MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture

A surrealist lithograph titled "Tuesday" by Leonora Carrington depicts a fantastical dreamscape populated by mythological figures, a large white deer, various cats, and other creatures set against a backdrop of thatched-roof structures and a full moon.

Our Master of Studies in History of Art and Visual Culture allows you to explore objects, theories and approaches thematically. You will be introduced to a wide range of visual media from Medieval to Contemporary.

By the end of this 2-year part-time course, you will have gained many transferable skills, including:

research
decision making
presenting
academic writing
the ability to communicate your topic to different audiences

An integral part of your studies will be visiting College collections, libraries and museums in Cambridge when you attend the 3 residential modules in the city, where you will have the opportunity to hear from curators and experience objects up close.

Your first year of study is split into 6 taught modules, paired by theme with a focus on knowledge and practice, whilst the second year of study allows you to research and write your dissertation.

Course Dates

Our learners

Asian woman sat on bench in graduation gown

Sarotta, MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture

“I really enjoyed the outings, such as visiting the Fitzwilliam Museum and investigating rare books and illuminated manuscripts. I had an amazing time exchanging ideas and getting along with my cohort.”

/student-stories/art-history-courses-student-stories/sarotta

Margaret, MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture

“Since doing the courses, I can now look at a work of art or material culture with a completely new eye; understanding how to interpret the object and the relevant context.”

/margaret

Woman in graduation gown stood in front of a statue

Cassie, MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture

“Alongside my academic role, I’m also a carer for my mother, who has dementia, and I offer respite support to my father on weekends. The structure of this programme made it possible to pursue my passion without compromising my responsibilities.”

/cassie

Our learners

Key course information

The MSt in History of Art & Visual Culture takes place over 2 academic years, running typically from October of the first year to June of the second. The taught elements of the syllabus in Year 1 are offered in 3 intensive study blocks, each of which is assessed at the end of each term.

The course has been designed to be accessible to those in full- or part-time employment, and to international students. Successful applicants will become members of a Cambridge College and will join the wider graduate community, with full access to the facilities of the University.

Several themes will allow students to explore the history of art and visual culture, including theoretical approaches and useful concepts. Themes may include, amongst others:

class and social status
race and gender
local / global
the relationship of medium to style
the historical valuation of fine art versus decorative arts
art and ecology

Students will be introduced to a range of art and approaches to the history of art and visual culture from the earliest examples to the present day.

Watch the information session for the MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture from our Master's Open Week 2024.

Who is the course designed for?

The 2-year, part-time MSt in History of Art & Visual Culture is designed for adult learners who wish to study at postgraduate level and are keen to develop high-level skills in art historical and/or visual culture research. We’re open to applicants of all backgrounds and prior experience of the subject. It may be of particular interest to those currently in, or wishing to pursue, careers in the arts or heritage sectors.

Aims of the programme

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students should have demonstrated:

a deep and systematic understanding of history of art and visual culture and their interrelationships with other disciplines
an understanding of current theoretical and methodological approaches and how they affect the way that knowledge is interpreted
conceptual understanding in order to evaluate critically current research in the discipline and to critique methodologies, where appropriate proposing new hypotheses
the extension and development of their visual analytical, evaluative and critical capacities
originality in the application of their knowledge, having developed the ability to form independent judgements based on their close visual analysis and object study, reading, research and writing
a comprehensive understanding of techniques, knowledge and analysis applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship (in this case the dissertation)

A strong performance in the MSt in History of Art & Visual Culture might enable students to progress to PhD study at this or other leading global universities.

Skills and other attributes

By the end of the course, the students should have acquired or consolidated:

the academic, technical and ancillary skills necessary to participate in critical debates within the field of history of art and visual culture, dealing with complex issues both systematically and creatively and making sound judgments in the absence of complete data
self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
transferable skills, including the ability to take responsibility for their own learning, decision-making in unpredictable situations, making oral and written presentations to both specialist and non-specialist audiences, planning and producing written assignments, working independently, and, where they have chosen to do so, using different types of technology
the ability to formulate a research topic, create a research design, and communicate their ideas and research conclusions in a substantial piece of postgraduate level research

Teaching

The MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture in Year 1 is structured around 3 in-person residential modules in Cambridge, that you must attend. In Year 2, you attend 3 Day Schools, where support and guidance is provided on the dissertation planning and writing.

Teaching methods combine informal lectures and class discussion, the study of primary sources, and student-led peer-to-peer learning.

Each of the 3 residential blocks is preceded by guided preparatory reading and other activities.

Below are the expected teaching dates for this course. If they change, we'll update offer-holders in line with the University's terms of admission.

In Year 1 (2026-27) the dates of the teaching blocks are:

06 to 09 October 2026
09 to 12 February 2027
27 to 30 April 2027

In Year 2 (2027-2028) the dates of the day schools are:

01 October 2027
14 January 2028
21 April 2028

Year 1

All students undertake 6 core modules, 2 per term, paired in numerical order.

modules 1, 3 & 5: Thematic approaches to understanding art
modules 2, 4 & 6: Research, Sources and Method

Modules 1, 3 & 5: thematic approaches to understanding art

A number of themes will allow students to explore the history of art and visual culture, including theoretical approaches and useful concepts. Themes may include, amongst others:

class and social status
race and gender
local / global
the relationship of medium to style
the historical valuation of fine art versus decorative arts
art and ecology

Students will be introduced to a range of art and approaches to history of art and visual culture from the earliest examples to the present day.

The planned themes for 2026-27 are:

Term 1: Thinking across Media

The idea of intermediality, or thinking across media, is currently the focus of much scholarly attention. Term 1 (modules 1 and 2) will introduce you to a variety of intermedial approaches to art history, focusing mainly on the medieval and early modern periods in the West (c.1100-c.1700), whilst raising theoretical and historiographical issues relevant to the study of art up until today across a range of geographical locations. It will encourage you to think about the interactions of different media at the time of works’ making, the different visual influences on artists and how to question traditional hierarchies of medium that privilege ‘fine’ over ‘decorative’ arts.

Term 2: Art and Environment

With global ecosystems facing irreversible crisis, the need to envisage new approaches to the relationship between nature and culture is taking on increasing urgency. Term 2 (modules 3 and 4) asks how the history of art can be used to explore how societies have visualised and shaped both built and natural environments, and how changing environments have in turn impacted art’s history. Alongside this, we will ask how focusing on questions of environments and ecology affects the methods and sources of art history and visual culture. As such, this module explores new perspectives on fundamental topics, whether landscape painting, twentieth-century Land Art, or contemporary photography.

Term 3: Visual Cultures of Activism

Term 3 (modules 5 and 6) will explore the ways that artists and curators have redefined our conceptions of art and its role in society, focusing on the seismic shifts in the art world of the twentieth century to show how art became increasingly self-reflexive and activist. The global spread of modernism, and its intersections with decolonisation, will be examined via a discussion of the works of artists from Europe, Africa and the Americas. Finally, we reflect on the links between art and activism in the twenty-first century, focusing in particular on feminist textile art.

Modules 2, 4 & 6: research, sources and methods

These modules explore the different ways of researching the history of art and visual culture in practice, for example: close visual analysis and object handling; the digital humanities in visual culture; archival study in the arts; the intersections of literature, visual sources and material culture; museum display and interpretation within a heritage context.

Year 2

In Year 2, you focus on your dissertation. You will work independently on your chosen topic under the supervision of an expert in the chosen field with whom you will have regular contact. You have 5 supervisions between May 2027 and May 2028 (you can agree with your supervisor whether these are face-to-face or online).

There will also be 3 day-schools where all students provide a short presentation on their research to date, alongside some training in dissertation research and writing.

The dissertation submission deadline is Friday 30 June 2028.

Assessment

Year 1

Assessment will be through a range of formats which may include coursework, written and oral examinations, posters, presentations and projects. For each of Modules 1-3, this will be the equivalent of 4,000 to 5,000 words per module.

Each assignment in Year 1 will be submitted at the end of term (Michaelmas, Lent, Easter).

To complete Year 1 successfully, you must pass at least 2 of the 3 assessed assignments and reach an average pass mark of 60% across the 3. Year 1 assignments constitute 50% of the overall award mark.

Students who achieve this can progress to Year 2, where they research and write a dissertation on a topic of their choice, subject to the approval of the Degree Committee of the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art.

Year 2

Dissertation work is individually supervised and is assessed following the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art’s common examinations handbook (except where a case is made for alignment with common MSt protocols).

The requirement for the award of the MSt degree is satisfactory completion of a 12,000 to 15,000-word dissertation, constituting 50% of the overall mark and which is read by two examiners, who report independently. The dissertation must reach the pass mark of 60%. The overall pass mark for the award of the MSt degree is 60%.

Feedback

You will be given formal feedback on your assignments and informal feedback throughout the course, including during supervisions. Supervisions also result in an annual progress report at the end of Year 1 and termly reports during Year 2.