Social History of Art MA
Year of entry 2023
- Start date
- September 2023
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 12 months full time
- 24 months part time
- Entry requirements
- A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons)
Full entry requirements - English language requirements
- IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component
- UK fees
- £10,750 (total)
- International fees
- £22,250 (total)
- Contact
- finpg@leeds.ac.uk
Course overview
The study of the history of art at Leeds has an international reputation for its innovative, rigorous, diverse and critically engaged approaches, and the emphasis of this course is on social and political approaches to art history.
The MA Social History of Art builds on a legacy of dynamic and challenging scholarship, and continues to test the parameters of the discipline and shape wider debates in the field.
Around a shared commitment to understanding art as central to the production and reproduction of the social worlds we inhabit, our key research strengths lie in feminist, gender and Jewish studies, on questions of materialism and materiality, the postcolonial and the ‘non-Western’, as well as in provocations of those fields of art history considered more ‘established’, from Medieval and Renaissance up to the contemporary.
Drawing on the School’s community of researchers, and with our links to internationally important research institutions such as the Henry Moore Institute, as well as with an abundant and growing array of arts institutions in Leeds and nearby, this postgraduate course will equip you to develop your own critically informed research.
Specialist facilities
Housed within a single central campus location, the School offers a modern and well-equipped learning environment with several studio and exhibition spaces.
Project Space is the School’s multi-purpose space designed for the development of curatorial practice and visiting exhibitions.
The Brotherton Library holds a wide variety of manuscript, archive and early printed material in its Special Collections - valuable assets for your independent research.
In addition to the wide range of museums and galleries in the city and beyond, the University campus features:
Course details
You will study compulsory modules and optional modules.
In your first semester, a compulsory module will cover theoretical and practical work in the history of art. You will develop your specialist knowledge by selecting from a range of optional modules.
Through both the rigorous development of complex descriptive and analytical skills central to the discipline of art history, and engagement with wider theoretical and historical frameworks, you will be given the opportunity to develop your own interests and a distinct critical voice.
Compulsory advanced research skills modules will equip you to undertake assessments and ultimately develop your own research project. The modules build to a symposium in semester two where you can present initial research findings towards a dissertation on a research topic of interest.
The skills you develop, combined with knowledge from your optional modules, will ultimately be focused in your dissertation ― an independent and self-devised research project, which you will undertake with the guidance of your supervisor.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| MA History of Art Core Course | 30 |
| Advanced Research Skills 1 | 5 |
| Advanced Research Skills 2 | 5 |
| Art History Dissertation | 50 |
Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Africa Displaying / Displaying Africa | 30 |
| Derrida and Deconstruction | 30 |
| Reading Sexual Difference | 30 |
| Making Sense of Sound | 30 |
| Jewish Museums and the Display of Cultural Difference | 30 |
| The Margins of Medieval Art | 30 |
| Independent Directed Study | 30 |
| Unfinished Business: Trauma, Cultural Memory and the Holocaust | 30 |
| Intersecting Practices: Questioning the Intersection of Contemporary Art and Heritage | 30 |
| Postcolonial Feminisms | 30 |
| Art & Money: the modern and contemporary art markets | 30 |
| Procuring Representation: Contemporary Art, East Asia, Gender | 30 |
| Anthropology, Art and Representation | 30 |
| Humanity, Animality and Globality | 30 |
| Unmaking Things: Materials and Ideas in the European Renaissance | 30 |
Learning and teaching
You will benefit from a variety of teaching and learning methods including lectures, seminars, online learning and group critiques and tutorials.
Independent study is crucial to the degree ― it allows you to prepare for classes and assessments, build on your skills and form your own ideas and research questions. The University Library offers free classes and resources on topics such as academic integrity and plagiarism, public speaking, searching for information and structuring essays.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
Our taught modules are generally assessed through essays, which you will submit at the end of the semester in which you take each module. Some optional modules may be assessed by other methods including group work, reports and presentations.
Applying
Entry requirements
You’ll need a bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent qualification, for example (though not exclusively) in a humanities or social science subject, such as History, Literature, Languages, Art History, Philosophy or Sociology, or in a practice-based Arts subject where your degree included a significant proportion of historical and theoretical studies.
International
Our admissions team are experienced in considering a wide range of international qualifications. If you wish to discuss whether your qualifications will meet the necessary entry criteria, contact the School’s admissions team.
You can also check the accepted qualifications for your country or region.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Documents and information you need
Your degree certificate and transcripts, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying
Two academic references
Evidence of your English language qualifications if English is not your first subject.
A personal statement. Please answer the following questions within your statement:
Please explain your reasons for applying to this particular course.
What specific fields within the history of art most interest you, and why? Have you studied any of these topics already? If so, you might provide some details of what you studied and to what depth.
Which approaches to the study of art history (i.e. methods, theories) most interest you, and why?
In your academic experience to date, what has prepared you to embark on postgraduate-level study of art history? If you are coming to art history from another discipline, feel free to explain this experience in terms of cognate issues.
What particular challenges and opportunities do you think postgraduate study will offer compared to undergraduate study?
Next steps
Applicants may be invited for an interview as part of the application process.
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2024
This course is taught by
School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies
Contact us
Taught Postgraduate Team
Email: finpg@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Fees
UK: £10,750 (total)
International: £22,250 (total)
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans, scholarships and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.
The School offers a Head of School Excellence Scholarship (International) for international applicants.
Career opportunities
This postgraduate degree will develop your visual, critical and cultural awareness and expand your subject knowledge in history of art. In addition, you will graduate equipped with sophisticated research, analytical, critical and communication skills that will support you to succeed in a variety of careers.
Our graduates have pursued careers as curators and education staff in museums and galleries and worked for national heritage organisations, as well as in journalism, publishing, arts marketing, public relations, university administration and teaching.
Others have transferred the skills they gained into sectors such as the insurance industry, independent style editing and freelance writing on fashion, arts and culture.
Many of our graduates have also continued with their research at PhD level and secured external funding to support them – including AHRC scholarships. Some of our former postgraduate researchers are now developing academic careers in the UK, Europe, Asia, USA and Canada.
Reach your potential
Hear more about the School and Faculty support you can access from our employability lead, Anna Douglas.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.