Art History: Technical Art History, Making & Meaning MLitt
Panel Discussion and Q&A About This Degree
Watch a recording of our recent panel discussion and Q&A with staff from this degree.
The Masters focuses on the act of making and everything that encompasses: materials, techniques, intentions, context and concept. You will study treatises and other testimonies on artistic practice and reconstruct historical recipes and modern techniques to understand artists' materials, practices and aesthetic choices. You will develop transferable skills and a thorough understanding of the science and conservation that supports the interpretation of artworks. You will learn about the change and preservation of cultural heritage, as well as exploring issues of authenticity. Technical art history is an exciting and rapidly growing field involving art historians, scientists and conservators, which also branches out to economics, social history and philosophy.
- Academic contact: Dr Mark Richter
- Teaching start: September
- Glasgow: Gilmorehill campus
- MLitt: 12 months full-time
Why this programme
- You will study objects and artefacts, interacting with professionals and academics from the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow Museums, National Galleries of Scotland, as well as national and international institutions linked to research projects at the Kelvin Centre.
- You will be part of the Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research. Our research and training facilities include photography, microscopy, UV imaging, Infra-Red Reflectography, FTIR, pXRF, Raman, HPLC, RTI, contact profilometers, uniaxial and biaxial tensile testers, ageing ovens (thermal and light), 3D printing and dyeing.
- You will have access to the Hunterian Study Centre at Kelvin Hall, offering an exceptional opportunity for research-led, object-based learning and cross-disciplinary research.
- You have the opportunity to complete a work placement, where you can explore a possible future career while meeting professional practitioners and developing your skills and experience.
- You will benefit from guest speakers from technical art history, conservation, artist studios and the museum profession: broadening your horizons, offering you networking opportunities, and research contacts.
- You will participate in reconstruction workshops of painting techniques, as well as workshops on the reconstruction of pigment recipes and scientific examination techniques.
- You can take a study trip to Amsterdam, London, Madrid or Munich, visiting major museums and their conservation studios and research labs, as well as research institutions working in the field of technical art history.
What our students say
I've always been more interested in the sciency aspect of Art History. I looked at an array of schools for what type of course would be good to mix these two different interests. This programme checked all those boxes for me. All of the options are really good. There's a lot of science and technical experimentation, but a lot of philosophy, art history and culture at the same time. I got hands-on experience with the technology in the Kelvin Centre. It was very hands-on. Michelle, Mlitt student
The technical art history course is so multidisciplinary that you do get to try everything. You're very immersed in it. You get to handle the objects. With Special Collections in the library, you can go and see things like illuminated manuscripts. The accessibility is great. Faith, Mlitt student
Programme structure
Drawing upon the expertise of an interdisciplinary team, the programme includes taught and research components. You will take six core courses followed by a period of object-based research towards a dissertation.
Core courses
- Research Methods and Skills
- Art in the Making: Historical Techniques
- Art in the Making: Modern & Avant-Garde Techniques
- The Authentic Art Work: Interpretation, Conservation, Presentation.
- Testimonies On Artists' Practice: Documentary And Visual Sources
Work Placement
Students complete a work placement as part of the programme, and to date, we have been able to provide placements for all students, as this is the usual and preferred option. However, as an alternative, students may take a suitable course from those offered by the College of Arts & Humanities, subject to availability and the approval of the programme convenor.
Dissertation
Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours
to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw
or alter a programme. More information: Student contract.
Career prospects
The programme will enable you to work with collections within cultural heritage organisations, or in a commercial environment in the fields of technical art history, curation and collections care. The programme will also prepare you for a further postgraduate education in conservation or academic research.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees for 2027-28
MLitt
Home & RUK
- Full-time fee: £12,063
International & EU
- Full-time fee: £27,390
Fee status
Deposits
All applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2000 to secure a place on this programme.
Deposits: terms & conditions
The following guidelines will apply in determining whether a deposit will be refunded. Where the deposit is refunded, a 25% administration fee will be deducted unless otherwise stated.
a: Deposits WILL be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:
- Where the University is unable to offer you a place on the programme as specified on the offer. A full refund will be issued in this case.
- Death of a close family member (parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, child/dependent). Official evidence (signed and stamped) must be provided.
- SERIOUS ill health of the applicant or a close family member (parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, child/dependent). Official evidence (signed and stamped) must be provided.
- Applicant does not meet conditions of offer. This may be academic or language test requirements. Satisfactory evidence must be uploaded to the student’s applicant self-service to prove that they have not met the conditions of their offer (note that applicants who do not meet the language condition of their offer must show reasonable attempt to meet this, i.e. they must provide at least two language tests which were taken after the date the deposit was paid).
- Visa / ATAS refusal: we will only consider a refund if the visa / ATAS refusal was based on matters outside of the applicant’s control.
- If a refund request is received within 14 days of the deposit being received a full refund will be issued under the Consumer Protection Regulations.
b: Deposits WILL NOT be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:
- An applicant decides not to attend the University for any reason not outlined above.
- Personal financial constraints / unsuccessful scholarship application.
- Applicant has decided to defer – in this situation the University will retain the deposit and hold it against the applicant’s account to secure their place for the following year of entry. You may defer twice. After the second deferral standard conditions will apply.
- There is still time to meet the English language test requirement before the final upload date. Please see section a) 4.
- Visa / ATAS was applied for too late. Please see section a) 5.
- Any documents used for admission are proven to be fraudulent. We work in partnership with Qualification Check to check academic qualifications. English language qualifications are verified with the provider.
- The refund request is received more than 30 days after the official course start date as outlined in your offer email.
Timeframe for requesting a refund
Refund requests must be received no later than 30 days after the official course start date as outlined in your offer email. As per section b)7 above the request will be denied.
Receiving a refund
- To comply with Money Laundering Regulations, the University will pay all refunds to the original payer using the source payment details. This is known as a “return to source” payment.
- All appropriate documentation and evidence relating to the original payment must be provided, when requested.
- All payments and refunds are in GBP currency - the University is not responsible for any exchange rate fluctuations or beneficiary bank charges associated with the refund.
- Where University approved payment methods have not been used, this may cause significant delays or prevent payment altogether.
- We will aim to issue the deposit refund within 8 weeks of receipt of information per point 2 above. At peak times this may be longer.
How to request a deposit refund
Please go to our enquiry form and select 'Fees and Deposit' as the enquiry reason and then 'Can I have a deposit refund?'.
Please upload all supporting documentation to your applicant self-service portal before submitting the above request.
Additional fees
- Fee for re-assessment of a dissertation (PGT programme): £370
- Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed: £350
- Registration/exam only fee: £170
Funding opportunities
The scholarships shown are relevant to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database
Entry requirements
2.1 Hons (or non-UK equivalent) in any subject.
A 2.2 Honours degree may be considered.
Substantial, directly relevant experience may be considered in place of formal qualifications. If you are applying based on relevant experience, please include a personal statement evidencing this with your application.
International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of pre-Masters courses.
English language requirements
For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office using our enquiry form
For applicants from non-majority English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.
Accepted English Language Tests
We accept a wide range of English language tests for entry to this programme. Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date, and requirements must be met using a single test.
IELTS Academic/IELTS Academic for UKVI/ IELTS Academic online
- 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
- IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
- We do not accept General Training
TOEFL iBT (including MyBest and Home Edition)
Test taken up to 20 January 2026
- 90 overall with no subtest less than Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
Tests taken from 21 January 2026
- 92 overall with no subtest less than 4.5
PTE Academic (test centre only)
- 65 overall with no subtest less than Reading 60; Listening 60; Speaking 65; Writing 60
- We do not accept the online PTE Academic
Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency
- 176 overall with no subtest less than 169
Oxford ELLT
- 7 overall with no subtest less than 6
LanguageCert Academic/Academic SELT/ Academic Online
- 70 overall with no subtest less than 65
Password Skills Plus
- 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
Trinity College Integrated Skills in English II
- 96 overall with no subtest less than 90
Kaplan Test of English
- Any two subtests at 480 or higher, and any two subtests at 450 or higher
PSI Skills for English
- B2 Pass with Merit
Duolingo English Test
- 120 overall with writing at 120 and no subtest less than 110
Oxford Test of English Advanced
- 140 Overall with any two subtests at 126 or higher, and any two subtests at 136 or higher
Alternatives to English Language test
Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have studied for a minimum of their final year at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within 6 years of programme start.
TNE degree from UK university taught at a campus outside of the UK
- students must be awarded the degree by the UK university and must have completed the degree within 6 years of programme start.
Pre-sessional courses
The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study and remain valid for 2 years following date of successful completion.
Our courses give you:
- direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS);
- essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University;
- flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.
For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/mlc/eas/pre-sessionalcourses/
We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:
- Heriot Watt
- Kingston Upon Thames
- Middlesex University
- Manchester University
- Reading University
- Edinburgh University
- St Andrews University
- UCL
- Durham
International students
We are proud of our diverse University community that includes students and staff from more than 140 different countries.
How to apply
To apply for a postgraduate taught degree you must apply online. We cannot accept applications any other way.
Please check you meet the Entry requirements for this programme before you begin your application.
Documents
As part of your online application, you also need to submit the following supporting documents:
- A copy (or copies) of your official degree certificate(s) (if you have already completed your degree)
- A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
- Official English translations of the certificate(s) and transcript(s)
- Evidence of your English language ability (if your first language is not English)
- Any additional documents required for this programme (see Entry requirements for this programme)
- A copy of the photo page of your passport
We may also request additional documents such as a personal statement, portfolio, references or a sample of academic writing to support your application.
If we request a reference, this should typically be an academic reference. However, where this is not possible, a reference from a current employer may be accepted. If you already have a copy of your reference on letterheaded paper, you can upload this with your application. Otherwise, you may provide your referee’s name and contact details on the online application, and we will contact them directly.
You have 42 days to submit your application once you begin the process.
You may save and return to your application as many times as you wish to update information, complete sections or upload supporting documents such as your final transcript or your language test.
For more information about submitting documents or other topics related to applying to a postgraduate taught programme, see how to apply for a postgraduate taught degree
Guidance notes for using the online application
These notes are intended to help you complete the online application form accurately; they are also available within the help section of the online application form.
If you experience any difficulties accessing the online application, see Application System Help.
- Name and Date of birth: must appear exactly as they do on your passport. Please take time to check the spelling and lay-out.
- Contact Details: Correspondence address. All contact relevant to your application will be sent to this address including the offer letter(s). If your address changes, please contact us as soon as possible.
- Choice of course: Please select carefully the course you want to study. As your application will be sent to the admissions committee for each course you select it is important to consider at this stage why you are interested in the course and that it is reflected in your application.
- Proposed date of entry: Please state your preferred start date including the month and the year. Taught masters degrees tend to begin in September. Research degrees may start in any month.
- Education and Qualifications: Please complete this section as fully as possible indicating any relevant Higher Education qualifications starting with the most recent. Complete the name of the Institution (s) as it appears on the degree certificate or transcript.
- English Language Proficiency: Please state the date of any English language test taken (or to be taken) and the award date (or expected award date if known).
- Employment and Experience: Please complete this section as fully as possible with all employments relevant to your course. Additional details may be attached in your personal statement/proposal where appropriate.
Application deadlines
For entry in September 2027
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All applicant round dates
Applications are considered on a rolling basis within each round, and the decision date shown for each round is the latest date by which you will receive an outcome on your application.
Round 1: 1st October 2026 to 5 November 2026
You will receive our decision on your application by 18 December 2026.
Round 2: 6 November 2026 to 17 December 2026
You will receive our decision on your application by 3 March 2027.
Round 3: 18 December 2026 to 4 February 2027
You will receive our decision on your application 8 April 2027.
Round 4: 5 February 2027 to 25 March 2027
You will receive our decision on your application by 6 May 2027.
Round 5: 26 March 2027 to 13 May 2027
You will receive our decision on your application by 10 June 2027.
Round 6: 14 May 2027 to 8 July 2027
You will receive our decision on your application by 29 July 2027.
As we receive a high volume of applications, prospective students are only allowed to apply to each programme once per year.
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