About us

Established almost half a century ago, the Department of History of Art and Screen Media at Birkbeck is well respected with an excellent reputation, both national and international, for the quality of our research.

We offer a great student experience

• For close to 50 years, we've been developing courses that suit our students' interests and professional needs.
• You can now choose from courses at all levels, from certificates of higher education to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, right up to MPhil/PhD study.
• All of our courses are offered by part-time evening study; however, at postgraduate level, we offer an increasingly wide choice of full-time courses to choose from, with the result that the number of international students who choose to study with us is increasing year on year. Find out more about our courses and check our information for international students.
• As one of our students, you'll get access to world-class research resources as well as specialist resources, to help you get the best out of your study with us. You can also expect a great range of help and support while you are studying with us.
• As a student here, you'll be invited to a dynamic range of events, giving you access not only to some of the best minds this discipline offers, but also insight into the most recent and up-to-date work in our field.
• Not only are we close to museums and galleries, which you will visit as part of your studies with us, but every year, we organise a field trip for all of our students and staff, which is a great opportunity to find out more about well-known art centres.
• Find out more about why our students choose to study with us.

We are well respected for our research

• In 2008, the RAE formally recognised the quality of our research, and we have been ranked 12th out of 30 UK universities - find out more about our RAE results.
• Our staff are engaged in a fascinating range of research projects, and regularly receive funding from such auspicious research bodies as the AHRC and the Leverhulme Trust.
• Both our staff and students have received formal recognition of their achievements through the award of research grants, and awards and prizes.

We have a great location

• It's easy to get to us at the end of the day, based as we are in Bloomsbury and close to many museums and galleries. Check our interactive map to find out where we are.
• We offer our staff and visitors an atmosphere redolent of scholarship and history, based as we both in historic Bloomsbury and, more specifically, in the building that both Virginia Woolf and, latterly, John Maynard Keynes once lived in.

We have a policy of active engagement

• Our staff regularly attend conferences and organise exhibitions, designed to share the results of our research with the wider community.
• We organise a regular and dynamic round of events, including lectures, symposia, and conferences, many of which are open to both members of College and the wider community.
• We foster continuing involvement in our department and the discipline we teach: students and staff have gone on to establish membership organisations designed to concentrate on their particular interests, all of which actively welcome new members.

We pride ourselves on our achievements and have great plans for the future, among them new course developments and new research projects.

We hope you find this web site helpful. If you would like to talk to us about any aspect of our offering, please do not hesitate to contact us.