Art History with Liberal Arts and Media Foundation
Art history is the systematic study of the visual arts, examining how images and objects have been made, what they mean, and how they function within the societies that produce and receive them. It is a discipline that develops close looking, historical contextualisation, and the construction of interpretive arguments, asking how visual works respond to and shape the values, beliefs, and social relations of their time. The liberal arts and media foundation component of this programme extends the scope of your study to include philosophy, literature, cultural theory, and media, developing a broad intellectual formation that contextualises art historical study within the wider field of humanistic inquiry.
At Regent's University London, this four-year programme is taught in a central London location that provides exceptional access to the museums, galleries, and cultural institutions that are central resources for art historical study. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study art history in another country, an experience that is particularly enriching in a discipline where national traditions of art and collecting are so significant. You will study a wide range of art historical periods and movements, developing skills in visual analysis, historical research, and critical argument alongside the broader cultural knowledge that the liberal arts component of the programme provides.
Graduates of art history with liberal arts and media move into careers in museums and galleries, auction houses, art dealing and advisory work, arts journalism and criticism, publishing, arts administration, and cultural heritage. London's exceptional position as a global centre for the art market and cultural institutions provides strong career connections for Regent's graduates. The broader intellectual training of the liberal arts component is also valued in education, the civil service, media organisations, and the many professional roles that benefit from cultural breadth and the ability to read and contextualise visual and textual material.
Postgraduate study in art history, curating, museum studies, or a related field is a natural next step for those who wish to specialise.