Prospective students
Our internationally renowned teaching staff and our exciting range of courses (many taught on weekday evenings) are just some of the reasons so many students choose to study with us each year.
Our courses
Whether you're interested in learning about the history of art and architecture, or photography, film, television and contemporary screen media, we have a lot to offer you:
Certificates and short courses
- History of Architecture and Landscape (Certificate of Higher Education): This programme is ideal if you want to acquire an awareness of the critical tools and methods for studying the history of architecture and landscapes, from country houses in their grounds to skyscrapers in dense city landscapes.
- History of Art (Certificate of Higher Education): this course is ideal if you want to acquire an awareness of the critical tools and methods for studying the history of art.
- Understanding Visual Arts and Media (Certificate of Higher Education): The programme will help you turn your interest in art, media and the world of images into a university qualification, with direct pathways into study for degrees leading to a wide range of career options.
- World Arts and Artefacts (Certificate of Higher Education): this course considers the different ways in which arts and artefacts are made, collected and used across the world.
- History of art modules: you can take these either as stand-alone modules or as part of our Certificates of Higher Education
Undergraduate courses
- BA Arts and Humanities: ranges across all aspects of literature, culture, and the arts, offering you an exciting intellectual environment and innovative, interdisciplinary courses designed to foster critical thinking about literature, cultural identity, post-colonialism, gender and sexuality, and the cultural production of space.
- History of Art BA (Part-time) and History of Art (BA) (Full-time): relevant if you are working, or would like to work, in the visual arts; provides a stimulating and enriching intellectual challenge if you are studying for personal development. See our FAQs on applying to BA History of Art.
Postgraduate courses
- History of Art and Architecture (Graduate Certificate): if you want to study history of art or a similar course at Master's level but have a first degree in another subject, then this one-year intensive course can be used as a conversion course.
- MA History of Art: helps you prepare for further postgraduate work or for progression to careers in arts-related fields. See our FAQs on applying to MA History of Art.
- MA History of Art with Photography: This programme enables you to learn about – and negotiate your individual path through – historical and contemporary photographic cultures, in order to develop your interests, whether your engagement with the medium is academic, artistic, personal or vocational.
- History of Film and Visual Media (MA) and History of Film and Visual Media (European Pathway): ideal if you have already studied film and/or visual media at undergraduate level or would like to enter the field from another academic or professional area. The European Pathway also offers students the chance to spend a year in another major European city.
- MA Television History and Practice: This programme offers an up-to-date postgraduate orientation in the study of television, film and visual media, all within a progressive history of art and media environment.
- Museum Cultures (MA / MRes / Postgraduate Diploma / Postgraduate Certificate): this course offers you a unique opportunity to study the history, and operations of museums in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
- Information for international students
MPhil/PhD courses
- Film / Television / Media Studies (PhD / MPhil): we uniquely combine the study of history of art and design, and history of film, audiovisual and digital media, offering an exceptionally stimulating environment where interdisciplinary research flourishes.
- History of Art (PhD / MPhil): ideal if you want to pursue research; we have an international reputation for teaching and research in medieval, Renaissance and modern art history.
- Arts and Humanities (PhD / MPhil)This innovative programme offers you the opportunity to understand the historical, theoretical and practical dimensions of issues of the arts and humanities. It will provide a graduate community in literatures, languages, media and art historical studies, and will encourage new kinds of scholarship.
PhD/MPhil Arts and Humanities prospectus 2012/13 - Information for international students
If you're interested in applying to do a PhD or MPhil, please see our advice on how to apply, including guidelines on writing a research proposal.
Courses for international students
Why study with us?
- Why choose Birkbeck?
- Which course is best for me?
- What is it like to study with us?
- Information for international students
