Research course

History of Art

Institution
University of Birmingham · Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies
Qualifications
MRes

Entry requirements

You should have, or expect to get, a 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant area.

Relevant equivalent study or professional experience can also be considered for entry.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Immerse yourself in the History of Art and benefit from our exceptional resources to enhance your research. This MRes lets you conduct your own independent research while undertaking essential training to support your project.

Develop the skills for both doctoral study and a future career. You'll broaden your knowledge of the History of Art through taught modules to become a confident independent researcher and you’ll complete a major individual research project supervised by a specialist in the field.

Course highlights

At Birmingham we can support a range of research proposals and will provide you with training to enhance your project.

Our academics offer expertise in a range of areas from the medieval period to contemporary art and are excited to hear about research proposals exploring art from across the world.

  • Contribute to the Department's research blog ‘The Golovine’ sharing life in the Department for our students and researchers.
  • Enhance your studies at our on-campus art gallery, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts. There's also a range of art galleries across Birmingham and the West Midlands for you to explore.
  • Benefit from one of the best resourced departments of History of Art in the country with the Barber Institute research library, the University Main Library and the Special Collections of the Cadbury Research Library at your fingertips.
  • Study in the 8th Art History department in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on Grade Point Average, according to Times Higher Education.
  • An MRes combines the best of postgraduate taught study with in-depth independent research.
Course delivery

At Birmingham, research and teaching go hand-in-hand. Lecturers and professors continue to research in their field, offering valuable expertise in History of Art.

An MRes is a programme that helps you develop the skills for doctoral study and a future career. You’ll complete a major individual research project, supervised by a specialist in the field of study, and a taught component that develops research and analytical skills.

  • Taught modules - each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework and assignment preparation.
  • Seminars – modules are mainly taught by small group teaching.
  • Research thesis– you'll undertake a 20,000-word thesis in an area that interests you.

Information for international students

If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification.

For this course we require IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band, which is equivalent to:

  • TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 Listening, 22 Speaking and 21 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English: C1 Advanced - minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component
  • LanguageCert ESOL SELT (UKVI): B2 'Communicator' with no less than 33 in each skill

Fees and funding

The College of Arts and Law is a vibrant community of students and academics, dedicated to ensuring that excellence is rewarded, and that fears about finance do not constrain current or prospective students. For this reason, in addition to University funding schemes, we offer our own College-specific funding initiatives.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • MRes
    part time
    24 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
    full time
    12 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Postgraduate enquiry service