including the use of Microsoft Word or similar word-processing package, email and internet browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome.

The computer you use should meet our  recommended minimum computer specification .

Teaching staff

The Course Director is Dr Sean Willcock .  Along with Dr Willcock, the teaching panel includes:

• Catherine McCormack
• Patrick Doorly
• Oliver Gosling
• Bryony Leighton
• Kristine MacMichael

Manya Pagiavla

• Hubert Pragnell

Gillian White

All our tutors are very experienced, not only in their subjects but in teaching adult students. They understand the learning needs of students returning to education and will be able to advise you on subject-based study skills throughout the course.

If you are returning to learning after a period of time the Department has a number of Study Skills workshops to help you with study techniques or to write essays. You can obtain information about the Department’s Study Skills programme by contacting +44 (0)1865 280728.

Contact information

If you would like an informal discussion on academic matters before applying you may contact the Course Director, Dr Sean Willcock: [email protected]

Applications and admissions: +44 (0)1865 270312  [email protected]

For general guidance and advice, credit transfer, special needs provision and sources of funding: +44 (0)1865 280355  [email protected]

For information about Study Skills courses: +44 (0)1865 280892  [email protected]

How to apply

Please click on the ‘Apply’ button which will automatically notify us that you want a link to the online application form. We will email you that link together with a code to waive the application fee, and guidance on completing and submitting your application.

You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application:

• a statement of 300 words outlining your previous experience of the subject (if any) and your reasons for wishing to enrol on the course. No need to submit any written work.
• contact details for one referee 
• proof of English language ability if a non-native English speaker. Further information on English language requirements can be found here . Please note that candidates are required to have the higher-level score.

If possible, your referee should be someone who can comment on your academic ability and background, but where this is not appropriate, please choose a referee who can vouch for your motivation, commitment and potential. A reference from a family member is not acceptable.

Admissions decisions will be based on an assessment of knowledge, relevant experience, academic ability, potential and suitability for a course of study. We welcome applicants without traditional qualifications, including those with relevant career or life skills.

Selection criteria

Even if a course has no specific academic entry requirements then: (a) assessment of an applicant’s academic ability and suitability for the course of study will still take place and (b) since applications for many courses often significantly exceed places available, each application will be judged against the gathered field of applicants for each course each year.

The University is committed to promoting diversity, equality, inclusion, and widening access, including during the admissions process. We fully endorse the Equality Policy and our admissions procedures are kept under regular review to ensure compliance with this policy.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for interview.

The final decision on admission to the course rests with the Department.

Award and credit transfer

An Undergraduate Certificate will be awarded on completion of the course. You will be invited to receive your Certificate at the annual Awards Ceremony of the Department for Continuing Education, held at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre.

The syllabus and teaching of the course are aimed at first-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 4). Students who successfully complete this two-year course will be awarded an Oxford University Undergraduate Certificate in the History of Art, equivalent to 120 CATS points at first-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 4) in the Department’s Qualifications and Credit Framework. Outstanding performance will qualify for a Distinction. These credit points are widely recognised in terms of credit for transfer to other higher education institutions, including the Open University and modular universities such as Oxford Brookes University. 

Opportunities vary for the transfer of credit, so students who are considering taking this course in order to transfer credit are advised to discuss the possibilities with the Course Administrator on  [email protected]  or  [email protected] . 

Learn more about the  Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS points) .

The fee in 2024-25 is £3,295 (Home, Islands, and Republic of Ireland students) or £6,210 (Overseas students). An option to pay the fee in instalments may be available.

Please be aware that fees will usually increase annually.

Information for applicants from the EU, EEA and Switzerland

On 11 May 2021 the UK Council for International Student Affairs published  new regulations and guidance  to be used in assessing the fee status of students commencing courses in August 2021 and later. We will be using this guidance to carry out fee status assessments for students commencing courses in 2021/22 and later, including students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland. 

If you are an EU national and do not live in the UK then you are likely to be charged Overseas fees. Students with settled and pre-settled status in the UK and some other categories of students who work in the UK can qualify for Home fee status as long as they meet the residence criteria.

Students from outside the UK/Republic of Ireland

If you are from outside the UK/Republic of Ireland, you will be classed either as an ‘Overseas’ or 'Islands' student.

Information on financial support can be found on  our website here .

Overseas students

This course is not suitable for overseas students who do not already live in the UK before the course begins. For information, refer to  www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration .

Please check the information on the specific  English language requirements  for this course. Applicants are required to have the higher-level scores.

The Department for Continuing Education offers  day and weekend  courses, weekly learning programmes and  summer schools  in the History of Art.

In the undergraduate programme, as well as the Certificate in the History of Art, we also offer the  Certificate of Higher Education  and the  Diploma in the History of Art . At postgraduate level we offer the  Postgraduate Certificate in Architectural History , the  MSt in the History of Design , the  MSt in Literature and Arts , the  DPhil in Architectural History  and  DPhil in Literature and Arts .

You may also be interested in studying  History .

If you are planning on embarking on a new career as a result of your studies, or hope to progress in your current field, you can access help and advice through the  University Careers Service .

Top image: © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons .

 Return to top

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support

Sign up for course news

Dr Sean Willcock

Online info session recording, clive lafferty, louise heading, history of art, undergraduate diploma in the history of art.

Department of History of Art

University | A to Z | Departments

• History of Art
• Postgraduate Study

PhD in History of Art

• York Art History Collaborations
• Undergraduate Study
• Postgraduate funding
• Partnerships
• Meet our students!
• International Students
• Mature Students
• Student Activities
• For current students
• For incoming Visiting students
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Ethics for Art Historians
• Employability and Professional Development
• News and events
• Information for Chinese applicants
• Contact and find us

Potential Supervisors

About the phd programme.

The PhD requires a dissertation of not more than 90,000 words, to be submitted by full-time students after a period of three years' study, by part-time students after six years of study.

PhD by Distance Learning

As with our York-based PhD programme, our Distance Learning PhD requires a dissertation of not more than 90,000 words, to be submitted by full-time students after a period of three years' study, by part-time students after six years of study.

This programme is ideal for students with commitments which prevent them from being resident within reasonable travelling distance of York. While a minimum of two weeks of attendance per academic year is required (for registration, training, meetings with the thesis advisory panel and the annual PhD conference), this programme allows students to research overseas while still receiving support and training online and by video-conferencing.  Access to an internet connection and relevant library and/or archives is essential for this programme.

Current research students We have more than 70 research students in the Department of History of Art studying a wide variety of topics: Research students

We welcome students from all backgrounds, with a great range of intellectual interests: students who seek an academic career, and those who require a further professional qualification; applicants who wish to extend their art-historical interests while pursuing other kinds of employment; and those who are seeking to develop an academic interest in their retirement.

Qualifications

Applicants should have a good 2.1 or 1st-class undergraduate degree, or equivalent; applicants for the PhD should also have or be currently completing an MA degree, and we normally require an MA dissertation mark, where one is awarded, of at least 65 or equivalent (where 50 is a bare pass and 70 or above is a distinction).

Exceptions can be made for applicants with an unusual career profile, but who have substantial related experience.

English Language requirements

If your first language is not English you will need to show evidence that you meet our English Language requirements. Read the University's full listings of accepted tests and scores.

Registration

Research students may register full-time (three years) or part-time (six years).

Ordinarily, research students should live within reasonable travelling distance of their designated place of instruction, i.e. the university. However, when undertaking extensive fieldwork, the fieldwork location may be regarded as the designated place of instruction.

PhD applicants who wish to conduct the majority of their research overseas should apply to join our Distance Learning PhD programme.

All research students are encouraged to participate in the wide range of research activities the department offers. These include research seminars, conferences, activities organized by our departmental research schools , study days and reading groups.

Students in York also take full advantage of resources such as the Raymond Burton Humanities Research Library and Borthwick Institute for Archives.

• Read more about resources available to students

Funding A wide range of funding opportunities includes AHRC-funded studentships, departmental studentships, overseas scholarships, travel fellowships, and funding for students with specific research interests. Read more about available funding

Before applying

To start the application process please consult our staff webpages and contact a potential supervisor for your research. Preliminary enquiries are welcomed and should be made as early as possible. However, a scattershot approach - emailing all staff members regardless of the relationship between their research interests and yours - is unlikely to produce positive results. Candidates are advised to make their research proposals as specific and clear as possible.

If you need guidance please email [email protected] .

How to apply

You can apply for this course using our online application system. If you've not already done so, please read the application guidance first so that you understand the various steps in the application process.

Students will apply to the undergraduate degree through an individual Oxford college. The seven colleges that will be taking students reading for the History of Art degree in 2022/23 are as follows:

• Harris Manchester College 
• Christ Church 
• Lincoln College
• St Catherine's College
• St John's College
• St Peter's College 
• Wadham College

Students may want to consult the University's website for information on the colleges detailed to assist them with application decisions.