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Undergraduate Study

BA Art History & Visual Culture and History - 2025 entry

Please note: The below is for 2025 entries. Click here for 2024 entries.
UCAS code VV31
Duration 3 years
Entry year 2025
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline Art History & Visual Culture
Contact

Web: Enquire online
Phone: 0300 555 6060 (UK callers) 
+44 (0)1392 723044 (EU/International callers)

Typical offer

View full entry requirements

A-Levels: ABB
IB: 32/655
BTEC: DDM

Contextual offers

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Overview

  • Navigate history to learn about changes in society, culture, politics, religion and apply them to current theories and practices.
  • 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.
  • Cover time periods from the Roman Empire to the 1960s and topics as diverse as the Vikings, early medieval empires, the Norman Conquest and magic and witchcraft in early modern Europe.
  • Learn to collect evidence using libraries, archives, the internet, interviews, languages, palaeography and environmental fieldwork.

View 2024 Entry

Request a prospectus

Open Days and visiting us

How to apply

Contact

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

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6th in the UK for research in History

Based on our Grade Point Average (GPA) in REF 2021

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Top 100 in world subject rankings for History

QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

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Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design

12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

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Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Studying at Exeter has been a brilliant experience, it felt like the right choice from the first open day I visited.

Exeter has provided me with access to work experience in the local arts centres and museums, and has given me the opportunity to travel and visit the art we study in class. In my experience lecturers go above and beyond to provide academic support for students, as do the Wellbeing and Accessibility Services. I have also been able to join a range of academic and social societies, in which I have made friends for life.

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BA Art History & Visual Culture and Classics

Entry requirements (typical offer)

Qualification Typical offer Required subjects
A-Level ABB n/a
IB 32/655 n/a
BTEC DDM n/a
GCSE C or 4 English Language
Access to HE 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade. N/A
T-Level Distinction N/A
Contextual Offer

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers.

Other accepted qualifications

View 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, 45 credits of compulsory History modules, 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 15 credits of optional History modules.

 

Compulsory modules

a - You must select HIH1421 Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History OR HIH1422 Understanding Modern History.

CodeModule Credits
HIH1137 Becoming a Historian: Core 15
HIH1421 Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History [See note a above]30
HIH1422 Understanding Modern History [See note a above]30
AHV1011 Questions and Methods in Art History and Visual Culture 30

Optional modules

b - select one of the three Art History & Visual Culture option modules

c - select 15 credits from this list of optional History modules.

CodeModule Credits
AHV1005 Inside the Museum [See note b above]15
AHV1009 Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II [See note b above]15
AHV1012 Approaches to Art History and Visual Culture [See note b above]30
History Stage 1 Option modules 2024-5 [See note c above]
HIH1402 Britain, America, and the Global Order, 1846-1946 15
HIH1618 Body, Border, Partition: Understanding Violence in South Asia 15
HIH1140 Confinement, Care, Cure: Psychiatric Institutions in the Twentieth Century 15
HIH1412 Early Modern Magic and Witchcraft 15
HIH1614 Environment and Industry, 1750-1950: Global Perspectives 15
HIH1053 Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages 15
HIH1600 Images of Stalinism 15
HIH1585 Ladies of the Night: Prostitution in the Victorian World 15
HIH1607 JFK 15
HIH1002 Losing an Empire, Finding a Role: Britain Since 1945 15
HIH1042 Murder in Early Modern England 15
HIH1411 From Wigan Pier to Piccadilly: Britain between the Wars 15
HIH1501 The Viking Phenomenon 15
HIH1506 The First Day of the Somme 15
HIH1532 The History of Strategic Thinking 15
HIH1596 The Good War? The United States in World War II 15
HIH1612 Renaissance Florence 1350-1550 15

30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules and 60 credits of optional History modules.

 

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
AHV2015 Art History and Visual Culture Field Study for Blended Learning 30

Optional modules

d - Select 30 credits from Stage 2 Option Modules of Art History & Visual Culture, we recommend selecting at least one module from AHV2002 and AHV2007.

Select 60 credits from a single History Route A, B, C or D . You must take HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age if you intend to select HIH3005 History Dissertation or HIH3006 Research Dissertation in the final stage).

History Route A
2 History option modules. Art History & Visual Culture Dissertation in final stage

History Route B
HIH2002 Uses of the Past + 1 other History option. Art History & Visual Culture Dissertation in final stage

History Route C
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age + 1 other History option. History Dissertation in final stage

History Route D
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age + HIH2002 Uses of the Past. History Dissertation in final stage

CodeModule Credits
AHVC Stage 2 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note d above]
AHV2012 Revolutions: Art and Society in France, 1770-1848 30
AHV2016 Contemporary Art and Curation 15
AHV2018 Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres 30
AHV2021 American Photographs 15
AHV2022 Animals in Nineteenth-century Art and Visual Culture 15
AHV2023 Global Impressionisms 15
AHV2208 Ideal Cities? Urban Cultures of Renaissance Italy 15
AHV2013 Photography and Evidence 15
AHV2019 Common Threads: Art, Craft and Activism 15
AHV2020 Deconstructing the Dutch Golden Age: Nationalism, Exceptionalism and Decline 15
AHV2024 Renaissances North and South: Italy and the Netherlands 15
MLM2003 Chinoiserie and Europeenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe 15
EAS2089 Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future 30
AHV2002 Debates and Contestations in Art History [See note d above]15
AHV2007 Contemporary Visual Practices [See note d above]15
History CH Stage 2 Route A modules 2024-5 History Pathway A
HIH2036A Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965 30
HIH2037 American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology 30
HIH2041 The First Welfare State? England's Poor Law, 1520-1835 30
HIH2016A Living Through the Global: Colonial Migrants and the British Empire from the Eighteenth Century to the Present 30
HIH2137A Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800 30
HIH2138A History of Development: Ideologies, Politics, and Projects 30
HIH2145A Spain from Absolutism to Democracy 30
HIH2208A Medieval Paris 30
HIH2210A The Russian Empire, 1689-1917 30
HIH2218A Religion, Society and Culture in Tudor England 30
HIH2238 Slavery, Revolution, Independence: Saint-Domingue and Haiti, 1685-1838 30
HIH2241 Rise and Demise of Communism in Global Perspective 30
HIH2587 The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century 30
HIH2590 An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century 30
HIH2591 Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223 30
HIH2594 Europe in the Era of the Great War, 1908-1923: Crisis, Conflict and Collapse 30
History CH Stage 2 Route B modules 2024-5 History Pathway B
HIH2002 Uses of the Past 30
HIH2591 Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223 30
HIH2587 The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century 30
HIH2036A Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965 30
HIH2238 Slavery, Revolution, Independence: Saint-Domingue and Haiti, 1685-1838 30
HIH2016A Living Through the Global: Colonial Migrants and the British Empire from the Eighteenth Century to the Present 30
HIH2210A The Russian Empire, 1689-1917 30
HIH2138A History of Development: Ideologies, Politics, and Projects 30
History CH Stage 2 Route C modules 2024-5 History Pathway C
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age 30
HIH2208A Medieval Paris 30
HIH2590 An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century 30
HIH2218A Religion, Society and Culture in Tudor England 30
HIH2041 The First Welfare State? England's Poor Law, 1520-1835 30
HIH2037 American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology 30
HIH2145A Spain from Absolutism to Democracy 30
HIH2594 Europe in the Era of the Great War, 1908-1923: Crisis, Conflict and Collapse 30
HIH2241 Rise and Demise of Communism in Global Perspective 30
History CH Stage 2 Route D modules History Pathway D
HIH2002 Uses of the Past 30
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age 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.

With Study Abroad

120 credit compulsory placement module

For your year abroad you will agree a suite of modules in your host institution with the Faculty Study Abroad Coordinator. Details of individual modules that may be taken whilst abroad can be found by accessing the partner institution’s factfile at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/where/ and navigating to the “Course Requirements” section of that factfile where a link to the modules on offer in the partner institution is displayed.

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
HUM3999 Year Abroad 120

With Employment Experience

120 credit compulsory placement module

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
HUM3998 Employment Experience UK 120

With Employment Experience Abroad

120 credit compulsory placement module

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
HUM3997 Employment Experience Abroad 120

0-30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 0-30 credits of compulsory History modules, 30-60 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 30-60 credits of optional History modules.

 

Compulsory modules

Route A or B taken in Stage 2 - Select AHV3000 Art History & Visual Culture Dissertation.

Route C or D taken in stage 2 - Select either HIH3005 History Dissertation or HIH3006 History Research Dissertation.

CodeModule Credits
AHV3000 Art History and Visual Culture Dissertation 30
HIH3005 General Third-Year Dissertation 30
HIH3006 Research Project Dissertation 30

Optional modules

Route A or B taken in Stage 2 - Select 30 credits of Art History & Visual Culture Options. Select a Special Subject pair consisting of both a Sources and Context module for 60 credits.

Route C or D taken in stage 2 - Select 30 credits from the Concepts modules, or 30 credits outside History.  Select 60 credits of Art History & Visual Culture options.

If choosing option modules outside of your named subjects, you must make sure that your total for both History and Art History & Visual Culture is 90 credits each over the second and final year. This is to ensure you meet the requirements needed for the degree title.

CodeModule Credits
AHVC Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5 Art History & Visual Culture Options
AHV3002 Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy 15
AHV3007 Global Modernisms 15
AHV3008 Performance Art 15
AHV3009 Paris to the World: Modelling the Modern City 15
AHV3012 Installation Art 15
AHV3017 'Queen City of Europe': Art, Culture and Society in Renaissance Antwerp, c.1500-70 15
EAF3515 Something to See: War and Visual Media 30
EAS3245 The 21st Century Museum 30
EAS3421 Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century 30
EAS3504 Surrealism and its Legacies 30
HUM3015 The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Britain and China 15
MLG3036 Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria 15
AHV3013 Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-1900 15
AHV3019 Artists' Film and Video 15
AHV3018 The Body in Art and Disability Studies 15
AHV3020 Subjectivity and Storytelling: From Decorative Arts to Digital Futures 15
THE3229 Syriac Christianity: Monks, Monasteries and Mimre 30
History UG Final Year Special Subjects 2024-5 Special Subjects
HIH3415 Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53 60
HIH3416 Critics of Empire 60
HIH3417 The Yes, Minister Files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914 60
HIH3422 Street Protest and Social Movements in the Modern Era 60
HIH3426 Health and its Politics in the 20th Century 60
HIH3430 From the Grand Tour to Gladiator: Modern encounters with the ancient world 60
HIH3433 Beyond Cannibalism: Indigenous Peoples and the European Colonisation of Brazil, 1500-1822 60
HIH3434 The Body in Early Modern England 60
HIH3436 Engendering Empire: Making the British Imperial World 60
HIH3437 Death to the Traitors: Rebellion and Resisting Tyranny in the Middle Ages 60
HIH3438 The Rise of Capitalism in Britain 1660-1830 60
HIH3439 Women's Experience in Britain: Race, Class and Gender since 1945 60
HIH3441 Britons Abroad: The Experience of Travel, c. 1650-1900 60
HIH3442 From Its Cradle to Its Grave? The National Health Service in Britain, 1948-Present 60
HIH3444 Them and Us: Imagining the Social "Other" in Britain since the 1880s 60
HIH3450 Decolonisation and Colonial Conflict 60
HIH3451 Borders and Mobilities in Postcolonial South Asia 60
HIH3452 Whiteness: A Global History 60
HIH3448 Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 60
History UG Final Stage Concepts Concepts
HIH3330 Truth 30
HIH3332 Labour 30
HIH3333 In Sickness and in Health 30
HIH3334 War 30
HIH3336 Revolution 30
HIH3331 Elites 30

Course variants

UCAS code: VV32

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 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: VV33

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: VV34

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: £9,250 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, such as our Global 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.

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Learning and teaching

How will I learn?

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.

For your History modules, you will learn through lectures, tutorials and seminars, with a growing emphasis at each successive level on student-led learning. Modules are designed to encourage you to think about long-term developments and processes of historical change, and to make comparisons between countries and cultures. This helps you progress from the more tightly defined topics studied at A level. Modules are also designed to encourage you to think and write analytically about these broad subjects. They emphasise historical questions that require you to identify patterns across time, or between countries, and to isolate common or competing trends, instead of concentrating on short-term or single explanations.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment methods vary between modules, but generally include coursework, project work, written exams and various forms of presentation. Please see the individual module descriptions for further details.

You must pass your first-year assessment, to progress to the second year, but the results do not count towards your degree classification. For three-year programmes, the assessments in the second and third years contribute to your final degree classification. For four-year programmes the assessments in the second, third and fourth years all contribute to your final degree classification.

Contact time

You’ll receive ten contact hours per week with staff, both in teaching time and with your personal tutor You’re also expected to invest a lot of time in independent study; this involves individual study and contact with your study-group (for example, in preparation for seminars). The exact amount of time spent working independently varies from module to module.

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 staff teach third year options which are linked to a broad range of their own interests.

Academic support

All students have access to a personal tutor, who is available for advice and support throughout your studies. There are also several services on campus where you can get advice and information, including the Students’ Guild Advice Unit.

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 one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.

  • A Foreign Language
  • Data Science
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Innovation
  • Law (Penryn Campus only)
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Social Data Science

Find out more about proficiency options

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Your future

Employer-valued skills this course develops

Studying Art History & Visual Culture equips students with a broad range of highly desirable transferable skills in analysis, critique, research and theoretical and practical creativity. These will prepare you to enter a wide variety of professions.

You will also develop 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 benefit from productive engagement with collections, institutions and art groups in the area, in tandem with the wider arts community in the South West and beyond.

Further study

The Art History & Visual Culture programme prepares its graduates to undertake postgraduate study or training in areas such as education, arts management and journalism, amongst others. Recent graduates have gone on to study:

  • MA Publishing
  • MA Multimedia Broadcast Journalism
  • MA Creative Advertising
  • CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)
  • MA Fine and Decorative Arts
  • MA Marketing & International Management
  • Graduate Diploma in Law
  • MA Stage and Event Management

Career support and pathways

We have a dedicated, award-winning Careers Service, ensuring you have access to careers advisors, mentors and the tools you need to succeed in finding employment in your chosen field on graduation. We offer the Exeter Award and the Exeter Leaders Award, which include employability-related workshops, skills events, volunteering and employment which will contribute to your career decision-making skills and success in the employment market.

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

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