Undergraduate Diploma in the History of Art

Course structure

Year 1

Students will be introduced to different approaches to the History of Art through key themes (online units), and in the first year, they will have the chance to study particular periods in depth by choosing a pathway (medieval or modern) for Friday residences. There are six Friday residences (two per term), composed of three two-hour teaching sessions.

Online units:

1. The first term (Michaelmas) covers The Body;
2. The second term (Hilary) covers Contact Zones: India;
3. The final term (Trinity) covers Curation/Spaces of Art.

Provisional options for Friday residences:

• Medieval: Female Patronage in Byzantium; Devotion and Materiality; Trecento Painting; Medieval Architecture in Oxford; African Ivories; Mediterranean Encounters.​

• Modern: Hogarth and British Art: Satire; Slavery and the Modern City; Portraiture and Power in 18th-century British Landscape Painting Photography, c 1839-1900; Modernism in England; Art and War.

Year 2

The second year has six Friday residences (two per term), composed of three two-hour teaching sessions. The Friday residences have two parallel sessions, and students choose either a Renaissance/Early Modern or Contemporary pathway.

Online units:

1. The first term (Michaelmas) covers Landscape;
2. The second term (Hilary) covers Contact Zones: Global Cities;
3. The final term (Trinity) covers History of Art Now: Current Debates.

Provisional options for Friday residences:

• Renaissance/Early Modern: Gifts and Diplomatic Exchange; Italian and Ottoman Encounters; Collecting in the Courts; Female Artists and Creativity; Caravaggio and the Caravaggisti; The Elizabethan Country House.
• Contemporary: Spectacle and Spectator; Reproducibility: Art in the Age of Mass Media; Film: Art; Politics and the Moving Image; Memory and Trauma; Art and Diaspora; Art and Protest.

Do you have a passion for art history and ideas? Do you have an openness towards studying a range of historical art forms and grappling with critical debates about meaning? This course is for anyone with a high degree of motivation who is interested in the critical analysis of art and is keen to discuss visual experience in an analytical way.

Taught at second-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 5), this course is the next step if you have either completed our Certificate in the History of Art, our Certificate of Higher Education (having completed some History of Art courses), or other similar courses at first-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 4). You will need the necessary language skills, a determination to succeed, and sufficient time available to devote to class time and private study.

• Get up to speed with the latest debates and methods to interpret works of art, particularly in the areas of politics, society, gender and identity, material culture and decolonising practices.
• Gain a global perspective of the history of art, investigating this rich and dynamic discipline, including multiple historic periods, regions and art forms from the Italian Renaissance and French Impressionism to the contact zones of India and the Mediterranean.
• Exchange ideas and develop questions with a group of like-minded peers sharing experience and knowledge in a range of historical art contexts.
• Gain practical knowledge and develop your interpretative skills through museum and gallery visits in Oxford and London, offering you a rare chance to gain first-hand experience of the visual arts.

In-person elements

Students will meet in person twice per term, on specific dates on Fridays. In total, there will be 12 hours of in-person teaching, per term, plus select Saturdays (either in Oxford or London). The in-person elements of the course (two Fridays per term) will be held at Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA.

Two Saturdays per year will be dedicated to Oxford/London trips and presentations.

Online elements

There are then eight online units per term, along with online tutorials.

The Online asynchronous (self-paced) instruction will include reading materials (materials in the Virtual Learning Environment and set texts from journal articles, textbooks, exhibition catalogues, and books), videos, forum activities, and online exercises, as well as independent study, such as essay preparation and research. Some online units will take the form of case studies, allowing students to study in-depth around a particular topic, while others will offer theoretical or methodological approaches that can be employed across periods and regions.

Students will be assigned a personal tutor for the year. They will have five hours of online synchronous tutorials for the entire year (three hours of small group tutorials – one hour per term, and two hours of one-to-one with the tutor). This includes up to 90 minutes for their research project supervision, spread out over the year, plus extra time for one-to-ones throughout the year. Small tutor group tutorials will address essay writing, interpreting feedback, follow-up on online learning units, student presentations or student-led discussions.

You will need to spend about 10-12 hours in home study per week in term time.

Most assessments will take the form of written work, but some will follow innovative methods in art history, such as designing a virtual exhibition, which can be assessed through a presentation.

Year 1

Formative:

1. Formative critique of a Secondary Source proforma (500 words)
2. Formative Research proforma (500 words)

Summative:

1. Summative essay (3,000 words)
2. Summative Contact Zone essay (3,000 words)
3. Summative Virtual exhibition, presentation (10 minutes).
4. Summative Research Project (5,000 words)

Year 2

Formative:

1. Formative Landscape (700 words)
2. Formative Research proforma (500 words)

Summative:

1. Summative Essay (3,000 words)
2. Summative Contact Zone essay (3,000 words)
3. Summative poster presentation (5 minutes; 500 words)
4. Summative Research Project (7,000 words)

The Course Director is Dr Sean Willcock.

Along with Dr Willcock, the teaching panel includes a number of experienced tutors – not only in their subject but in teaching adult students. They understand the learning needs of students returning to education and will be able to advise you on subject-based study skills throughout the course.

You must have the necessary language skills (see below for English language requirements); a determination to succeed, and sufficient time available to devote to studying. This course is the next step if you have either completed or are due to complete our Certificate in the History of Art, our Certificate of Higher Education (having completed some History of Art courses), or other similar courses at first-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 4).

English Language requirements

Please check the information on the specific English language requirements for this course. Applicants are required to have the higher-level scores.

IT requirements

Students are expected to have some IT skills and access to a computer and the internet. You will engage with the Virtual Learning Environment for course materials and uses our online assignment submission system. The computer you use should meet our recommended minimum computer specification.

Fees for 2027-28 will be available from September 2026.

Please be aware that fees will usually increase annually.

Information for applicants from the EU, EEA and Switzerland

On 11 May 2021 the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) published new regulations and guidance to be used in assessing the fee status of students commencing courses in August 2021 and later. We will be using this guidance to carry out fee status assessments for students commencing courses in 2027/28, including students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland. If you are an EU national and do not live in the UK then you are likely to be charged Overseas fees. Students with settled and pre-settled status in the UK and some other categories of students who work in the UK can qualify for Home fee status as long as they meet the residence criteria.

Information on financial support can be found on our website here.

Financial Declaration

All undergraduate offer-holders are required to complete a Financial Declaration Form (FDF) to demonstrate how they will meet the financial conditions of admission. If you are offered a place on this course, you will be asked to complete this form. It demonstrates that you can, or are likely to be able to, afford the course, and must be accepted before you can be considered to have met the conditions of your offer.

Click the ‘Apply’ button to request the online application link. We will email you the form and application guidance, usually by the next working day.

You should allow plenty of time to complete the application form and upload any supporting documents required. You should also allow sufficient time for your referee to submit their reference by the application deadline.

You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application:

• a written statement stating why they wish to undertake the course, and including (if relevant) an outline of previous experience of the subject.
• contact details for one referee.
• proof of English language ability if a non-native English speaker. Further information on English language requirements can be found here. Please note that candidates are required to have the higher-level score.

Referees

If possible, your referee should be someone who can comment on your academic ability and background, but where this is not appropriate, please choose a referee who can vouch for your motivation, commitment and potential. A reference from a friend or family member is not acceptable.

Admissions decisions will be based on an assessment of knowledge, relevant experience, academic ability, potential and suitability for a course of study. We welcome applicants without traditional qualifications, including those with relevant career or life skills.

Current Certificate in the History of Art students who wish to progress to the Diploma should submit their completed application with a statement of reasons for wanting to apply to the course. No reference is necessary.

If you are a current or previous Certificate in the History of Art student, a place on the Diploma will be reserved for you if your application form is received by the first deadline and if there are enough places available. If there are more Certificate in the History of Art students than places available, a selective system will operate.

Selection criteria

Even if a course has no specific academic entry requirements then: (a) assessment of an applicant’s academic ability and suitability for the course of study will still take place and (b) since applications for many courses often significantly exceed places available, each application will be judged against the gathered field of applicants for each course each year.

The University is committed to promoting diversity, equality, inclusion, and widening access, including during the admissions process. We fully endorse the Equality Policy and our admissions procedures are kept under regular review to ensure compliance with this policy.

• Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview
• The final decision on admission to the course rests with the Department.