Course information

Course highlights

• Students have access to extensive library holdings including a major Visual Resources Collection with over 150,000 images and a microfiche copy of the Conway and Witt photographic archives, comprising some two million images of works of art.
• The choice of modules allows wide-ranging study of thematic or methodological issues, as well as focused research pathways.
• Small class sizes prioritise discussion with peers and interaction with the tutor.
  
• Students have the opportunity to attend class trips, and there is a research seminar with guest lecturers for all staff and students every two weeks. 

Teaching format

The MLitt in Art History is designed to develop and enhance core research and writing skills, to introduce and deepen knowledge of the theoretical and methodological foundations of Art History, and to enable students to explore specific time periods, art media and contextual questions. 

The MLitt degree requires two semesters of full-time (or four semesters part-time) coursework, normally equivalent to four modules. Each module has a minimum contact time of 12 hours. The modules are taught as small group discussion seminars, with an average size of four to eight students in each group. Additionally, there may be class trips where relevant to the taught modules.

The assessment for the taught modules is based on coursework including book reviews, annotated bibliographies, visual analysis and object analysis essays, reading journals and research papers.

The final three months of your course will be focused on writing the final assessment piece, a 15,000-word dissertation. Across the two semesters, students participate in a series of skills workshops designed to help prepare for the dissertation element. Students may also apply to take part in a summer exchange programme with the École du Louvre in Paris.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue.

Compulsory module

• Art Historical Resources and Methods: introduces students to the resources (textual, visual and electronic) available in St Andrews and elsewhere in Britain for research into the history of art.

Optional modules

Students choose three optional modules. Optional modules are subject to change each year, and class sizes may be limited (see the University’s position on curriculum development).

• Art and Politics in the Trecento
• Bibliography for Art History or History of Photography
• Imperial Lens: Readings in Nineteenth-Century Asian Photography
• Issues in Photographic Criticism
• Paragons of the Northern Baroque: Rubens and Rembrandt
• Readings in Art History or History of Photography
• Studies in Late Mediaeval Italian Sculpture
• School: Images, Spaces, Artefacts and Ideas of Learning
• University of St Andrews Photographic Collection
• Gothic Manuscript Decoration: Culture and Context
• Palladio in Venice
• The Dream of the North: Twentieth-Century Scandinavian Art and Design
• Current Issues in Renaissance Art
• Experimental Art of the 1960s
• Romanesque Architecture
• Restaging Performance Art: The Politics of Audience and Documentation
• The Book of Hours in the Late Middle Ages
• South German Eighteenth-Century Sculpture

The modules listed ran in the academic year 2015-2016 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2016 entry.

Take a look at the most up to date modules in the module catalogue.

Dissertation

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there are exit awards available that allow suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of a MLitt.

Conferences and events

The School of Art History supports a large, active and diverse postgraduate community. Postgraduate students publish the North Street Review: Arts and Visual Culture journal, an annual journal containing articles on a wide range of topics by students at St Andrews and other universities. The School also organises postgraduate research seminars and occasional symposia. Each year they invite a number of artists and scholars to give lectures.

The School was institutional in establishing the Museums, Galleries and Collections Institute (MGCI) which is a leading centre for training and research in the heritage sector. 

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).