MA History of Art and Design
Our postgraduate course offers an integrated and wide-ranging programme designed to engage you in this developing and challenging field of study. The taught PgCert and PgDip programme is based on an inter-disciplinary approach to art and design history that incorporates visual and material culture studies.
Students are encouraged to develop a personal pathway and adapt the programme to their own interests and needs. This is facilitated by the many options and negotiable essay topics and culminates in specialised research for the MA dissertation in History of Art, History of Design or History of Art and Design.
The study of art and design history
The field of art and design history has undergone great changes over the last decades. Interdisciplinary approaches, crossing traditionally separate areas of study, have resulted in an exciting and challenging diversity of methodologies that invite alternative ways of addressing the art or design object and its contexts. Literary criticism, psycho-analysis, anthropology, gender studies, media studies, cultural studies including visual culture and material culture studies have all impacted on art and design history.
The potential range of 'subject matter' for a course programme that combines histories of art and histories of design is clearly enormous. The course is thematically structured to encourage investigation of contemporary methodologies and debates in the field applied to a carefully selected range of case studies that exemplify the scope of the field of study.
These range from early Indian temple sculpture and Renaissance painting to contemporary video art and design in everyday life. The formation of the western canon is examined in relation to the 'non-canonical' (women's practice, popular culture, ethnic cultures). Local interest topics include Matthew Boulton, Bournville and the architecture of Odeon cinemas.
Career opportunities and career development
Course graduates teach in universities and colleges, work in museums and galleries, in arts and heritage administration, conduct professional research and write on art and design, others are practising artists and designers.
If you wish to keep your future employment options open, the breadth and flexibility of this course is ideal for providing widely applicable transferable skills and knowledge.
What graduates say about the course:
"a ... challenging ... and rewarding ... experience!" (Practising artist)
"what attracted me ... was the vocational element"
"enjoyable and a real help to my professional development ... I'd happily recommend it" -
(University lecturer)
"vibrant and challenging course structure recognising cultural diversity"
"an excellent course"
