BA History of Art
About this course
BA in History of Art, a history of art degree centered on the interpretation of art across diverse cultures and historical periods. Core topics include Research Methods and Historical Research. The curriculum includes access to several campus exhibition spaces, such as The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery and the Museum of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. The first year establishes foundations through compulsory modules such as Art History as Practice, Ways of Seeing, Ways of Thinking Seeing, and From Art History’s Myths to Critical Art History, alongside optional choices. The second year expands the discipline with compulsory studies in Methods in Practice: Art-Historical Research, The Grand Tour: Travels, Excavations, Collections, The Art Market: Moments, Methodologies, Meanings, and Bodies of Difference: Gender, Power and the Visual Arts. The final year involves advanced compulsory modules including Short Dissertation, Anthropology, Art and Representation, Critical Approaches to Photography, and Art, Ecology and Empire.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB EPQ: BBB plus grade A in the EPQ BTEC: DDM IB: 34 points overall including 16 at Higher Level with 4 in English.
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What students say
Based on about 11 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 97%
- Learning opportunities: 87%
- Assessment and feedback: 81%
- Academic support: 100%
- Organisation and management: 94%
- Learning resources: 98%
- Student voice: 83%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 20 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 100%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 70 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 4%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 14%
- East Midlands: 4%
- West Midlands: 4%
- East of England: 4%
- London: 48%
- South East: 16%
- South West: 2%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 95%
- Access course: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Art History as Practice
- Ways of Seeing
- Ways of Thinking Seeing
- From Art History’s Myths to Critical Art History
- Critical Approaches to Display, Institutions and Engagement
- Discovery module
- Cultural History
- Methods in Practice: Art-Historical Research
- Origins, Structures, and Critique: Framing the Discipline of Art History
- Expanding Fields of Display, Institutions, and Engagement
- Seeing in Asia
- Variant Modernism
- The Grand Tour: Travels, Excavations, Collections
- The Art Market: Moments, Methodologies, Meanings
- Bodies of Difference: Gender, Power and the Visual Arts
- Renaissance / Anti-Renaissance: Critical Approaches to Early Modern Art in Europe
- Short Dissertation
- From Trauma to Cultural Memory: The Unfinished Business of Representation and the Holocaust
- Anthropology, Art and Representation
- Unmaking Things: Materials and Ideas in the European Renaissance
- Critical Approaches to Photography
- Postcolonial Feminisms
- Art, Ecology and Empire
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA History of Art at University of Leeds earn?
The median salary is £24,000 after 3 years, £31,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £24,000 and £37,000. The £31,500 median after five years is £2,000 more than the UK median for History of art, architecture and design.
Are students happy with the teaching on BA History of Art at University of Leeds?
97% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA History of Art at University of Leeds?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 138 UCAS points.
Does BA History of Art at University of Leeds include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA History of Art at University of Leeds?
100% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.