BA History of Art

Structure & Modules

Each year you will take a combination of required and optional modules totalling 120 credits, with the whole degree equalling 360 credits. The first year will establish solid foundations in the subject through modules that introduce you to a range of periods, places, and methods, with classes taught in London’s art collections. You will also pick a modern language to study.

In the second year, you will take two core modules. One explore works of art as physical objects (Physical Histories) and the other examines the role that museums, galleries and exhibitions play in society (Exhibiting Art). Alongside these, a range of optional modules are offered, exploring different art histories and critical approaches, as well as some electives through the Arts and Humanities departments at King’s College London and the King’s Modern Language Centre.

In your final year, you will be able to express preferences for Special Options and further electives and will also pursue your own research project, culminating in a dissertation. We will accommodate your choice wherever possible, keeping in mind the value we place on research- led teaching in small seminar groups of 12 to 15 students.

You will be supported throughout your degree by a personal tutor who will meet with you regularly to discuss your work and progress, assist you in selecting appropriate modules and offer guidance in your future plans.

The modules we teach are directly shaped by the tutor’s research and partly for that reason, they change from year to year – modules outlined below are therefore indicative of subjects that may be on offer.

Year one

The first year is designed to give you a solid basis for the study of Art History by introducing you to broad content and key skills.

Foundations 1 and 2 (30 credits each):

These two modules, which run in both semesters, introduce you to major themes in art history from late antiquity to the present day, and from across the globe. You’ll learn through lectures and small discussion groups (around 16 students), helping you develop your critical thinking, interpretation, writing and communication skills.

Topics change regularly, but recent lectures have covered:

• Classical and Byzantine Art
• Medieval Art
• The Buddhist Arts of Asia
• Vision and Knowledge in Britain, 1600–1900
• From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter
• Early 20th-Century Avant-Gardes

Topics (15 credits each):

Each semester, you’ll complete a module that takes you out into London – making the most of the incredible art, galleries and museums the city has to offer. You’ll study in small groups (of around 12 students) that meet weekly.

Indicative topics include:

• Chinese Art in London Collections
• Architecture and Identity
• Decolonising the Gaze
• Techniques and Meaning in 20th-Century Art
• Contemporary Art in London
• Medieval Sculpture in London Collections
• Craft and Material Culture in Medieval Islamic Art

Principles of Art History (15 credits):

Language (15 credits):

You’ll have the opportunity to study a language at the Language Centre, King’s College London. You can choose from a wide range of modern languages, such as French Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Mandarin, from beginner to advanced level*. By learning a foreign language, you’ll develop deeper cultural insights, access new ways of thinking and gain valuable complementary skills.

*Some restrictions may apply depending on previous experience and timetabling.

Year two

The second year is designed to help you develop your skills in critical thinking and extend your detailed knowledge of particular art historical periods and themes.

Physical Histories (15 credits):

In the first semester, you’ll take a unique module created with our conservation experts. This module encourages you to explore and interpret works of art by closely observing their physical and material characteristics.

Exhibiting Art (15 credits):

In semester two, the focus shifts to the role of museums, galleries and exhibitions in societies (past, present and future) and how different display techniques can shape (and limit) our understanding of works of art and architecture.

Drawing on London’s art collections for inspiration, you’ll think analytically about the display choices, methods and narrative approaches adopted by different museums and galleries.

Histories (15 credits each):

In each semester this year, you’ll also take up to two ‘Histories’ modules that focus on a particular period, theme, or event. Through lectures and small seminar groups, you’ll explore how art has been interpreted or created in different times and places.

Examples of ‘Histories’ modules include:

• Latin American Modernisms
• Artists, Radicals, Mystics: European Art, 1760–1830
• Image, Object, World: American Art 1945–75
• Art, Travel and Imagination in the Middle Ages
• Reality and Fantasy in French Art, 1863–97: From Haussmannisation to Enchanted Ground
• Italian Renaissance Art in Global Perspective
• Art and Cold War Politics
• Mongol Bling: Nomadic Taste and the Art of Seeing

Approaches (15 credits each):

Each semester, you’ll take an ‘Approaches’ module designed to introduce you to the theories and methods that shape how we think and write about art and art history.

Our weekly small-group seminars give you the freedom to explore your ideas and express yourself in a supportive environment.

Indicative modules include:

• Art History and Social Justice
• Approaches to Islamic Ornament c.650–1350
• Thinking with Things: Theories of Materiality and Material Culture
• Sexual Politics
• Art and Magic in the Pre-Modern World
• Ways of Seeing and Being Seen: The Politics of Vision in Modern and Contemporary Art
• French Writers Think with Contemporary Art
• Approaches to Global Art History
• Sisters/Outsiders/Citizens: Black Feminisms as Praxis

Elective modules at King’s (15 credits):

You can swap one of your ‘Histories’ modules for an elective in selected humanities departments or from the Language Centre at King’s College London.

Year three

Special Options (30 Credits each):

You’ll take two Special Options – one in each semester – taught in small seminar groups that meet twice weekly. These in-depth elective modules take a closer look at specific topics and methods at an advanced level, preparing you for further study and a wide range of careers. 

Examples of Special Options include:

• Modernist Art in Theory
• Art and the Modern Nation: from Medieval Islam to Post-Modern Iran
• The Global Print
• The Black Imaginary in Art
• Sea of Dreams: A Tidalectic Approach to Modernism
• Global Constructivism: Art, Politics and the Everyday

Approaches/Histories/Electives (15 credits each): 

You’ll take two further 15-credit modules: one from our range of ‘Approaches’ and the other either a ‘Histories’ or King’s elective. This gives you even more flexibility to tailor the degree to your interests and future career goals.

BA Research (30 credits):

Beginning in semester one, you’ll start planning your independent research project, defining your topic, chosen research questions and methods. With one-to-one supervision, you’ll write a 7,000 to 8,000-word dissertation, which is handed in at the beginning of the summer. For many students, the dissertation is the highlight of the degree – a chance to explore a specialist topic in depth and develop advanced research skills. 

How we assess your progress

• You’ll need to pass your first year with a minimum mark of 40% to progress to the second year
• Your second year makes up 40% of your final degree mark
• The third year counts for the remaining 60% of your mark

Fees, Funding, Scholarship & Bursary

Tuition fees:

Tuition fees are available here.

Undergraduate Student loans:

Please visit the Student Finance England website for further information and to apply online.

Bursary:

The Courtauld Institute is committed to making its degree accessible to all suitably qualified Home students. We offer financial support, up to £3,000 per year, on a sliding scale for Home undergraduate students who meet set criteria. More information can be found here.

Scholarship:

The James Hughes-Hallett Undergraduate Scholarship has been established through generous philanthropy to support students who are from groups that are underrepresented in UK Higher Education. The scholarship is worth £10,000 over the duration of your three-year degree. More information can be found here.

Travel:

In addition, many final year special options include short group trips with the lecturer to see the art they are studying. These trips are generously subsidised according to their location (UK or abroad), and are planned with the subsidies in mind in order to minimise any additional costs for students. However, it is possible that subsidies will not cover all costs in some instances. Students are encouraged to speak to Student and Academic Services, should they need further support.

Associated Programme Costs: See General Associated Programme Costs.

Support

To support you through the degree, we offer:

Wellbeing: We have a dedicated Wellbeing team, with counsellors and advisors.

Academic Skills: The academic skills tutor offers group and one-to-one help to develop the skills and confidence you need to succeed on the degree. We also have two Royal Literary Fund fellows who will help you with your writing skills – concentrating on how to structure and improve your writing.

Personal tutor: You will be supported throughout your degree by a personal tutor, who will meet with you regularly to discuss your work and progress, assist you in selecting appropriate modules and offer guidance in your future plans.