Masters Degrees (Architecture History)

The MA in Architecture and Urban Design (MAUD) is a wide-ranging mainstream Master's programme in architecture that gives you an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective on contemporary architecture and urban design. The programme informs you about the latest knowledge of architecture and urban design in order to prepare you to become a successful professionals working on a global scale.

You are taught how to combine academic analysis with the development of creative and intellectual skills. We regard theory and practice of architecture as equally important, and believe that joint effort and excellence in both areas are necessary for communicating architecture and urban design competently and successfully. You are encouraged to develop your creative and imaginative abilities; to produce ideas and undertake work that conveys your understanding of architecture and cities in fresh and effective ways.

You learn how to approach contemporary architecture and cities and their relation to the society, culture and arts including film and theatre. Through the analysis of wider social and environmental aspects and through modeling of cities’ life and its dynamic forces, programme considers the ways in which both the heritage buildings and the new design proposals can facilitate in the sustainable development of cities in the future.

Kent School of Architecture (KSA) has developed a unique partnership with Farrells, the internationally renowned architects and urban planners. John Letherland, the Head of Master Planning, currently leads a design module for all students on this programme.

This is a versatile Master’s qualification for architects, urban designers, surveyors, historians, landscape architects, theorists, engineers and other related professionals involved with planning and design of contemporary cities, as well as graduates interested in pursuing further postgraduate studies and an academic career.

This programme is taught at our Canterbury campus. There is also a version of this programme which allows you to spend a term in Paris (https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/181/architecture-and-urban-design-paris).

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/180/architecture-and-urban-design

About Kent School of Architecture

Research at Kent School of Architecture achieves excellence in both the history and theory of architecture and in sustainable urban, peri-urban and environmental design. School staff have design expertise and specialist knowledge; they are at the forefront of current architectural issues, including sustainability, technology, professional practice and research. Our staff are active at academic and professional conferences, both nationally and internationally, and appear and publish in local and national media. The School promotes innovative and interdisciplinary research, emphasising sustainable design.

Much of the project work involved in the Kent School of Architecture is located on 'live' sites in the local region, using real clients and engaging challenging issues. Students in all stages of the school have been introduced to real urban and architectural design challenges in Lille, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, Rye, Chatham and, of course, Canterbury. Much of this work involves liaising with external bodies, such as architects, planners, council and development groups.

Course structure

The MA is composed of four taught modules (two modules per term full-time, one module per term part-time) and a dissertation on the topic of your own choice. The programme leads to an MA but may be taken as a Postgraduate Diploma without the dissertation.

Graduates have worked at the cutting edge of the architectural profession on a global level and progressed to work in academia.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

AR831 - Urban Landscape (30 credits)
AR832 - Research Methods and Analysis (30 credits)
AR848 - Theory and History of Urban Design (30 credits)
AR847 - Urban Design Project (30 credits)
AR999 - Dissertation:Urban Design (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by coursework and the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- ensure that you achieve excellence in your knowledge of architecture and cities through the development of your understanding, research, design and other related abilities

- promote creativity and excellence in architecture and urban design; from understanding concepts to thoughtful project development and the integration of research, strategically and in detail

- develop your knowledge of the theoretical, historical and professional contexts of architecture and urban design and ensure that you are aware of your responsibilities

- develop your understanding of architecture, cities and urban design within a broader cultural context that would include studies of arts and humanities

- promote and support independent research and high-quality skills

- accommodate a wide range of views and develop your specialised original interests

- develop understanding of how the boundaries of knowledge are advanced through research and promote originality in applying knowledge in architecture and urban design

- develop initiative, responsibility and sound critical judgement in making decisions about complex architectural and urban design issues

- enable you to develop strategies for self-improvement and commitment to research and learning

- support you in achieving your full potential in all parts of the programme.

Careers

Our Master’s programmes have been devised to enhance your prospects in a competitive world. Professionals in the architectural, planning, environmental design and conservation fields who develop higher-level skills, accredited by relevant bodies, will find themselves well-placed to progress in their field. Our students have gone on to work for major public agencies and universities, as well as leading practitioners in the private sector.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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Since the Department of History of Art's foundation in 1970, we have established ourselves as one of the world’s leading centres for advanced research in the field. We are proud of our team of staff and students whose impressive performance is critical to sustaining and enhancing the national and international reputation created by our distinguished alumni.

Cambridge itself is, from an art historical point of view, a stunning city in which to live and work. We make full use of Cambridge’s unique holdings of art and architecture, including the Fitzwilliam Museum (on our doorstep), Kettle’s Yard and the University Library as well as the College libraries. The Hamilton Kerr Institute at Whittlesford, a department of the Fitzwilliam Museum, is dedicated to the conservation of easel paintings and contributes to our teaching and research.

The MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture is a nine-month course providing advanced study and training in research in specialised areas of the subject. It is intended as a self-contained programme of art-historical study, but also serves as a preparation for students intending to proceed to doctoral research. Please note that this is a research degree with taught methodological elements, not a conversion course for students whose first degree lies in another subject.

The educational aims of the programme are:

- to provide teaching and learning to post-graduate students in the history of art and architecture in a range of fields linked to the research interests of the staff;
- to provide high-calibre students with training in relevant research skills and to offer excellent specialist supervision of their individual research in these fields;
- to provide a stimulating environment in which students can reach their full intellectual potential;
- to help students develop a wide range of intellectual abilities and skills which will enable them to make a significant contribution in their chosen careers and walks of life, including academic teaching and research.

Visit the website: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/ahhamphaa

Course detail

On completion of the MPhil, students should have:

- made the transition in learning style and pace from undergraduate to postgraduate level;
- acquired the necessary research skills in the use of bibliographical, archival and museum resources as relevant to their field of study;
- gained practice in the use of the languages and archival skills relevant to their chosen research area;
- gained confidence in the choice and use of different methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives;
- refined their critical skills in the examination, recording and analysis of works of art and/or architecture, especially at first-hand (through travel and fieldwork if appropriate);
- gained experience in oral and written presentation, and in a sustained piece of research in the form of a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words;
- acquired the proficiency needed to present in writing a coherent and sustained piece of academic research.

Format

Teaching is delivered through a series of seminars held in the Faculty during the Michaelmas (Autumn) and Lent (Spring) Terms, focusing on salient critical and theoretical issues in the discipline, and organised into two parallel strands in each term. The seminars include presentations by MPhil students and other research students. Students may either take one option in each term, or follow the same course throughout. A taught course in visual culture offered at MPhil level by another university department (eg Classics, English, History, Modern and Medieval Languages) may be undertaken in addition to one of the two taught courses, with the approval of your supervisor and the Degree Committee of the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art. This needs to be discussed and arranged at the beginning of the Michaelmas Term.

Throughout the course, students are encouraged to undertake independent reading and study, in order to consolidate what is under discussion in the seminars. In addition, they attend the Department’s weekly public Graduate Research Seminar organised by the graduate students, the Department's fortnightly Medieval Seminars and other lectures and seminars in the Department and elsewhere in the University.

The syllabus is as follows:

- Attendance at two selected seminar courses in specialised areas of research, one in the Michaelmas (Autumn) Term and one in the Lent (Spring) Term;
- Attendance at the department's weekly graduate seminars;
- Attendance at classes in skills training and career development;
- Frequent individual consultation with the candidate's supervisor, who will guide the candidate's choice of topics and preparation of individual written work for essays, presentations and dissertation.

Each of the seminar courses runs over two terms (Michaelmas and Lent), with a different emphasis in each term. The seminars include presentations by MPhil students and other research students. Students may either take one option in each term, or follow the same course throughout. A taught course in visual culture offered at MPhil level by another university department (eg Classics, English, History, Modern and Medieval Languages) may be undertaken in addition to one of the two taught courses, with the approval of your supervisor and the Degree Committee of the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art. This needs to be discussed and arranged at the start of Michaelmas Term.

Assessment

- The dissertation of not more than 15,000 words represents 60% of the overall mark and is submitted at the end of May.
- Two essays of not more than 6000 words (one of which may include a literature review). The essays represent 40% of the total mark. One will be submitted at the end of the Michaelmas (Autumn) and one at the end of the Lent (Spring) terms respectively.

Continuing

To continue to read for the PhD following the course, MPhil in History of Art & Architecture students must achieve an overall average score of at least 70%. Continuation is also subject to the approval of the proposed research proposal, and, the availability of an appropriate supervisor.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

There are no specific funding opportunities advertised for this course. For information on more general funding opportunities, please follow the link below.

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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The Islamic Middle East has given rise to an impressive material culture that continues in the present. This programme covers an area stretching from Islamic Spain through the Arab countries, Turkey, Iran and Central Asia in diverse historical periods. It offers students an unmatched opportunity to study particular regions or categories of art, including Fatimid art; the architecture and urbanism of Morocco; Arab, Persian and Turkish painting; the calligraphy and illumination of the Qur'an; Mamluk art and architecture; the arts and architecture of the Ottomans in Turkey and the Balkans; and the material culture of western Iran. Archaeological issues of the Islamic Middle East are also considered.

In addition, the degree engages with trans-regional topics that extend beyond the Middle East, such as cultural and artistic relationships between the Islamic Middle East and Europe.

Students can decide to study complementary courses on non-Islamic traditions of the Middle East and/or the Islamic traditions of other regions.

The Department of the History of Art and Archaeology contains some of the world’s leading experts in the art history and archaeology of the Islamic Middle East, whose ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students working in other related fields, such as Music, Film and Media in the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. They can also select from courses in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in the languages, history, religions and cultures of the Middle East.

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/art/programmes/maaaime/

Structure

Students must complete three units (or 0.5 unit equivalent) of taught MA modules in addition to the compulsory dissertation. A minimum of two units (or equivalent) must be selected from the MA modules in the History of Art and Archaeology department related to History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East. Up to one unit (or equivalent) may be selected from the other MA modules in the department or from MA options offered by other SOAS departments. Students must complete the Dissertation in History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East (15PARC997).

Students may be allowed to study for the MA on a part-time basis. The part-time MA may be taken over two years, in which case the student takes two taught modules in the first year, and one taught module and the dissertation in the second. Alternatively, it can be taken over three years, in which case the student takes one taught module in each year. The dissertation can be written in any year, but it is strongly recommended that this be undertaken in the final year of the programme. It must be submitted in September of the year in which the student registers for it.

Teaching

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures and seminars. Classes are normally between two and three hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentations. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual memory.

In addition to their studies on the MA programme, students at SOAS can participate in a wide range of research seminars, lectures and conferences that regularly take place in the School and in the University of London.

Assessment

For each of the three taught courses, the student will be expected to submit two or three pieces of written work usually around 3,000 to 4,500 words – for a total of 9,000 words per course. The emphasis is on developing essay skills during the session in preparation for the dissertation. In some courses the assessment is 100% on written work. On other courses, assessed course work forms 75% of the student’s final grade and an additional 25% is determined by slide quizzes, projects or other forms of assessment. The 10,000 word dissertation is submitted in September.

Learning Resources

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Destinations

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Asia House
Bonhams
British Museum
Christie's Hong Kong
Design Museum
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
Hong Kong Museum Of Art
India Foundation For The Arts
Museum of East Asian Art
National Gallery National Museum of Singapore
People Projects Culture & Change
Schoeni Art Gallery
Sotheby's
Taiwan Embassy
The Alliance for Global Education
The British Embassy
The Chester Beatty Library
The National Museum Of Korea
The Royal Collection

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

Manager of Communications
Culture Programme Coordinator
Research Assistant
Social Anthropology Lecturer
Specialist - Indian Art
Architect
Art Historian
Development Specialist
Archivist
Gallery Director Innovation Programmes Learning Manager
Creative Director
Organisational Consultant
Travel writer
Art Collector
Chinese Painting Specialist
Professor of Silk Road History
Rights and Reproductions Officer
Public Education Coordinator
Senior Curator of Photographs

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/careers/graduate-destinations/).

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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This MA provides a structured introduction to the postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art.

This programme allows you to spend your first term at our Canterbury campus with full access to its excellent facilities. For the spring term you relocate to our Paris centre to study in a historic corner of Montparnasse. This programme can also be studied in Paris only.

Particular focuses include contemporary art, photography, Renaissance art, medieval art, 18th-century British painting, 19th-century French painting, modernism, aesthetics and the philosophy of art and film. You may elect to take a Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics pathway, which draws on the expertise of our Aesthetics Research Group.

The programme is intended for graduates in art history, philosophy and cognate subjects, such as fine art. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art or philosophy of art.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/99/history-and-philosophy-of-art-paris

About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History & Philosophy of Art Department provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Developing areas of interest include the cultural and historical significance of the print, and the role of performance and new media in contemporary art practices. In particular, postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)
HA841 - Modern Art in Paris (30 credits)
HA898 - History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by two assignments per module and the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide you with a focused programme of taught postgraduate study in history and philosophy of art

- provide you with a taught foundation for subsequent postgraduate research

- enable you to acquire or deepen your knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary topics within the history of art and philosophy of art

- enable you to develop your art historical and philosophical skills beyond that expected of an undergraduate

- enable you to develop, articulate and defend art historical and philosophical ideas as they relate to art

- enable you to engage with historical and contemporary theoretical thought about the arts from art historical and philosophical perspectives.

Study support

Postgraduate resources
There is a large and wide-ranging library holding for History & Philosophy of Art, covering the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, aesthetics and contemporary visual communications. There is a substantial stock of periodicals, online access to e-journals and a slide library with well over 100,000 images, covering areas such as contemporary art, visual cultures, garden history and the film still, as well as traditional media. Kent is ideally located for access to galleries in London and on the continent.

In 2010, we moved into the purpose-built, and RIBA award-winning, Jarman Building located at the centre of the Canterbury campus. The new building is home to the Studio 3 Gallery and a range of teaching and social spaces as well as a dedicated postgraduate centre.

Support
All postgraduate students are offered research skills training and the opportunity to take part in reading groups and research seminars at departmental, school and faculty level. Research students have the added opportunity for funded conference attendance. There is also a dedicated student support office at our Canterbury campus, which can offer support and guidance throughout your studies, in addition to an office in Paris.

In recent years, several members of the History & Philosophy of Art Department, both full-time and part-time, have been awarded University prizes for excellence in student support, curriculum innovation and research-based teaching – an ethos which we seek to extend to the postgraduate community.

Dynamic publishing culture
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: British Journal of Aesthetics; Art History; History of Photography; Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism; Journal of Visual Arts Practice; and The Philosophical Quarterly.

Global Skills Award
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme (http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/programmes/gsa.html). The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability

Research areas

The Department has a collective interest in developing interdisciplinary projects, including projects informed by art history and philosophy of art or aesthetics. Shared areas of research interest include: photography, art theory from the Renaissance to recent times and contemporary art.

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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The MA in History and Philosophy of Art (with a term in Rome) provides a structured introduction to postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art.

It includes a term in Rome where we run the MA with the American University of Rome. A range of themes and approaches are considered in this MA with a particular focus on medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art in Italy. The first term is taught in Canterbury.

During the term in Rome you will study the art of Rome first hand, visiting relevant sites and museums, with options to study the history of Rome and specific artists. Kent staff are present for part of the spring term in Rome to ensure continuity of academic guidance and pastoral support. The campus is located in the Monteverde district of Rome, a picturesque district with a wide range of shops and amenities. From nearby Trastevere, it is a short bus-ride to the historic centre of Rome with its astonishing range of Roman sites, monuments, churches and museums.

The programme is intended for graduates in art history and other arts subjects. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/344/history-of-art-rome

About the Department of History of Art

The History of Art Department within the School of Arts, provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.

Course structure

You take one core module and one optional module during your first term in Canterbury and your second term in Rome. Over the course of these two terms you discuss with the course director your ideas and plans for your 15,000-word dissertation. The writing of the dissertation takes place in the summer with completion in August.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Term 1 (Canterbury):

Compulsory modules:
HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art

One option from:

HA826 - History and Theory of Curating
FI812 - Advanced Film Theory
FR872 - Theories of Art in Modern French Thought
HA826 - History and Theory of Curating
HA835 - A Matter of Taste: The Art and Aesthetics of Food and Drink
HA898 Dissertation

Term 2 (Rome):
Compulsory Module:
HA833 Discovering Rome in Rome: Arts in Rome from antiquity to the present day

One option from:

Optional modules in Rome are taken through the American University in Rome and change each year. Past options have included:

- Michelangelo in Rome

This seminar on Michelangelo examines the work of the Renaissance master; his sculpture, painting, architecture and literary production. His works are investigated within their specific historical context, focusing on issues of commission, iconography, censorship, biography, historiography and aesthetics. An excursion to Florence is also planned. Beyond a complete comprehension of Michelangelo’s work, the course aims toward a mastery of art historical research skills, the evaluation of current scholarship and independent critical thought on art.

Term 3: Dissertation
HA833 - Discovering Rome in Rome: Arts in Rome from Antiquity to the Present Da (30 credits)
HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)
HA898 - History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by two assignments per module and the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide you with a focused programme of taught postgraduate study in history and philosophy of art; enhanced through the opportunity to study for one term in Rome

- provide you with a taught foundation for subsequent postgraduate research

- enable you to acquire or deepen your knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary topics within the history of art and philosophy of art

- enable you to develop your art historical and philosophical skills beyond that expected of an undergraduate; especially through study abroad and site visits

- enable you to develop, articulate and defend art historical and philosophical ideas as they relate to art

- provide access to enhanced intercultural awareness and understanding through the opportunity to study for one term in Rome

- enable you to engage with historical and contemporary theoretical thought about the arts from art historical and philosophical perspectives

- provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication and research skills and other key skills appropriate for graduate employment both in industry and in the public sector.

Research areas

The Department has a collective interest in developing interdisciplinary projects, including projects informed by art history and philosophy of art or aesthetics. Shared areas of research interest include: photography, art theory from the Renaissance to recent times and contemporary art.

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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A pathway degree combines specialisation with flexibility. It is suited both to those of you who are beginning a journey towards a PhD in a particular field, and to those of you who wish to further develop undergraduate or personal interests. The pathways have emerged from clusters of excellence and expertise in the Department and relate directly to our Research Schools of Architectural History and Theory, British Art, Medieval Art and Medievalisms, Modern and Contemporary and Sculpture Studies. We therefore have concentrations of staff working in these areas, and related lectures, colloquia and site visits taking place.

The Architectural History and Theory pathway

If you select the Architectural History and Theory pathway you can take options that are both historical and theoretical, choosing from different periods spanning from the Medieval to the contemporary. In order to complete the degree, at least two of your four option modules and your dissertation must be completed in Architectural History and Theory. Beyond this, the programme structure provides the flexibility for you to either specialise entirely in Architectural History and Theory, or to select up to two of your option modules from art history modules outside the field, or from modules offered by other humanities departments and interdisciplinary centres. Training will be offered in both general and pathway-specific research skills, which will prepare you for the development of a sustained independent research project for your dissertation, on which you will work closely with an academic supervisor who is expert in the field.

Degree Structure

Taken full-time, the one-year MA in History of Art (Architectural History and Theory) consists of:
-Autumn and Spring Terms: A core module focusing on Research Skills and Methods in History of Art, including pathway-specific sessions.
-Autumn Term: Two taught modules of your choice; an option is always offered on historiographical and theoretical approaches to art history.
-Spring Term: Two further modules of your choice.
-Summer Term and vacation: A dissertation of 15,000-20,000 words.

Taken part-time over two years, you would do one option in each of the Autumn and Spring terms, and work on your dissertation during the Summer terms and summer vacation.

Each option is taught by weekly two-hour seminars and assessement is in the form of a 4,000 word essay. Field-trips to view art and architecture are included in the programme, as appropriate.

The Research Skills and Methods in History of Art module, which is taught on a fortnightly basis across the Autumn and Spring Term, culminates in the production of a dissertation synopsis, on which the module is assessed.

The programme culminates in the production of a 15,000-20,000 dissertation, produced under the supervision of a member of staff. The work accounts for 50% of the final degree mark.

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The MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies (MAUS) is a one-year full-time programme of advanced study on contemporary architecture and the continued development of cities around the world.

The MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies (MAUS) is a 1-year programme of advanced study on modern and contemporary architecture and the continued development of cities around the world. Students from a variety of academic backgrounds work in an interdisciplinary environment with urbanists, environmental specialists, architectural theorists and historians and design practitioners. Students will explore a wide range of ideas, research methods and theoretical approaches in order to undertake critical and rigorous analysis of issues relating to both architecture and the challenges and complexities of the world’s rapidly changing cities.

Key benefits

- In the 2014 Research Excellent Framework, Cambridge Architecture’s research work was ranked 1st in the UK, achieving the highest proportion of combined World Leading research. 88% of the research produced by the Department was rated as World Leading or Internationally Excellent (Unit of Assessment 16: Architecture, Built Environment and Planning). This consolidates our top ranking established in the previous Research Assessment Exercise of 2008.

- Ranked 1st for Architecture by the Guardian's 2015 University Guide.

Visit the website: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/aharmpaus

Course detail

The course offers a flexible structure that is tailored to the needs of individual student’s research interests. Seminars and lectures are organised along two basic streams: 1) one focuses on sustainability and environmental design from a more technical point of view; 2) the other emphasises the socio- political and cultural context of architecture and cities with an approach rooted in the humanities and social sciences. Students may participate in both streams, but can also focus on one only. In the second term there is choice of more specialist seminars within both streams. Students are actively encouraged to explore issues across these basic disciplinary boundaries. The course asks students to expand upon their own experiences by pursuing research in their areas of interest.

Format

Teaching in the course is closely integrated with the Department’s research arm, the Martin Centre for Architecture and Urban Studies -http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/ which has a world reputation for research on a wide range of issues and geographical areas. The MPhil benefits from direct input in the form of lectures and seminars and/or individual supervision from the Martin Centre’s research groups:

- Cities and Transport - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/citiesandtransport
- Behaviour and Building Performance - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/behaviour-and-building
- Centre for Urban Conflicts Research - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/conflict-in-cities
- Sustainable Building - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/sustainablebuilding
- Cities South of Cancer - http://citiessouthofcancer.org/
- Digital Studio - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/digital-studio
- History and Theory of Architecture - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/history-and-theory
- Cambridge University Centre for Risk in the Built Environment (CURBE) - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/risk
- Natural Materials and Structures - http://www.martincentre.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/natural-materials-and-st...

Professor Richard Sennett - http://www.richardsennett.com/site/senn/templates/home.aspx?pageid=1&cc=gb, The Department of Architecture’s Sir Arthur Marshall Visiting Professor, contributes a workshop to the programme in the second term. The course also entertains close connections with the Masters in Architectural and Urban Design (ARB/ RIBA Pt2) (MAUD) - http://www.arct.cam.ac.uk/courses/mphil-degree-in-architecture-and-urban-design-maud-arb-riba-pt2 programme enabling research-driven dialogue with designers.

Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops, which are supported by individual supervisions. Individual supervisions are an essential part of the programme, they help to assist, direct and monitor progress of students’ work while, at the same time, help to provide continuous feedback throughout the course.

There is also a range of activities in the Department of Architecture, and throughout the University, that will help students to develop their research interests and to meet the programme outcomes. These include the Martin Centre lunchtime seminar, the City Seminar and ARCSOC Talks. Students may choose to attend units on the MPhil in Sustainable Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Faculty - http://www-esdmphil.eng.cam.ac.uk/ and the MPhil in Screen and Media Cultures, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages - http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/graduates/mphil_SMC.html with whom we have a reciprocal arrangement. MAUS students are welcome to be involved with MAUD in reviews and discussions. The programme includes research skills training designed specifically for the needs of our students.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have acquired the type of research training required to carry on to the PhD, or if conceived as a standalone degree, will have acquired the skills to specialise and enhance their professional prospects.

Assessment

- The dissertation of not more than 20,000 words represents 50% of the overall mark. The word count includes footnotes but excludes the bibliography. Any appendices will require the formal permission of your Supervisor who may consult the Degree Committee. Students submit two hard copies and one electronic copy of their thesis for examination at the end of July.

- An oral examination (viva voce) on the dissertation and on the general field of knowledge within which the work submitted falls may be required. Students must remain in or be prepared to return to Cambridge for such oral examinations, which will be held in September.

- Three essays of 3,000 - 5,000 words including footnotes but excluding the bibliography, on topics approved by your supervisor and the Faculty will be presented for examination. One will be submitted at the beginning of the Lent (Spring) term and the additional two at the beginning of the Easter (Summer) term respectively. The three essays represent 50% of the total mark.

- Students undertake a review of their work on a termly basis day which take place at the end of the Michaelmas (Autumn) and Lent (Spring) Terms and the beginning of the Easter (Summer) Term. Students present their work to a supportive forum which will include academic critics who will provide constructive criticism about the students' proposed essays and dissertations.

Continuing

To continue to read for the PhD degree following the course, MPhil in Architecture & Urban Studies students must achieve an overall total score of at least 70%. Continuation is also subject to Faculty approval of the proposed research proposal, and, the availability of an appropriate supervisor.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

There are no specific funding opportunities advertised for this course. For information on more general funding opportunities, please follow the link below.

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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Exploring the past is exciting, thought-provoking and sometimes revelatory. This postgraduate course in history will help you develop the skills needed to become a historian, with a taught foundation module in the first term that will acquaint you with the theory, tools, techniques and research skills of historical analysis. We will look at the varied primary sources through which we study the past, from laws and official reports to diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers, oral testimony, paintings, cartoons, music, film, architecture, landscape, archaeological remains and the internet. We will consider how a secondary source differs from a primary one and the problems involved in interpreting a source and ascertaining its truthfulness and reliability.

Thereafter, the course offers 2 routes for you to choose between: the first route is research focused and will support you in producing a dissertation of 7000 words on the historical subject that most interests you; the taught route lets you select 1 module from any of the extensive range of option modules offered by the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

This programme is ideal for those who wish to pursue their passion for the past, those who want to experience postgraduate historical study without committing to a full Master’s degree, and those who are changing direction and moving to history from a different undergraduate subject.

Visit the website http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/2016/postgraduate/programmes/GCGHISTO_C/

Our research

Birkbeck is one of the world’s leading research-intensive institutions. Our cutting-edge scholarship informs public policy, achieves scientific advances, supports the economy, promotes culture and the arts, and makes a positive difference to society.

Birkbeck’s research excellence was confirmed in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/news/ref-results/), which placed Birkbeck 30th in the UK for research, with 73% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), History at Birkbeck was ranked 6th in the UK for the percentage of our research deemed world-leading or internationally excellent. 94% of our eligible staff submitted research and we achieved 100% for a research environment supporting world-leading and internationally excellent research.

Read about Birkbeck research that crosses disciplines and focuses on pressing questions within the social sciences and humanities (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/sshp/research).

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

- Arts and humanities courses at Birkbeck are ranked third best in London and 11th in the UK in the Times Higher Education 2015-16 World University Subject Rankings.

- This postgraduate course in history provides the opportunity to pursue your passion for history and undertake independent study and research in the time periods and subject areas that most interest you.

- If you have a degree in a subject other than history, but would like to study history at postgraduate level, this course is ideal for making the conversion between subjects.

- We are located 5 minutes' walk from the British Museum and the British Library, while the Museum of London is easily reachable. Other nearby specialist centres of research include the Institute of Archaeology, the Institute of Classical Studies and the Institute of Historical Research, all of which have internationally renowned library collections and run seminars that you can attend.

- Our Department of History, Classics and Archaeology (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/history/) is ranked in the top 20 nationally and is a world-renowned centre of original, influential research.

- Our academic staff are international authorities in their respective fields, delivering stimulating teaching.

- The department is home to thriving student societies and a number of affiliated research centres that actively run seminars, conferences and other events where some of the world's best scholars present their latest research.

- Find out more about why you should study with us (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/history/prospective-students/why-study-with-us).

- Birkbeck Library has an extensive history collection, including the major specialist journals, and access to online materials.

- Watch videos of our postgraduate students discussing their experience of studying at Birkbeck (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/get-ahead-stay-ahead/student-experience-videos).

Course structure

To gain the graduate certificate, you must successfully complete modules worth 60 credits.

You take the module Foundations of History: Sources and Debates (worth 30 credits), and then choose either the:
- Research route: work towards a dissertation of 7000 words (worth 30 credits), or the
- Taught route: take 1 undergraduate module from those on offer from the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology (worth 30 credits).

Module:
Foundations of History: Sources and Debates

Teaching and assessment

Teaching
This programme aims to encourage and support students in independent learning and original research. This will be facilitated through a mixture of seminars and one-to-one supervision supporting independent study.

Assessment
Assessment for Foundations of History: Sources and Debates consists of 1 essay of 2500-3000 words and either a second essay of 2500-3000 words or a literature review essay of 2500 words. Students on the research route submit a dissertation of 6000-7000 words.

Careers and employability

Graduates can pursue careers in research and archiving, education, the heritage industry, publication and the media, the charity sector, and journalism. Possible professions include historian, higher education lecturer, or archivist. This degree provides a range of transferable skills, which may be useful in becoming a journalist, heritage manager, politician’s assistant, academic librarian, or museum/gallery curator.

Find out more about these professions (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/options_with_your_subject.htm).

Find out more about the destinations of graduates in this subject (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/prospective/careers-and-employability/department-of-history-classics-and-archaeology).

We offer a comprehensive Careers and Employability Service to help you advance your career, while our in-house, professional recruitment consultancy, Birkbeck Talent, works with London’s top employers to help you gain work experience that fits in with your evening studies.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.bbk.ac.uk/prospective/postgraduate/apply

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The MSt in the History of Design is a taught Master's Degree offered part-time over two years.

A tea cup, be it hand-painted porcelain, studio pottery or mass produced ceramic, offers a glimpse of the rituals of everyday life and historical experience. A designed object or space reflects the individual, the society for which it was created, as well as its creator. It expresses aesthetic preoccupations and articulates historical and political conditions. Decoration challenges the hierarchies and contested inter-relationships between the disciplines and careers of artists, designers, crafts workers, gardeners, and architects. Such concerns reside at the heart of the study of the history of design.

This history of design course is taught on nine monthly Saturdays and one residential weekend per annum. The syllabus focuses particularly on the period from 1851 to 1951 in Europe (including Britain) and America. Combining close visual and material analysis with historical methodologies, the course explores decorative and applied art, the design of interiors and public spaces, and for performance and industry.

There will be two Open Mornings, on one Saturday in November 2016 11am - 12.30pm and on one Saturday in February 2017 11am - 12.30pm, where you can meet the Course Director, Dr Claire O'Mahony, and learn more about the course. Please contact usl if you would like to attend including which day you prefer: [email protected].

Visit the website https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/mst-in-the-history-of-design

Description

Core themes of the History of Design course will include the rivalries between historicism and modernity; internationalist and nationalist tendencies; handicraft and industrial processes, as well as the analysis of critical debates about the makers and audiences of decoration in advice literature and aesthetic writing.

The programme aims to provide students with a framework of interpretative skills useful to understanding design. It provides grounding in the analysis of the techniques and materials deployed in creating objects or sites. It enables students to develop a grasp of historical context, encompassing the impact of the hierarchies within, and audiences for, the critical reception of 'decoration'. It encourages the analysis of the historiography of political and aesthetic debates articulated by designers, critics and historians about design, its forms and purposes.

Teaching and learning takes a variety of forms in this programme. In keeping with the Oxford ethos, individual tutorials and supervisions will be an important of the course, particularly whilst researching the dissertation, whilst earlier stages of the programme principally take the form of seminar group discussion, lectures and independent study. First-hand visual analysis is an essential component of the discipline of the history of design. As such each course element of the programme includes site visits, both to Oxford University's unique museum and library collections, and to those nearby in London and the regions. Formal assessment is by means of analytical essay and dissertation writing, complemented by informal assessment methods including a portfolio of research skills tasks and an oral presentation about each candidate's dissertation topic.

The monthly format of the programme should enable applicants who are employed or have caring duties to undertake postgraduate study, given they have a determined commitment to study and to undertake independent research.

The University of Oxford offers a uniquely rich programme of lectures and research seminars relevant to the study of Design History. Research specialisms particularly well represented in the Department for Continuing Education are:

- Art Nouveau and Modern French Decoration
- Modernist Design and Architecture
- The Arts and Crafts Movement
- Garden History
- The Art of the Book
- Ecclesiastical Architecture and Design

As a discipline Design History is well represented in conferences organised and academic journals and books published by The Design History Society; the Association of Art Historians; AHRC Centre for the Historic Interior at the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Modern Interior Centre at Kingston University; The Twentieth Century Society; The Garden History Society; The Textile History Society; The Wallpaper Society, The Societe des Dix-Neuviemistes.

Graduate destinations

Future research and career paths might be a DPhil programme; creative industries; museum curatorship; the art market; teaching; arts publishing.

Programme details

- Course structure
The MSt is a part-time course over two years with one residential weekend per annum. Each year comprises nine Saturdays (monthly; three in each of the three terms in the academic year) students will also have fortnightly individual tutorials and undertake research in reference libraries in Oxford between these monthly meetings. The course is designed for the needs of students wishing to study part-time, including those who are in full-time employment but will require 15 to 20 hours of study per week.

- Course content and timetable
The course is based at Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA. Some classes may take place at other venues in Oxford. Class details, reading lists and information about any field trips will be supplied when you have taken up your place.

Core Courses

- Materials and Techniques of Design
- Historical Methods
- Research Project in the History of Modern Design
- Dissertation

Options Courses

- Decoration in Modern France
- The Arts and Crafts Tradition in Modern Britain
- Design in the Machine Age
- Design, Body, Environment
- Visual Cultures of the World Wars
- Academic Writing and Contemporary Practice

Course aims

The MSt was devised with the aim of providing effective postgraduate-level education in history of design on a part-time basis in which case it should be possible to participate fully in the programme while remaining in full-time employment.

The programme aims to provide students with skills:

- To develop further their critical understanding of the principles and practice of the history of design

- To enhance their subject knowledge, analytical and communication skills needed for professional involvement in the history of design

- To demonstrate a grasp of primary evidence to build on their critical understanding of the types of evidence used in the historical study of designed objects and sites and how they are selected and interpreted

- To build on the appropriate skills and concepts for analysing material objects and textural sources

- To enable the student to undertake their own research to be presented in essays, oral presentations and as a dissertation

- To demonstrate an understanding of primary evidence and secondary sources through the application of appropriate analytical skills and concepts within a research context resulting in a dissertation.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford

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Our MA Art History and Theory is ideal if you are interested in working in academia, the art world or any other field in which visual, written and analytical skills are essential.

At Essex, you have the freedom to study what most interests you. Some of the topics you may choose to explore include Early Modern art and architecture; the history of photography; modern and contemporary art; curatorial practice and exhibition design; as well as more vernacular forms of visual culture, such as body art and activist placards.

Regardless of the topics you pursue, we are committed to research-based teaching, with a particular emphasis on bringing the approaches of art history into contact with other disciplines and discourses. In so doing, we seek to facilitate a critical engagement with artworks and forms of visual culture, both within and beyond the traditional canons of art history.

To supplement what you learn in the classroom, frequent staff-led visits to London museums and galleries will expose you to the some of the world’s best museums and galleries, and you will be strongly encouraged to apply for a placement in order to gain experience in the museum and gallery world. On campus, the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA), Europe’s largest collection of contemporary art from Latin American, will provide an invaluable resource for studying art and curatorial practice first-hand.

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive. Our Art History programme is 6th in the UK for research excellence, with 89% of our work rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014). We also achieved an exceptional 95% student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey.

This course is available on either a full-time or part-time basis.

Our expert staff

Essex Art History features a dynamic group of art historians who investigate the production and reception of images and built environments, across cultures and media from the early modern period to the present. Our staff are experts on topics as diverse as activist art, 19th-century medical photography, the art of Latin America, urbanism, exhibition design and body art.

We also have significant experience in curation and public engagement. Recent projects include:
-Dr Gavin Grindon curated a section of Banksy’s Dismaland show and co-curated the Disobedient Objects exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which was one of the most well attended shows in the museum’s history.
-Dr Matt Lodder has acted as contributor for various television shows on body art and body modification, including the Today programme, the Jeremy Vine Show, Sky News, BBC Breakfast News, ‘Coast’, and National Geographic’s ‘Taboo’.
-Dr Natasha Ruiz Gómez co-organised a major conference on Collect, Exchange, Display: Artistic Practice and the Medical Museum at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, London.

Specialist facilities

At Essex, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums in the nearby town of Colchester; on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world’s best museums and galleries at your fingertips.

Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience and engage in object-based learning, a cornerstone of our approach when teaching the history of art and its modes of display:
-Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the most comprehensive Latin American art research resource in the UK and has a state-of-the-art teaching and research space. Many of our students gain work and research experience through our collection
-Our onsite gallery Art Exchange runs an on-going programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops by curators and artists, as well as exhibitions organised by our postgraduate curatorial students
-Colchester’s iconic Firstsite gallery features an exciting programme of contemporary art exhibitions, film screenings and talks, and exhibitions organised by our students

Your future

The visual arts and culture industries have become an increasingly significant part of the national and international economy, and art history graduates leave Essex with the skills to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in the media, in advertising, in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators, as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, in charities, in publishing, as specialist arts lawyers, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of roles including:
-A member of the valuation team at Sotheby’s (New York)
-Head of Learning at firstsite (a contemporary arts centre in Colchester)
-Visual Merchandising Manager at John Lewis (Oxford Street, London)

We also offer research supervision for students who wish to continue their studies with a PhD or an MPhil. We cover the major areas of European art, architecture and visual culture from 1300 to the present, as well as the art and architecture of Latin America.

We work with our university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Example Structure

Postgraduate study is the chance to take your education to the next level. The combination of compulsory and optional modules means our courses help you develop extensive knowledge in your chosen discipline, whilst providing plenty of freedom to pursue your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.

Art History and Theory - MA
-Dissertation - MA Schemes
-Researching Art History
-Art, Science, Knowledge (optional)
-Collecting Art From Latin America (optional)
-Critique and Curating (optional)
-Curating Inside Out (optional)
-Exhibition (Joint Project) (optional)
-Current Research in Art History (optional)
-Topics in Art History (optional)
-Art & Politics (optional)
-Art, Architecture and Urbanism (optional)

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This MA provides a structured introduction to the postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art. Particular focuses include contemporary art, photography, Renaissance art, medieval art, 18th-century British painting, 19th-century French painting, modernism, aesthetics and the philosophy of art and film. You may elect to take a Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics strand.

The MA gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art, and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art or philosophy of art.

The programme is also available at split site between Canterbury and Paris.
https://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/study/postgraduate.html

About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History & Philosophy of Art Department within the School of Arts, provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Developing areas of interest include the cultural and historical significance of the print, and the role of performance and new media in contemporary art practices, which draw upon our links with other subjects within the School of Arts and the Faculty of Humanities. In particular, postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

HA898 - Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)
HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by coursework and the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide you with a focused programme of taught postgraduate study in history and philosophy of art

- provide you with a taught foundation for subsequent postgraduate research

- enable you to acquire or deepen your knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary topics within the history of art and philosophy of art

- enable you to develop your art historical and philosophical skills beyond that expected of an undergraduate

- enable you to develop, articulate and defend art historical and philosophical ideas as they relate to art

- enable you to engage with historical and contemporary theoretical thought about the arts from art historical and philosophical perspectives.

Study support

Postgraduate resources
There is a large and wide-ranging library holding for History & Philosophy of Art, covering the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, aesthetics and contemporary visual communications. There is a substantial stock of periodicals, online access to e-journals and a slide library with well over 100,000 images, covering areas such as contemporary art, visual cultures, garden history and the film still, as well as traditional media. Kent is ideally located for access to galleries in London and on the continent.

In 2010, we moved into the purpose-built, and RIBA award-winning, Jarman Building located at the centre of the Canterbury campus. The new building is home to the Studio 3 Gallery and a range of teaching and social spaces as well as a dedicated postgraduate centre.

Support
All postgraduate students are offered research skills training and the opportunity to take part in reading groups and research seminars at departmental, school and faculty level. Research students have the added opportunity for funded conference attendance. There is also a dedicated student support office at our Canterbury campus, which can offer support and guidance throughout your studies, in addition to an office in Paris.

In recent years, several members of the History & Philosophy of Art Department, both full-time and part-time, have been awarded University prizes for excellence in student support, curriculum innovation and research-based teaching – an ethos which we seek to extend to the postgraduate community.

Dynamic publishing culture
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: British Journal of Aesthetics; Art History; History of Photography; Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism; Journal of Visual Arts Practice; and The Philosophical Quarterly.

Global Skills Award
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme (http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/programmes/gsa.html). The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.

Research areas

The Department has a collective interest in developing interdisciplinary projects, including projects informed by art history and philosophy of art or aesthetics. Shared areas of research interest include: photography, art theory from the Renaissance to recent times and contemporary art.

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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Mission and Goals

This programme aims at providing a multidisciplinary background for architects, with a special focus on environmental sustainability and landscape design. The concept of sustainability is associated with a high quality transformation of landscape, from the macro-scale of urban planning, to the micro-scale of technical details, how the varied scales connect and interrelate with each other. This method is oriented to a physical, social and technical approach, passing over a close specialized theme vision. The international program involves also workshops, study trips, and summer schools.

The programme is taught in english.

See the website http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/educational-offer/laurea-magistrale-equivalent-to-master-of-science-programmes/sustainable-architecture-and-landscape-design/

Career Opportunities

The programme trains architects with an expertise in sustainable architecture and landscape design, to follow a career in the private and public sector as covered by EU directives in: architecture, urban planning, urban design, and landscape architecture.

Presentation

See http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/uploads/media/Architecture-Piacenza.pdf
The MSc Degree programme in Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design offers the student the tools to become an Architect with a sound competence on theories, methods and applications of Architecture and of Landscape Design, highly skilled in the issues of contemporary territories: regeneration of productive landscapes; sustainable transformation of the architectural, urban and rural landscapes; transformation of the built environment and re-use of the existent soil; design of open spaces and infrastructures; protection of the territory; valorisation of the ecological and cultural resources; design strategies for new forms of sustainable inhabiting.
To this aim, this Degree Programme offers a complex view on the environment, dealing with all the landscape forms: from urban, to agricultural and to suburban areas, in line with the European Landscape Convention (2000) which “applies to the entire territory of
the Parties and covers natural, rural, urban and peri-urban areas”. More specifically, the landscape is seen as “represented”, “constructed” and “productive” landscape, with a specific attention to the aspects of sustainability (from a physical, economic and social point of view). The programme is taught in English.

Subjects

Theories of architecture, city and landscape; Steel, timber and reinforced concrete structures; History of architecture and landscape in the contemporary age; Urban and landscape Regeneration studio (environmental technology, landscape as heritage, general ecology); Architectural design studio 1 (sustainable architecture, technical environmental systems, multi-criteria analysis and project appraisal); Urban and environmental design studio (design of public spaces and infrastructures, agronomy and food sciences, sociology of the environment); Architectural design studio 2 (advanced architectural design, topography and cartography, landscape urbanism and land planning); Landscape design studio (advanced landscape design, physical geography and geo-morphology, techniques and tools for environmental design); Landscape representation and aesthetics.

Optional courses
- Italian territories and landscape tradition
- Open source architecture
- Arboriculture and agrobiotechnologies
- Architecture and creativity: cultural industries
- Special topics in landscape (workshop)
- Special topics in architecture(workshop)

See the website http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/educational-offer/laurea-magistrale-equivalent-to-master-of-science-programmes/sustainable-architecture-and-landscape-design/

For contact information see here http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/educational-offer/laurea-magistrale-equivalent-to-master-of-science-programmes/sustainable-architecture-and-landscape-design/

Find out how to apply here http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/how-to-apply/

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This intensive 1-year programme offers you the opportunity to develop your understanding of the history of art and architecture. You will learn to critically analyse and interpret art objects and buildings, and will engage with the concepts, values and debates that inform the study and practice of the history of art.

If you want to study history of art, or a similar course, at Master's level (either at Birkbeck or elsewhere) but have a first degree in another subject, then this programme can be used as a conversion course. You will acquire and develop skills and knowledge of the discipline up to final-year undergraduate level.

If you are not intending to progress to an MA, the programme will allow you to continue your exploration of the history of art and architecture at a higher level.

We offer taster events and information evenings for prospective students interested in our history of art programmes throughout the year.

As well as regular museum and gallery visits, the department offers an exciting study trip every spring.

Staff teaching on this programme

Charlotte Ashby
Prasannajit de Silva
Nick Lambrianou.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

Arts and humanities courses at Birkbeck are ranked third best in London and 11th in the UK in the Times Higher Education 2015-16 World University Subject Rankings.
Prepares you for entry to Birkbeck's MA History of Art, MA Museum Cultures and other Master's programmes offered by the School of Arts.
Museum and site visits form a regular feature of the course.
Tutors have a first-class reputation for teaching and learning, and their teaching is informed by their research.
You will have access to the Birkbeck Library. Our location in Bloomsbury gives you easy access to specialist libraries of the University of London, including the Senate House Library, but also to a wide range of art institutions in central London, and to their collections and temporary exhibitions - from the British Museum and the National Gallery, to the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
Keep up-to-date with our research on the Birkbeck History of Art blog.

Our research

Birkbeck is one of the world’s leading research-intensive institutions. Our cutting-edge scholarship informs public policy, achieves scientific advances, supports the economy, promotes culture and the arts, and makes a positive difference to society.

Birkbeck’s research excellence was confirmed in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, which placed Birkbeck 30th in the UK for research, with 73% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), Art and Design at Birkbeck achieved 100% for a research environment supporting world-leading and internationally excellent research.

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The Architecture MA incorporates a number of different study options including an extensive range of individual module choices and specialist pathways in Cultural Identity and Globalisation, History and Theory, and Digital Media.

Situated in the progressive intellectual milieu of London, the Architecture MA programme offers a flexible programme of study and a unique opportunity to pursue advanced postgraduate research combining high-level theoretical investigation with innovative design approaches.

The Department of Architecture at the University of Westminster provides first-class facilities such as state-of-the-art digital design/fabrication equipment and a team of lecturers and researchers deeply immersed in the very latest developments in architectural design, theory, historical research, and technology. The Architecture MA is part of a suite of Masters offered by the Department of Architecture aimed at graduates looking to further their education and enhance their employability by acquiring new knowledge and skills. Focused on architectural research, the Architecture MA also offers a firm grounding for those seeking to pursue further research and/or an academic career.

Course content

The Architecture MA provides a course that is wide-ranging and flexible, facilitating alternative modes of study and a range of options, including the choice of either a written or design-based thesis. The programme also allows for specialism through its three designated pathways: Architecture (Cultural Identity and Globalisation); Architecture (Digital Media) and Architecture (History and Theory), or alternatively, you can also create your own pathway, under the heading Architecture MA, by selecting and combining relevant modules that meet your individual requirements.

The range of optional and specialist modules offered allows you to develop your individual learning trajectories through the in-depth study of specific subject areas, involving theoretical components as well as practical applications. A series of theory rich modules will stimulate you to analyse current trends in architecture, design theory and practice on the basis of your research and critical judgement, and use these insights to produce high quality written work in a scholarly manner.

In parallel, a set of design-oriented activities encourages you to develop your artistic, aesthetic and intellectual vision through the use of different media, in order to produce individual proposals with a high level of spatial, material and formal resolution. The course is taught within a dynamic learning environment that comprises seminar-based sessions along with studio-based activities, suitably integrated by a wide range of lectures, tutorials, site visits, research training sessions, and independent study periods.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules
-Research and Positioning
-Thesis Development and Major Thesis Project

Pathway/option modules
-Critical Issues in Architecture
-Programming and Computational Design
-Theories of Identity
-Applied Animation
-City Cultures: Conceptual Design for Complex Cultural Contexts
-Ethnographic Ways of Knowing: Critical and Creative Explorations of Site
-Introduction to Design Computing
-Picturing London
-Site and Motion

Careers

Our dedicated Career Development Centre is actively working with an ever-expanding network of over 3,000 employers to provide you with exceptional employability support and guidance. As a result we were nominated as finalists for a significant industry award – the NUE Awards Most Improved Commitment to Employability 2016.

We provide our students with work placements and international opportunities to support them in becoming highly employable, globally engaged graduates, and with one million businesses operating within 20 miles of the University of Westminster, over 84% of our students are in work or further study six months after graduation. Our graduates work in a variety of sectors and organisations, from small/medium-sized companies and start-ups to large not-for-profit organisations and corporates.

During your time at Westminster you will be able to use our comprehensive online vacancy service and meet with our experienced careers consultants, providing you with thorough training and support on CV writing, application forms, interview preparation and assessment centres.

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History of art is a rich and dynamic discipline, combining the rigorous investigation of the visual arts with the creative exploration of their connections to culture, politics and society. Postgraduate study in this area trains you at a high level in looking at, thinking about and researching art and its histories.

Birkbeck's MA History of Art offers the opportunity to study with internationally recognised experts. Our teaching staff are defining the field, conducting ground-breaking research in periods from medieval to contemporary, focusing on painting, sculpture, print culture, architecture, photography, digital art and museology.

The MA History of Art exposes you to key art historical approaches, and allows you to focus in depth on areas and periods of particular interest to you, in early and modern (including contemporary) periods, through taught options (see an indicative list of modules on the 'course structure' tab) and independent research. The course also offers opportunities for work placements with London museums, galleries and archives.

The course develops your visual acuity and your understanding of art's histories, while stimulating critical debate and stretching your research skills. In addition to independent written work, you will take part in group discussion, give oral presentations and engage with the Department of History of Art's research culture.

In all of this, you will work closely with our staff while also benefiting from our diverse and vibrant student body of all ages and backgrounds. The teaching programme is enriched by museum and site visits, visiting speakers, screenings and opportunities to get involved as volunteers in research and community outreach activities. The department also offers an exciting study trip every spring.

Students are encouraged to become involved in the lively research culture of the department through the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, the Architecture, Space and Society Centre and the Vasari Research Centre, which has pioneered the field of digital art history. In addition to the core teaching and individual research support, students benefit from many events in the Department of History of Art at Birkbeck, including: the postgraduate Research Seminar, which brings art historians from all over the UK and beyond to speak at Birkbeck; the biennial Murray Lecture; the Murray Seminar on Medieval and Renaissance Art; and the programme of exhibitions and displays at the Peltz Gallery, the School of Arts' purpose-built exhibition space. Students are also welcome to attend other seminars and events across the School of Arts and at the Birkbeck Institute for Humanities.

We offer taster events and information evenings for prospective students interested in our history of art programmes throughout the year.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

Arts and humanities courses at Birkbeck are ranked third best in London and 11th in the UK in the Times Higher Education 2015-16 World University Subject Rankings.
You will work closely with leading international experts in the history of art.
You can choose to specialise in a wide range of periods and geographies, from medieval European architecture and cityscapes to contemporary global art practices.
You can study flexibly, full-time or part-time, with all teaching in the evenings.
On class visits and in your independent research you will have access to London's world-class art collections, museums and libraries.
Your fellow students are from a wide range of backgrounds and are often already working in the field, offering a high level of discussion and excellent networking opportunities.
You will have access to the Birkbeck Library and an in-house resources centre. In addition, our location in Bloomsbury offers excellent access to specialist libraries in the University of London. These include the University of London Library, Institute of Historical Research, Warburg Institute and School of Oriental and African Studies, together with the major national resource of the British Library.
You will also have easy access to specialist art libraries not far from Birkbeck, including the library of the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Royal Institute of British Architects library and the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), as well as the great visual resources of the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern and V&A, commercial galleries and salesrooms. Temporary exhibition galleries like the Barbican Gallery, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Hayward Gallery and Royal Academy also make London a particularly good place in which to undertake research.
You can participate in the rich research culture of the Department of History of Art.
Keep up-to-date with our research on the Birkbeck History of Art blog.

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