Art History: Collecting and Provenance in an International Context

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for postgraduate taught programmes are a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification (for example, GPA 3.0 or above) in a relevant subject, or suitable practical experience

Note: A minimum 2.1 in History of Art or a related subject is required. You should also submit a writing sample of 2000-3000 words, a CV and a personal statement

Months of entry

September

Course content

This Masters programme offers an interdisciplinary approach to studying the history of collecting and collections from an international perspective. In particular, it focuses on the trajectory of artefacts through time and space and their historical legacy. Subjects covered include methodological approaches and legal issues relating to provenance and restitution, illegal trafficking of cultural objects, connoisseurship, taste, the patterns of collecting and viewing both private and public, and the politics of display. The programme will move the collective debate beyond the Western tradition.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• This programme is unique to Scotland and the UK as it combines aspects of art history and law and places them in a broad international context.
• You will learn from world-leading researchers and develop expert knowledge in this specialised area of art history.
• Glasgow’s civic and university collections are some of the richest and most diverse in Europe and are of international standing. The University’s own Hunterian Museum and Art gallery is the oldest public museum in Scotland and has extensive holdings covering fine art, geology, anatomy and the history of medicine. Furthermore, the facilities at Kelvin Hall support object-based study as a number of courses will include handling sessions of the objects in the collections.
• Work placement opportunities are offered within the programme on a competitive basis. In addition to Scottish and wider UK institutions, work placements may take place at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
• Our research forum provides you with a lively and stimulating introduction to methodological debates within art history. It provides a sense of art history’s own history as well as contemporary concerns and practice, examining the beliefs and values that have informed various forms of historical and visual analysis and enquiry. It is focused around a series of seminars or workshops run by members of staff and visiting academics.

Information for international students

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• 7.0 with no subtests under 6.5.
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.