Frequently Asked Questions

You do not! The only pre-requisite to participation in our courses is a passion for the visual arts and for art history, along with a good command of the English language.

Our courses are not assessed and while we provide extensive course materials on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for most parts of the programme, it is up to students how much preparatory and subsequent study they wish to undertake.

Any student who attends either four Summer School courses in one year or six courses over three years is eligible for a Short Courses Certificate, signed by the Director. Certificates are made out in September after Summer School and will be posted to your home address. If you would like us to mark your achievement in this way, please send a note – by email or in person – to Jackie Sullivan at short.courses@courtauld.ac.uk by 1 September, with details of the courses you have attended.

Our students range in age from 18 to 80s and beyond! We occasionally accept under 18s – please contact us to discuss requirements.

Student feedback has shown that our students find our courses extremely sociable. We keep class sizes low to facilitate and encourage discussion. On campus courses include breaks with refreshments, giving students the opportunity to get to know each other over coffee and cake. Those attending a Summer School on campus course are invited to the Frameworks programme, which is shared by all Summer School courses, and weekly drinks receptions.

At present, concessions are available for Saturday Study events.

The fee depends on a course’s length and intensity, and can be found on its webpage. Any income generated by the Short Courses is used to support the work of The Courtauld in order to advance the study of art history and conservation.

Spring Courses online

The fee for five-day or five-week online courses in the programmes Variations on a Theme and Making Sense of in the Spring is £195. There is an additional fee of £50 for optional Saturday visits where these are offered.

The course fee for Spring online courses includes

• Five pre-recorded one-hour lectures for all Making Sense of and Variations on a Theme Lectures are delivered to students two weeks before the first discussion session.
• Variations on a Theme – Modernism in Art and Music consists of 5 pre-recorded lectures/music sessions and 3 extended live Zoom seminars in the afternoons (of between sixty to seventy-five minutes’ duration), depending on student numbers in two groups at 14:00 and at 16:00 [London time].
• Making Sense of Key Concepts of Western Art: ‘Nature’, ‘Life’ and Lifelikeness consists of 5 pre-recorded lectures and 5 live Zoom seminars in the evenings (of between sixty to seventy-five minutes’ duration) at 18:00 [London time]. An optional museum and gallery visit takes place on a Saturday, from 10:00-13:00, and incurs an additional fee of £50.
• A social ‘icebreaker’ session, usually on the Wednesday before your first Zoom seminar, to meet your tutor and classmates. We teach in small groups to facilitate discussion.
• Pre-course reading materials, handouts, further reading suggestions, student-to-tutor and peer-to-peer discussion forums on the VLE

An Introduction to Art History

The fee for An Introduction to Art History in Spring 2024 is £395.

The course fee for An Introduction to Art History includes

• Ten pre-recorded one-hour lectures and five live Zoom seminars (of between sixty to seventy-five minutes’ duration) at 14:00 [London time]. Lectures are delivered to students four weeks before the first discussion session.
• A social ‘icebreaker’ session, usually on the Wednesday before your first Zoom seminar, to meet your tutor and classmates. We teach in small groups to facilitate discussion.
• Pre-course reading materials, handouts, further reading suggestions, student-to-tutor and peer-to-peer discussion forums on the VLE.

Spring and Autumn Courses on campus

The fee for three-day courses on campus is £375, and £495 for courses over four days.

The course fee for Spring and Autumn on campus courses includes

• Classroom sessions.
• Course visits.
• Morning and/or afternoon refreshments (when students are on campus).
• Extensive course reading and handout materials and suggestions for further self-directed study on the VLE.
• Reference access to the Library during course delivery and in the nearest vacation.

Summer School online and on campus

The fee for each online course in the Summer School is £395, and £645 for each on campus course.

Summer School online includes

• Ten one-hour pre-recorded lectures normally sent four weeks before the start of live Zoom seminars.
• Five live Zoom seminars (of between sixty to seventy-five minutes’ duration); one on each afternoon for the course week at 14:00 and where necessary at 16:00 [London time].
• A social ‘icebreaker’ session in the week before the first Zoom seminar, normally on a Wednesday.
• Opportunities for communication with fellow students and your tutor(s) on two VLE forums.
• Extensive course reading and handout materials on the VLE, including suggestions for further self-directed study.

Summer School on campus includes

• Classroom sessions.
• Course visits.
• Morning and/or afternoon refreshments (when students are on campus).
• A soft drinks reception and guided tours to aspects of the Gallery at Somerset House.
• A late afternoon framework event followed by a drinks reception once a week.
• Extensive course reading and handout materials and suggestions for further self-directed study on the VLE.
• Reference access to the Library during Summer School and in the nearest vacation.

Evening Study Autumn and Winter on campus

The fee for Variations on a Theme – The Renaissance in Art and Music is £495, which includes the integral course visit.

The course fee includes

• Five evening seminars on campus at Vernon Square over five weeks at 18:30 to 21:00.
• Classroom sessions.
• Course visit.
• Evening refreshments (when students are on campus).
• Extensive course reading and handout materials and suggestions for further self-directed study on the VLE.
• Reference access to the Library during course delivery and in the nearest vacation.

Evening Study Autumn and Winter online

The fee for five-week online courses in the winter months is £395 for 10-lecture courses, and £195 for five-lecture courses, including Making Sense of Ideas on Art: A Course in Art Theory. There is an additional fee of £50 for optional Saturday visits where these are offered.

The course fee for Evening Study Autumn and Winter online courses includes

• Five (or ten) pre-recorded one-hour lectures delivered to students two (or four) weeks before the first discussion session.
• A live Zoom seminar in the evenings (of between sixty to seventy-five minutes’ duration, depending on student numbers in two groups. The timings of the seminars vary – please see individual course pages for details. Optional museum and gallery visits take place on Saturdays, from 10:00-13:00.
• A social ‘icebreaker’ session, usually on the Wednesday before your first Zoom seminar, to meet your tutor and classmates. We teach in small groups to facilitate discussion.
• Pre-course reading materials, handouts, further reading suggestions, student-to-tutor and peer-to-peer discussion forums on the VLE.

Study Tours

The fee for three-day tours is £495 and £645 for the four-day tour to the South of France. N.B. Travel to and from the primary destination of the tour, and accommodation, are not included in the course fee; participants are free to make their own arrangements.

The Study Tour fees include:

• Expert guidance and tuition by our course leaders.
• All relevant entry fees to museums, galleries and historic sites.
• Travel by public transport or coach between sites (where relevant).
• Most tours also include sessions in a classroom on site, or the provision of a pre-recorded lecture.
• Extensive course materials on the VLE.

Saturday Study Events
The in-person fee is £40 (£30 concessions: recipients of Universal or pension Credit and full-time students). Companions of disabled students have free access.

The online fee is £10 (£5 concessions, as above).

Saturday Study events include two to three lectures, and for on campus participants refreshments and access to The Courtauld Gallery.

Booking for online access remains open until the end of the relevant exhibition. The lecture recordings will be sent on the Tuesday after the Saturday in question, or within five days for those booking after the 26th, and will be accessible for 8 days from delivery.

For Showcasing Art History, please see the separate terms and conditions here.

Our courses are open to nationals of any state; it is the prospective student’s responsibility to ensure that they obtain whatever kind of visa may be necessary to enter the UK. Further information about visitor visas can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.

Our search found that people from the EU or USA do not need a visa to study in the UK for 6 months or less, while for example Chinese passport holders would need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa to engage in short-term study. You can find out the specific information for your country here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y.

The Campus at Vernon Square

Vernon Square has always served as an educational setting. It was built as a school by the London City Council in the early twentieth century and has more recently served SOAS, University of London as a second campus.

The building offers two large lecture theatres, and nine seminar rooms on the first and second floors, and a reception space and open-air terrace on the top floor. It is fully accessible, with step-free entry, single-level flooring, disabled toilets, lift access to all rooms, and free on-site parking for blue badge holders.

Please bear in mind that all Spring, Autumn and Summer School courses on campus include visits to museums, galleries and other sites within London, its surroundings or nearby cities and therefore a certain degree of physical activity. Likewise, all Study Tours in person require a fair amount of walking and getting around towns and sites, in some circumstances on uneven or otherwise difficult terrain. If you have any doubts whether a particular course or tour is suitable for you, please contact us for further information.

For day-time courses held on campus, morning and afternoon tea and coffee will be provided free of charge, if you are on site, and water will always be supplied in the teaching rooms. In addition, refreshments can be bought in our staff and student common room, or you may wish to bring a packed lunch and eat on our terrace. There are a large number of independent and chain sandwich/snack bars in and around both King’s Cross/St Pancras and Angel stations, as well as several more sophisticated eateries.

Summer School 2024 features 25 intensive five-day courses on a global range of topics from late classical to modern art. Each course lasts five days, so you can follow one course per week.

As in all our programmes, we aim to combine a high level of scholarly expertise with an engaging delivery and a friendly atmosphere, and we welcome everyone over the age of 18, irrespective of previous experience. Exceptionally, we admit students 16 or over; conditions apply – please contact short.courses@courtauld.ac.uk

Small-group teaching facilitates discussion and ensures each student is given the lecturer’s attention.

See our full range of Summer School courses:

Summer School online

Summer School on campus

Summer School courses are non-residential but you may need accommodation while in London. Our research has shown that, at time of publication, the following still offer rooms during the summer. Please note that we have no personal experience of most of these residences, and are unable to assist with bookings.

The Courtauld’s Student Residence Duchy House is situated near our main campus at Somerset House; it is about a half hour’s commute from Vernon Square (a walk to Holborn station; two stops on the Piccadilly line to King’s Cross).  Selected rooms are available from 7 July 2024, and rates range from £79 to £126 per night depending on room type.  N.B. the rooms facing Waterloo Bridge  will not suit you if your require quiet accommodation.  Bookings can be made via this link

International Hall – in the heart of Bloomsbury, a 15-minute walk to Vernon Square. Please follow the link below for more information about and to book the International Hall

https://www.speedybooker.com/en-GB/vendor/internationalhall

AXO offers short-term student accommodation at various sites in London. Their Oxford Circus residence is near Great Portland Street tube station, which has a direct connection to King’s Cross. Alternatively, it is a 35-minute walk to our campus at Vernon Square. AXO Camden and AXO Islington are approximately a 50-minute walk or can be reached by bus or tube from Vernon Square. Find out more about AXO short stays using the link below

https://axostudent.co.uk/short-term-stays/

iQ likewise has several residences near Vernon Square that can be booked for short stays. iQ City, near the Barbican, is a 25-minute walk from Vernon Square. Please follow the link below for more information

https://www.accommodationforstudents.com/student-hall/1684-iq-city-london

iQ Shoreditch, a stone’s throw away from Old Street Station which has a direct tube connection to King’s Cross, is a 35-minute walk from our campus. The link below provides more information about iQ Shoreditch

https://www.accommodationforstudents.com/student-hall/472-iq-shoreditch-london