Intro

As one of the first universities to explore design, clothing, and decoration as part of the history of art, Brighton has a rich heritage in the field, as well as excellent facilities and close relationships with local and national museums.

Our unique and respected programme explores the history of art and design around the world, from traditional manufacture to emerging contemporary practices. The course covers subjects including fine art, design, heritage, museum studies, film and fashion.

Guided by an expert course team, you will engage with a wide range of art and design objects, and learn to explore the use, production, preservation, social value and cultural memory of the things that societies and individuals have created.

You will have access to resources including our Dress History Teaching Collection, as well as our world-renowned Design Archives and Screen Archive South East, all based at the university.

Key facts

Location Brighton: City campus

UCAS code V352

Full-time 3 years

Join an online event

Apply now with UCAS for 2022

Course content

Year 1

Modules

  • Local and Global: Cross Cultural Histories of Art and Design

    This module introduces key concepts of creative encounters and exchanges across cultures in the history of art and design, fashion and visual culture. You will learn about the ways in which the movement of people, materials and ideas across geographies, spaces and periods have an impact on the production, reproduction and appropriation of art and design.

  • Art and Design History in Brighton: Places and Processes

    In this module you will explore aspects of Brighton and Hove that are significant to the history of art and design locally and in some cases more broadly, through the introduction of key sites, themes and resources, for example, the Royal Pavilion and Museums; the historical development of local identities in subcultures and sexualities and Brighton on film. The topics are complemented by a seminar series that will equip you with the skills and tools needed to study history of art and design at degree level.

  • Material Matters

    Material Matters is an opportunity to explore the characteristics, histories and values associated with different types of materials that are used in the creation of studio-produced or manufactured objects. You will develop an appreciation of the qualities of different materials and the cultural and environmental implications of their use. You'll have an opportunity to focus on particular types of materials such as cotton in the creation of clothing; nitrate in the use of photography and film, and clay and porcelain in the production of domestic kitchenware. The module introduces the UN Sustainable Development Goal for Responsible Production and Consumption (SDG12)

  • Artist, Designer and the Prosumer

    This module introduces concepts and trans-historical studies in art and design. You'll explore themes within key historical and theoretical ideas and approaches in art, design, fashion and visual culture, such as: artist curator, cultures of craft, professionalisation, feminist art, DIY fashion, the photographer and the prosumer.

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through Student View.

Please enable targeting cookies in order to view this video content on our website, or you can watch the video on YouTube.

Please enable targeting cookies in order to view this video content on our website, or you can watch the video on YouTube.

Year 2

In year 2, you’ll build up core knowledge of the history of art and design, developing your own specialist areas of interest from a wide choice of option modules. You can apply to spend the first semester of your second year at the University of Oslo.

In semester two, you have the opportunity to take a 40-hour placement, working in a museum, gallery, archive or the creative services. Assessment is through a logbook, presentation and essay. Previous placement destinations include: Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Design Archives, Worthing Museum, Ditchling Arts and Crafts Museum, The Keep, Phoenix Gallery. Placements are unpaid but travel costs on public transport are paid by the university.

You can also opt to go on a five-day trip to a European city to study art, design and visual culture in context. Potential destinations include Paris and Berlin. The trip costs around £350.

Modules

  • Modernism, Ideology and the Avant-garde in the Twentieth Century
  • After Modernism: Postmodernism and Beyond
  • Constructing Histories: Research Methods and Professional Practice in History of Art and Design

Options*

  • A Trip to Europe: Visual Culture, Art and Design in a European City
  • Behind the Scenes: Arts and heritage placements
  • Creative option – examples of modules include Words and Pictures: Experiments in Art Writing; Understanding Exhibitions and Creating Displays

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Paul Clark clock from the Design Archives

Clock design by Paul Clark, late 1960s. University of Brighton Design Archives.

Final year

The final year sees you execute independent but closely supervised research projects, including your own dissertation, a group display project and a visual display of your dissertation research, which is shown as part of the graduate show. In these projects you are supported by one-to-one or small group supervision as well as peer support.

Modules

  • Theorising Art and Design
  • Dissertation
  • Communicating Research

Options*

  • Real World Research in Art and Design History
  • Professional Paths in Art and Design History
  • Special subject – examples include The Past in the Present: Vintage, Retro, Revival; Participation, Performance, Politics; The Limits of Representation

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

great-exhibition-02

Lithograph of a model elephant in the Indian Court of The Great Exhibition of 1851 from Dickinsons' Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851 published in 1854.

Meet the team

The University of Brighton was one of the founding institutions for research in design history and our teaching team are world authorities in areas including design and dress history and the culture of photography. These research interests inform their teaching.

Dr Angelica Groom, course leader

Angelica is an art historian, researching into the cultural history of animals in relation to art from the Renaissance to the present day. Her interests in animal studies extend across a broad range of subjects, including cultures of collecting, taxidermy, cabinets of curiosity, the development of zoos, zoological naturalism, and above all animals used as subjects in historical and contemporary visual arts.

Other staff who teach on the course include: Dr Harriet Atkinson, Dr Verity Clarkson, Dr Lara Perry, Dr Anna Vaughan Kett, Dr Yunah Lee, Dr Charlotte Nicklas, Dr Annebella Pollen, Dr Louise Purbrick, Dr Megha Rajguru, Dr Cheryl Roberts, Dr Glenn Ward.

Resources

The university has close relationships with local festivals and organisations such as CineCity, the Brighton Photo Biennial, Brighton Festival, Brighton Festival Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Fabrica and Lighthouse. These connections provide a range of opportunities for students.

 

Students at the design archives

Students have access to the world-class Design Archives.

Student work 

Please enable functional cookies in order to view our history of art and design student work brochure on our website, or you can view the publication on Issuu.

Art and design history dissertation catalogues 2021. View catalogues from previous years on Issuu.

How this course is delivered

Our approach

We want you to spend as much time on campus as possible. From semester 1 of the academic year which starts in September, every student will have some face-to-face, on-campus learning in their timetable. Your timetable is being designed to make sure that you can make the most out of your time on campus, and all of the usual campus facilities – libraries, learning spaces, restaurants, gyms and more – will be open. Your timetable will be available in My Studies from late September.

Teaching on your course
In semester 1 you’ll be on campus each week for seminars and some of your lectures. Online lectures will be delivered on MS Teams, supplemented by lecture recordings and additional online content.

Any arrangements for volunteering, field trips, site visits and similar kinds of activities will be informed by the government guidance in operation at the time. We are not currently planning to run activity outside the UK in semester 1 of the 2021–2022 academic year.

COVID-19

Like all universities we will be following government guidance and will be monitoring the pandemic very closely with our local Director of Public Health. Should a worsening of the pandemic occur and Public Health advice require us to make changes, we have robust plans in place for students to continue their studies remotely and for additional safety measures to be introduced on campus.

Careers

Prepare for your career 

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree.

  • You’ll develop your capacity for critical inquiry and hone your research skills.
  • You’ll learn to analyse objects and source materials which will equip you for careers in archives, galleries, museums, heritage sites and auction houses.
  • You have the chance to undertake a work placement and gain experience for your CV.
  • There are opportunities for activity outside of the curriculum including conferences with world-leading experts and publication in the student blogs.
  • Your final major project will be displayed at the graduate show.
Student and design patterns

Placements 

The optional placement in year 2 enables you to work with artefacts in the context of an archive, museum or public collection and gain valuable, relevant experience.

You will work closely with professionals on focused tasks including curating, cataloguing, collections management, publications and other areas of cultural practice. 

The placement option module provides direct experience and insight into aspects of museum, gallery and archival working practices, deepening your understanding of cultural institutions.

It can also enable you to explore career options, make contacts and provide topics for final year research projects.

Hear about a placement student 

Sally Lawrence did her placement at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft:

How was your placement arranged?
There was an option module which allowed students to undertake a placement and then reflect on this in the form of an essay, a log book and a presentation. Everything was arranged by tutors but we were consulted if travel was involved.

What kind of things did you get to do?
I spent time with several members of staff including the director, curator, general manager, communications manager and the volunteer coordinator. I was allowed to sit in on many meetings, including internal staff meetings, meetings with guest curators and possible event partners. I spent some time in the collection store learning about collection maintenance, storage and ethical disposal. I also helped to update and digitalise loan records. I spent a lot of time researching existing visitor types and exploring ways in which to boost visitor numbers, whilst also encouraging a more diverse range of people to visit the museum.

Did you enjoy it?
I found it to be a very enriching and pleasant experience. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and grateful for my help too.

Has it led to any other opportunities?
This real-world experience has enhanced my subsequent essays and presentations regarding museum practice. I chose to stay on as a volunteer and this allowed me access to private viewings, as well volunteer specific talks from guest curators.

What would you like to do when you graduate?
I have applied to stay on at Brighton to do the MA in Curating Collections and Heritage. After that I would like to go into curating. My placement certainly played a part in this decision.

Sally lawrence

Showcasing your talent 

At the end of your degree, you will exhibit your dissertation and accompanying poster in the annual graduate show, one of the most important events in our calendar, when graduating arts, design, architecture and media students stage their final-year shows.

Every year in early June, our City campus and Moulsecoomb campus become huge exhibition spaces. You will be invited to exhibit your work as a showcase to thousands of visitors, an ideal springboard to embark on your career.

Graduate destinations 

Students move into positions in commercial and cultural organisations, as well as into teaching and journalism. Graduates from the History of Art and Design programme hold senior appointments at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada and the Edinburgh College of Art and many take up careers in museums, galleries, heritage sites, arts administration and auction houses.

Further study 

This degree also opens up postgraduate study options. At Brighton, for example, you could progress on to: Curating Collections and Heritage MA, and our History of Design and Material Culture MA.

You could also choose to complete your PhD at Brighton alongside our team of world-leading researchers in our Centre for Design History.

Supporting your employability

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and re-discover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick, and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that's not just while you are a student, our support carries on after you've graduated.

Find out more...

Coloured background with the words Be More, Connected, Skilled, Emlployable

Employment demand for humanities graduates 

The British Academy has compiled a report (May 2020) quantifying the demand for arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) skills in the workplace. It helps to answer the legitimate question of what the economic return is on undertaking a degree, both in time and money. 

According to the report:

  • As arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates progress through the first ten years of their career they are able make strong progress up the career ladder into roles attracting higher salaries
  • Arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates are employed in some of the fastest growing sectors including financial services, education, social work, the media and creative industries
  • Of the ten fastest growing sectors, eight employ more graduates from AHSS than other disciplines

This makes AHSS graduates at the heart of some of the most exciting, productive, largest and fastest-growing sectors of the UK economy.

Future skills demand

According to the report:

  • With the challenges the world is facing – climate change, global pandemics, the growth of populism – the UK needs the insights of the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS) as much as those from science, technology and engineering (STEM)
  • Evidence within the report shows that Arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates are central to these challenges and changes – they will be vital in giving us the tools to examine and explain human behaviour, understand how society functions, learn from the past and apply those lessons to the present, and analyse the drivers and implications of a changing world and how different countries, places and cultures interact.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBB–BCC (120–104 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

International Baccalaureate
26 points, with three subjects at Higher level.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Humanities, history or politics courses preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3.

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits or relevant experience may count towards your course at Brighton, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3. 

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,842 GBP

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in the fee, while studying a course in the School of Humanities are listed here.

  • For a number of courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits. These are optional and are not required to pass your course but under normal circumstances we would expect a budget of approximately £150 per year will cover the costs of particular trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software, however many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £150 per year for printing.
  • Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £200 to buy your own copies.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships, as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2022–23.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

City campus

City campus is located at the heart of central Brighton.

The facilities for making and designing, the theatre, galleries, workshops, studios, archives and the independent arts organisations based on site provide a unique and inspiring environment where creativity thrives.

St Peter’s House library and Phoenix halls of residence are close to the exhibition and learning facilities in the Grand Parade main building where you will also find the student centre with careers, counselling, student advice service and disability and dyslexia support. Edward Street provides extensive teaching and gallery space for media, photography and film.

Also on site are Photoworks, Screen Archive South East and University of Brighton Design Archives. Leading visual arts agency Photoworks runs the Brighton Photo Biennial and a national programme which frequently features the work of our graduates, staff and students. 

Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, the iconic pier and beach are a very short walk away. The independent shops and businesses of the North Laine and Kemptown, and Brighton main line station, with frequent express services to London, are 10 minutes walk.


Grand Parade exhibition space

Accommodation

Brighton: City campus

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer. All rooms are self-catered.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • City campus is linked to Phoenix halls, Mithras halls and Moulsecoomb Place.
    • Phoenix halls are a short walk from City campus in the centre of Brighton.
    • Mithras hall and Moulsecoomb Place are located on the Moulsecoomb campus, around two miles from City campus. Public transport in the city is excellent.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Phoenix Brewery Halls Accommodation

Accommodation for City campus is in the nearby Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city’s reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year. Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements, live briefs and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

We provide support and venues for key events in the city’s arts calendar including the Brighton Festival, the Festival Fringe, the Great Escape, the Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Photo Biennial and the CineCity Brighton Film Festival. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate Show transforms our campus into the largest exhibition space in the South East as we celebrate the outstanding talent and creativity of our students.

As a student you’ll get lots of opportunities to experience these events at first hand and to develop your skills through the volunteering and other opportunities they offer.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

City campus map

Stay in touch

Join an online event

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Subscribe to our School of Humanities blog
 to find out about student and staff news, and events.

Statistics

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at Brighton. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked below). You can find out also about the range of support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Course and module descriptions on this page were accurate when first published and are the basis of the course. Since this information was published we have made some changes in response to government guidance and social distancing requirements. We are looking forward to being on campus in the autumn, however if government advice changes we may need to make some adjustments to our plans. Find out the latest news on our FAQ for students starting in 2021. Detailed information on any changes we make to modules and learning and assessment activities will be sent to all students by email before enrolment, so that you have all the information before you come to Brighton.

Discover Uni

Discover Uni enables you to compare information when choosing a UK university course. All UK universities publish Discover Uni data on their website.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the approved description of each course. They give a detailed breakdown of the content and structure of the course, and are updated following course changes.

Programme specification

Search again

Find your course