History of art and design

The University of Brighton provides a diverse programme of courses in history of art and design that critically examine how politics, culture and society influence design, art and art-making.

Students have opportunities to build practical experience through placements and field trips and by using our world-class collections, such as the Design Archives, which include the Design Council Archives, and our Dress and Textiles teaching collection.

See our history of art and design courses.

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Join our free online summer schools!

Running 13-16th July our online summer schools are a great opportunity to get an idea of what it’s like to study a subject you love at university.

Graduates 2021: Leonie Houching: History of Art and Design

It was important to me to focus my research on something that felt close to me personally.

Graduates 2021: Rachel Ng: Fashion and Dress History

Brighton has been the perfect place to study because of the creative and accepting lifestyle here.

Graduates 2021: Brigita Litvinovic: History of Art and Design

This experience made me more independent, mature and confident!

Choose Brighton

Graduate with experience

The opportunity to do a placement during the course and our links with local and international museums and galleries mean you’ll graduate with valuable professional experience.

Excellent resources

On site resources include the Design Archives, the Dress History Teaching Collection  and Screen Archive South East. Resources within the city of Brighton and Hove include The Keep, home to the Royal Pavilion & Museums Local History Collections and the Mass Observation Archive.

Ideal learning environment

Class sizes are small and you will be encouraged to find your independent voice in spoken and written form.

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History of art and design