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    KEY FACTS

    • Title
      BA (Hons) Art History
    • Course type
      Full-time (Part-time route available)
    • Duration
      3 years (no placement)
    • Award
      Bachelor of Arts - BA (Hons)
    • Faculty
      Faculty of Arts
    • School
      School of Humanities and Performing Arts
    • UCAS codes
      Institution P60
      Course V350
    • Location
      Plymouth
Skip Navigation LinksPlymouth University > courses > undergraduate > BA (Hons) Art History

​BA (Hons) Art History

 
Image courtest of Leopold Museum, Vienna
Courtesy of Leopold Museum, Vienna

About the course

Have you ever wondered why Tracy Emin’s work generates such controversy? Or why Leonardo’s Mona Lisa still seduces viewers with her enigmatic smile? Did you know that Impressionism was a scandalous art movement? Or that Van Eyck’s Ghent altarpiece has been stolen six times?

If you are interested in these questions, if you want to learn more about past and present art, and if you want to train towards a career in the Arts, then Art History with Plymouth University is for you.


Art Field trip to Florence Italy​History highlights

In the last Research Assessment Exercise, which rates the quality of work produced by staff, 55% of our research was given top ratings of 3 or 4 stars, denoting work that is regarded as internationally excellent or world leading in its field. Furthermore, 100% of the research carried out by Art History staff was rated as being of international significance. Our course not only trains you in core art historical skills like visual and critical analysis, but also provides plenty of opportunities for the development of professional skills through modules on aspects of museum studies and chances to get involved in internships.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo © Aleksandra Jones 2011


Special Features

  • Frequent visits to major UK galleries and museums, plus our Fieldwork, European Fieldtrip and Collecting Cultures modules focus on aspects of museum studies
  • Fieldtrip to a major European city
  • Opportunities for work experience in local galleries and museums
  • Staff are research-active, working on major book and exhibition projects
  • Degree curriculum contains a number of research-oriented modules so that staff teach the subjects they are passionate about, and facilitate students to become experts too
  • Assessment is by coursework rather than exams, reflecting our small group teaching ethos
Image of Art History field trip

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What our students say
“During my time studying Art History I have been given the opportunity to study with lecturers who are internationally regarded in their fields, to travel to Florence and Vienna to study major works of art in situ and gain valuable work experience in the private collection of a Lord!  The staff here are enthusiastic and passionate about art history and incredibly supportive, making opportunities for students to gain experience in a wide range of activities from participating in exhibitions and events at local galleries, to attending talks and lectures by internationally respected art historians.  With its focus on transferability of skills to a work environment, this course is as practical as it is interesting and a perfect first step in the direction of a career in the arts sector.”
Louise Thomas (Stage 3 ​BA (Hons) Art History student)
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Gallery in Vienna


Towards a career

The course will enable you to take modules through which you can gain experience of museum work, but there are also opportunities for you to take the initiative and participate in an internship, whether during term time or over the summer. Recent successes include internships at Plymouth Art Centre, Peninsula Arts, the Wallace Collection, Tate Britain, Sotheby’s, and the National Trust. Vienna field trip

“At Plymouth University, I had an internship with the Peninsula Art Gallery located on campus, which has given me loads of chances to learn about the workings of a gallery, such as how to install shows. Plymouth has an amazing network of museums and galleries, which all give you a chance to get experience. As for the course itself, we have been given the chance to study art in situ in Florence and take advantage of the manor houses close by which hold works by Joshua Reynolds; a local Plymouth artist and a key man in British art.”
Catherine Henry (Stage 2 ​BA (Hons) Art History student)

Listen to one student’s take on her internship experience with the Young Explainers.
 
Student in Vienna on field trip


​Graduate success stories

Kiera Gould, Art History graduate 2008-09, embarked on a high-profile internship at the Wallace Collection, London, before receiving AHRC funding to complete an MA in Art Museum and Gallery Studies at the University of Leicester, which she is about to complete with a work placement with the Curatorial Department of Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand.
 
Siobhan Sexton, Art History graduate 2008-09 and winner of the University of Plymouth's Humanities, Music & the Performing Arts scholarship (2010-13) is now working towards her PhD on representations of neurasthenic women in late 19th-century French art.
 
Louise Thomas, Art History graduate 2010-11, won the 2011 Art and World Culture Travel Bursary Award to visit collections of Native American art and artefacts in the USA, and is taking a year out to attend conferences and engage in further research before embarking on an MRes.

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Meet the staff

 
Please follow the links below to learn more about individual member of staff's teaching and research interests:
Dr. Gemma Blackshaw Associate Professor in Art History (Reader)
Gemma blackshaw
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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BAS 7 logo

​17 September- 4 December 2011
British Art Show 7 is the biggest exhibition of British contemporary art. It features works by 39 different artists, displayed at five venues throughout the city. Works include painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, film and performance. Plymouth is one of only three locations outside London selected by Hayward Touring to host this prestigious touring exhibition. The exhibition employs the motif of the comet to explore and draw together a set of concerns that thread their way through the practices of the selected artists. It alludes to the measuring of time, historical recurrence, and parallel worlds.

Supported by Plymouth City Council and Arts Council England and delivered by the Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium (PVAC).

For further information about the British Art Show 7 visit: www.plymouthbas7.org