This exciting and innovative programme is unique in its format and in the range of skills and knowledge that are taught. The first two years are spent in London studying at Christie’s Education. You will change campus for the last two years of this degree and move to Glasgow to study here.

Programme structure

The degree has been specially developed by the University and Christie’s Education to enable you to experience the academic and the practical sides of studying the history of art.

Year 1

Arts of Europe: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance

The core lecture series in this year is split into three parts. The first part introduces you to the art and culture of the ancient world including ancient Iraq, Persia and Egypt, and explores the depiction of the human form in Greek, Hellenistic and Roman art, as well as the art, politics and power in Late Antiquity, and the early Byzantine and Carolingian worlds.

The second part investigates the art of the high Middle Ages, exploring medieval stained glass, panel painting and illuminated manuscripts, as well as ivory, enamels, and textiles from the treasuries of Europe.

The third part introduces the birth of Italian painting from Duccio and Giotto through Masaccio and Piero della Francesca to Raphael and the reinvention of sculpture and architecture in early Renaissance Europe.

Year 2

Art, Style and Design: Renaissance to Modernism

In your second year you will focus on the art, style and design of Western Europe from the Renaissance until the 1920s. The course approaches the visual world as an integrated whole, covering the fine arts of painting and sculpture while also addressing the materials, techniques, styles and functions of furniture, silver, ceramics, textiles and fashion.

You will begin by exploring the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-classical styles, placing them in their social and political context. You will go on to study the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the production of consumer goods and the Arts and Crafts revival of traditional artisanal techniques. The origins of modern art in Impressionism, Post-impressionism and Art Nouveau, culminating in the avant-garde movements of Cubism, Futurism and Expressionism and Surrealism, are also investigated.

Lectures, seminars and museum visits are supplemented by handling sessions in museum stores, galleries and at Christie’s auction house. Written assignments build on the experience of essay writing, compare and contrast exercises, cataloguing training and report writing that you will have acquired in first year.

Years 3 and 4

Third and fourth years are spent at the University of Glasgow. You will be allowed to choose from the full range of options available, from Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, to Romanticism, Realism and Modernism. In addition the University has specialists in Chinese art and decorative art and design of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Special features

Career prospects

Academic entry requirements
for entry in 2014

MA

For full details of entry requirements, please contact Christie's Education, admissions@christies.com.

Interview policy

Applicants must attend an interview with the relevant admissions tutor who will assess their suitability for the programme.

Interviews can be arranged in London throughout the year, in New York between February and May, and in Hong Kong at the end of May. Interviews normally last about 40 minutes and you will be asked to discuss a selection of images as well as your particular interests. You will be formally notified of the outcome of the interview within ten days.

English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

For full details of entry requirements, please contact Christie’s Education, admissions@christies.com.