Art History

Our MA in Art History allows you to deepen your understanding of art, design, architecture, and visual cultures as created, encountered, and interpreted across a range of cultures and historical periods. Adopting an object-centred approach, you will explore the relationship between art history and contemporary debates concerning decolonisation, ecocriticism, and digital visual culture. You’ll develop the tools required to be a successful art historian, including visual analysis and critical reading. These will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to produce an extended independent research project on a topic of your choice.

Modules:

To gain the 180 credits you require for this qualification, you must study the modules in the order shown below and pass part 1 before progressing to part 2:



Compulsory modules/Credits

MA Art History part 1 (A845) PLANNED 90

MA Art History part 2 (A846) PLANNED 90



You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

You must hold a UK honours degree (or equivalent), preferably with at least a 2:1 classification. Although your degree does not need to be in Art History or a closely related subject, you will need some knowledge of the subject and an understanding of relevant critical approaches, as the MA in Art History assumes all candidates have the knowledge and skills usually acquired by pursuing the subject at undergraduate level.



If your degree or background is not in art history or a related subject, you could study one of our undergraduate art history modules first in order to gain an introduction to critical debates in art history. We especially recommend Art and visual cultures in the modern world (A236), Art and life before 1800 (A237), or Art and its global histories (A344). Alternatively, we strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the current themes and issues in the discipline by reading up on the subject in advance. You'll find suggestions for preparatory reading at: https://fass.open.ac.uk/art-history/ma



If you’re in any doubt about the suitability of your qualifications or previous experience, please contact us before you enrol.

180 credits

2 years part-time study.



How long it takes

Most students study the MA in Art History part-time, completing one module a year over two years. Typically, this means 20–25 study hours each week. You must complete the MA in Art History within 10 years.

See Course Web Page link for next start date.

Career relevance

An MA in Art History will provide you with a wide range of skills, including visual and textual analysis and critical thinking and writing, which can be successfully transferred to a variety of careers in the professional and educational sectors. The MA in Art History will teach you to think critically about historical and contemporary cultural debates around works of art and will provide you with an awareness of art history’s professional contexts. The MA is an excellent starting point for a career in the heritage and cultural sectors, from educator to curator to art critic. If you’re interested in an academic career, the MA is an essential step towards embarking on a PhD.