| UCAS code | QV33 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: ACC |
| UCAS code | QV34 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: ACC |
| UCAS code | QV32 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: ACC |
| UCAS code | QV35 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: ACC |
Overview
- Interpret works of art (including architecture, and design) as well as images, objects and practices in order to understand contemporary and past societies.
- Art, history and culture embedded on campus with the Exeter Northcott Theatre, Bill Douglas Cinema Musuem, Lemon Grove and Great Hall as music venues and student theatre Roborough Studios. Exeter has also recently been awarded UNESCO City of Literature status.
- Develop your expertise in subjects that range from early medieval to contemporary literature, film and creative writing.
- In your final year write a dissertation in English Literature, Creative Writing or Art History & Visual Culture.
Top 15 in the UK for English
11th in the Complete University Guide 2025; 14th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 50 in the world for English Language and Literature
QS World University Subject Rankings 2025
Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design
12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Top 15 in the UK for English
11th in the Complete University Guide 2025; 14th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 50 in the world for English Language and Literature
QS World University Subject Rankings 2025
Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design
12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
The teaching is very hands on, and I always feel that I can talk to my module convenor or personal tutor when I have any queries or concerns regarding my course.
Moving away from Hong Kong was a hard decision, having spent my whole life there, however the social aspect of being at university has allowed me to become an extrovert, networking with people who share a similar interest and passion within the subject of culture and humanities.
Carrie
BA Art History & Visual Culture and English
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | ABB | B in English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language |
| IB | 32/655 | HL5 in English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language |
| BTEC | DDM | Applicants studying a BTEC Extended Diploma will also require GCE A-Level English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language Grade B |
| GCSE | C or 4 | English Language |
| Access to HE | 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade | To include at least 12 L3 credits at Merit Grade in an acceptable English Literature or English Language subject area |
| T-Level | Distinction | Applicants studying a T-Level will also require GCE A-Level English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language grade B |
| Contextual Offer | A-Level: ACC |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| Other accepted qualifications | ||
| English language requirements |
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country. |
|
NB General Studies is not included in any offer.
Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply
Course content
30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of compulsory English modules, 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules and 30 credits of optional English modules.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHV1011 | Questions and Methods in Art History and Visual Culture | 30 |
| EAS1035 | Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 | 30 |
Optional modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits overall for the stage, you must:
a - select either AHV1005 and AHV1009, or AHV1012, selecting 30 credits in total.
b - select 30 credits from this list of optional English modules.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHVC Stage 1 Combined Hons Option Modules 2025-6 [See note a above] | ||
| AHV1005 | Inside the Museum | 15 |
| AHV1006 | Visual Media | 15 |
| AHV1008 | Topics in Art History and Visual Culture I | 15 |
| AHV1009 | Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II | 15 |
| AHV1012 | Approaches to Art History and Visual Culture | 30 |
| MLF1121 | French Visual History | 15 |
| MLM1014 | Chinese Art and the Art of Living | 15 |
| English Stage 1 CH Option Modules 2024-5 [See note b above] | ||
| EAS1037 | The Novel | 15 |
| EAS1038 | The Poem | 15 |
| EAS1041 | Rethinking Shakespeare | 15 |
| EAS1044 | Imagine This: Prompts for Creative Writing | 15 |
| EAS1016 | Digital Cultures: Narrative, Creativity, Industry | 15 |
30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules and 60 credits of optional English modules.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHV2015 | Art History and Visual Culture Field Study for Blended Learning | 30 |
Optional modules
Subject to selecting 120 credits overall in the stage, you must:
c - select 30 credits from this list of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules - we recommend selecting at least one module from AHV2002 and AHV2007.
d - select 60 credits from this list of optional English modules. English modules in stage 2 are divided into three groups: Group 1, modules concerned with pre-1750 literature; Group 2, modules concerned with post-1750 literature; Group 3, modules not concerned with a particular historical period. Combined Honours students may not take more than one module from each group.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHVC Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [See note c above] | ||
| EAS2089 | Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future | 30 |
| MLM2003 | Chinoiserie and Europeenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe | 15 |
| AHV2012 | Revolutions: Art and Society in France, 1770-1848 | 30 |
| AHV2018 | Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres | 30 |
| AHV2019 | Common Threads: Art, Craft and Activism | 15 |
| AHV2016 | Contemporary Art and Curation | 15 |
| AHV2020 | Deconstructing the Dutch Golden Age: Nationalism, Exceptionalism and Decline | 15 |
| AHV2023 | Global Impressionisms | 15 |
| AHV2013 | Photography and Evidence | 15 |
| AHV2024 | Renaissances North and South: Italy and the Netherlands | 15 |
| AHV2009 | The New York Avant-Garde 1955-1980 | 30 |
| AHV2002 | Debates and Contestations in Art History [See note c above] | 15 |
| AHV2007 | Contemporary Visual Practices [See note c above] | 15 |
| English Stage 2 Pre-1750 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note d above] | ||
| EAS2026 | Desire and Power: English Literature 1570-1640 | 30 |
| EAS2036 | Theatrical Cultures in Early Modern England | 30 |
| EAS2071 | Chaucer and His Contemporaries | 30 |
| EAS2080 | Renaissance and Revolution | 30 |
| EAS2102 | Satire and the City: English Literature 1660-1750 | 30 |
| English Stage 2 Post-1750 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note d above] | ||
| EAF2510 | Adaptation: Text, Image, Culture | 30 |
| EAS2029 | Revolutions and Evolutions 19C Writings | 30 |
| EAS2103 | Modernism and Modernity: Literature 1900-1960 | 30 |
| EAS2104 | Crossing the Water: Transatlantic Literary Relations | 30 |
| EAS2106 | Romanticism | 30 |
| EAS2116 | Empire of Liberty: American Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century | 30 |
| English Stage 2 Neutral Option Modules 2024-5 [See note d above] | ||
| AHV2018 | Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres | 30 |
| EAS2031 | Creative Writing: Building a Story | 30 |
| EAS2032 | Creative Writing: Making a Poem | 30 |
| EAS2089 | Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future | 30 |
| EAS2090 | Humanities after the Human: Further Adventures in Critical Theory | 30 |
| EAS2113 | Culture, Crisis and Ecology in a Postcolonial World | 30 |
| HUM2000 | Humanities in the Workplace | 30 |
Typically, any placement year will take place in Year 3. If you are not taking a placement year please see the Final Year modules for year 3.
0-30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 0-30 credits of compulsory English modules, 30-60 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 30-60 credits of optional English modules.
Compulsory modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
e - select a Dissertation in either Art History & Visual Culture or English: AHV3000 or EAS3003 or EAS3122 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHV3000 | Art History and Visual Culture Dissertation [See note e above] | 30 |
| EAS3003 | Dissertation [See note e above] | 30 |
| EAS3122 | Creative Writing Dissertation [See note e above] | 30 |
Optional modules
f - if selecting EAS3003 or EAS3122, select 60 credits from this list of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules.
g - if selecting AHV3000, select 60 credits from this list of optional English modules.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHVC Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [See note f above] | ||
| EAF3515 | Something to See: War and Visual Media | 30 |
| EAS3421 | Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century | 30 |
| SML3052 | The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Europe and Asia | 15 |
| MLG3036 | Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria | 15 |
| AHV3017 | 'Queen City of Europe': Art, Culture and Society in Renaissance Antwerp, c.1500-70 | 15 |
| AHV3013 | Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-1900 | 15 |
| AHV3016 | Conceptual Art | 15 |
| AHV3007 | Global Modernisms | 15 |
| AHV3012 | Installation Art | 15 |
| AHV3008 | Performance Art | 15 |
| AHV3020 | Subjectivity and Storytelling: From Decorative Arts to Digital Futures | 15 |
| AHV3018 | The Body in Art and Disability Studies | 15 |
| AHV3003 | The Face | 15 |
| AHV3002 | Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy | 15 |
| English Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5 [See note g above] | ||
| EAS3128 | Writing the Short Film | 30 |
| EAS3131 | Advanced Critical Theory | 30 |
| EAS3181 | Visual and Literary Cultures of Realism | 30 |
| EAS3182 | Encountering the Other in Medieval Literature | 30 |
| EAS3191 | Writing for Children and Young Adults | 30 |
| EAS3198 | The Death of the Novel | 30 |
| EAS3219 | Virginia Woolf: Fiction, Feeling, Form | 30 |
| EAS3225 | 'Reader, I Married Him': The Evolution of Romance Fiction from 1740 to the Present | 30 |
| EAS3237 | The Rise of Science | 30 |
| EAS3245 | The 21st Century Museum | 30 |
| EAS3252 | Poison, Filth, Trash: Modernism, Censorship and Resistance | 30 |
| EAS3311 | Piracy in Early Modern Literature, 1570-1730 | 30 |
| EAS3408 | Poetry and Politics | 30 |
| EAS3414 | Jane Austen: In and Out of Context | 30 |
| EAS3415 | The Development of British Childrens Literature | 30 |
| EAS3416 | Feeling Bodies: Emotions in Early Modern Literature and Culture, 1500-1700 | 30 |
| EAS3417 | Sex, Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Literature | 30 |
| EAS3420 | Staging Space: Dramatic Geography and Audience Experience | 30 |
| EAS3421 | Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century | 30 |
| EAS3502 | Shakespeare and Crisis | 30 |
| EAS3503 | Migration, Literature and Culture | 30 |
| EAS3501 | Fiction Matters | 30 |
| EAS3100 | Hardy and Women Who Did: the Coming of Modernity | 30 |
| EAS3500 | American Counterculture in Literature | 30 |
| EAS3504 | Surrealism and its Legacies | 30 |
| EAS3228 | Romance from Chaucer to Shakespeare | 30 |
| EAS3509 | From Pen to Printed Page: Exeter's Literary Archives | 30 |
| EAS3511 | 'Mad': cultures, histories, phantasies, imaginaries of mental distress | 30 |
| EAS3312 | Adventures in Technique (Poetry) | 30 |
| EAS3196 | Charles Dickens: Novelist, Journalist and Reformer | 30 |
Course variants
UCAS code: QV34
Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.
Why Study Abroad?
Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.
Where can I Study Abroad?
We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website.
Does it count towards my degree?
Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your College Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.
How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?
For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.
UCAS code: QV32
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements within the UK as part of your degree.
Why choose to include Employment Experience?
Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career. A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.
Where will I do my work placement?
The sector you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.
How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?
For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.
Find out more
Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.
UCAS code: QV35
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements as part of your degree.
Why choose to include Employment Experience Abroad?
Spending up to a year living and working in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. By carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements abroad you can demonstrate to employers your adaptability, cultural awareness, independence and resourcefulness and, depending on where you stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language.
Where will I do my work placement?
The sector and country you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.
How does it affect my tuition fee?
For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.
Is the placement paid?
You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.
Find out more
Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.
Fees
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.
Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.
* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Learning and teaching
Learning and teaching
You will be taught by internationally respected staff who are leading researchers in their specialisms. We use a wide variety of techniques and approaches including seminars, lectures, study groups and web-based learning, as well as valuable field study. We integrate the latest approaches with traditional learning and teaching to give you a varied and challenging programme. As you study the compulsory modules, you will learn through individual practical and project work, teamwork and a research project, all of which are designed to help you develop key skills for success throughout your degree and into your future career.
Contact time
In your first year, you will receive a minimum of 10 hours of contact with academic staff per week. You will also be expected to attend other activities such as study groups, workshop activities and film screenings. Your total workload should average about 40 hours per week during term time. The exact amount of time spent working independently varies from module to module.
Museums, galleries, and field trips
We believe it’s really important for you to gain first-hand exposure to works of art and other visual artefacts. You will profit from engaging with the museums and galleries in the region, in addition to field trips to collections in London and elsewhere. You will also can develop expertise in curation through the University’s Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
Art History and Visual Culture field trip abroad
In the second year of the programme we offer a core module, Art History & Visual Culture Field Study, which involves an intensive study trip abroad to immerse our students in the art, architecture and visual culture of a specific location in Europe. In recent years our study abroad trip has taken place in Florence Italy*.
Research-inspired teaching
Teaching that is inspired by research ensures lectures are up-to-date and relevant: you will benefit from access to the latest thinking, equipment and resources. All options are taught by staff with expertise including art history, architecture, film, photography, visual media, art and technology, curation and exhibition, mixed and virtual realities, performance art and visual culture in the UK and abroad.
Academic support
All students have access to a personal tutor who is available for advice and support throughout your studies. There are also a number of services on campus where you can get advice and information, including the Students’ Guild Advice Unit.
Assessment
You will be assessed in a variety of ways but primarily through exams and coursework. Coursework includes essays, a dissertation and presentation work. The ratio of formal exams to coursework is on average 40:60 (depending on your choice of modules). Your first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress. In order to be eligible for ‘with Study Abroad’ programmes, you will need to attain an average of 60 per cent or more in your first year. The assessments in the second year, year abroad (if applicable) and final year will contribute to your final degree classification.
*Field course destination subject to change
Optional modules outside of this course
Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.
Proficiency in a second subject
If you complete 60 credits of modules in specified subjects, you may have the words 'with proficiency in’ added to your degree title when you graduate.
Your future
Employer-valued skills this course develops
Art History and Visual Culture at the University of Exeter is a bold interdisciplinary programme, which will enable you to stand out in the job market. This programme will give you specialist knowledge of everything from traditional art forms such as architecture and sculpture, to today’s visual practices such as film, video, performance and digital art. You will develop a broad range of highly desirable skills in analysis, critique, research and theoretical and practical creativity.
Career paths
Art History & Visual Culture graduates compete very successfully in the employment market, with many employers targeting the University when recruiting new graduates.
Examples of roles recent graduates are now working as include:
- Art Gallery Intern
- Brand Intern in fashion industry
- Civil Service Fast Stream
- Collections Information Officer
- Editorial Assistant
- Events Planner
- Marketing Intern
- PR Account Executive
- Researcher
- TV Promotions Assistant
Further study
Every year a high proportion of Humanities graduates choose to progress to further study or professional training. The Art History and Visual Culture programme presents its graduates with opportunity to undertake further study or training in areas such as education, arts management and journalism, amongst others.
Career Zone
The services offered by the careers and employability team are complementary to the services offered by our central Career Zone, where you can participate in practical sessions to develop your skills; access paid internships and volunteering opportunities; explore postgraduate study options; meet prospective employers; get one-to-one advice and learn how to secure the right job for you.
