Program Overview

Do you enjoy analysing art as well as creating it? Want to understand and develop your own work in the context of what’s gone before? As the boundaries between art history and practice blur and merge, this course prepares you for a career in the real world of the arts. Master the skills needed to analyse, critique and write about visual art. Travel to major European cities to see art in context. And harness your new knowledge to feed and improve your own work.

You will prepare for a successful career with an internship. You will expand your horizons with the option of three months of study at a European art school, and enhance your understanding of art history and the cultural context of your own work with visiting lecturers and field trips to museums and galleries throughout the UK, plus a fieldtrip to a major European city. Students in previous years travelled to Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Florence, Paris and New York City.

Key Features

• Benefit from our forward-thinking, focused research. In the last national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) ‘Art and Design: History, Theory and Practice’ at Plymouth scored 100 per cent for its ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ research environment, and 90 per cent for the international impact of its research case studies. This makes our unit a top five performer among University of Plymouth's research groups overall.
• Hone existing talents and discover new ones with your own, dedicated studio space – as well as specialist shared spaces and facilities for textiles, metal and woodworking, plasterwork and ceramics workshops and life drawing classes.
• Prepare for a successful career with an internship. Thanks to the flexibility of the course, you can do it during term time or over the summer – whatever suits you. Our students have recently interned at Tate Britain, Sotheby’s, the National Trust, Plymouth Arts Centre, The Arts Institute and the Wallace Collection.
• Expand your horizons with the option of three months of study at a European art school.
• Discover the possibilities of technology with fully equipped print and photo facilities, computers, audio-visual equipment, sound studio resources and expert technicians to support and guide you in your exploration.
• Enhance your understanding of art history and the cultural context of your own work with visiting lecturers and field trips to museums and galleries throughout the UK, plus a fieldtrip to a major European city. Students in previous years travelled to Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Florence, Paris and New York City. Field trips in 2016 will include Washington, DC.
• Learn from our dedicated staff who frequently work on major book and exhibition projects. Our degree curriculum contains a number of research-orientated modules so that our staff can teach the subjects they’re passionate about – which means you become an expert too.