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History of Art

MPhil/PhD

Application options include:

Full-time Part-time
On campus

Course Overview

We are a strong interdisciplinary group in history of art at Birkbeck with multiple research collaborations with museums, galleries and heritage organisations and a ranking in the top four nationally for Art and Design research (REF 2021). Our vibrant postgraduate research community benefits from our proximity to national libraries, collections and archives. Our Gordon Square building – once home to John Maynard Keynes and members of the Bloomsbury Group – houses the Jo Spence Archive and Peltz Gallery and hosts the leading journal History of Photography. Our research centres, including the Centre for Museum Cultures and the Murray Centre for History of Art, Architecture and Photography, play a crucial role in generating and disseminating new knowledge. 

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation. The MPhil thesis is not more than 60,000 words; the PhD thesis is not more than 100,000 words. Requirements for a practice-based project vary according to the nature of the research and can be discussed with the admissions tutor, Suzannah Biernoff. 

At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year (full-time) or second year (part-time). We offer research skills training, along with seminars and events specifically designed to meet the needs of our research students.

You will need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck.

We hold open days and evenings for prospective students interested in our programmes throughout the year.

Key information

Highlights

  • Birkbeck’s research excellence was confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent, and was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research
  • Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image is a national platform for screening and discussion of film, video and animation, with one of the best-equipped cinemas in London. 
  • Birkbeck's Peltz Gallery provides a venue of temporary exhibitions by Birkbeck staff and PhD students. 
Come and meet us Request a prospectus Contact us
  • Entry Requirements Entry Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    Good degree, usually including history of art.

    A 2000-word research proposal must be submitted with your application.

    English language requirements

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

    If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

    Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

    Visa and funding requirements

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

  • Fees Fees

    Fees

    History of Art MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time or 4 years full-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2025-26 or 2026-27

    Academic year 2025–26, starting October 2025, January 2026, April 2026

    Part-time home students: £2,656 per year
    Full-time home students: £5,006 per year
    Part-time international students: £7,870 per year
    Full-time international students: £15,570 per year

    Academic year 2026–27, starting October 2026, January 2027, April 2027

    To be confirmed

    Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.

    If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

    Fees and finance

    PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

    Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost. Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

    We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

    Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

    International scholarships

    We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship.

  • Our research culture Our research culture

    Our research culture

    Birkbeck’s historical mission as a centre for inclusion in education means our community of research students is large and diverse - both in the subjects explored and their own backgrounds. Social inclusion is considered in our selection of students too. We have long offered PhDs in full-time and part-time modes and have a significant cohort of part-time students. While some have followed the traditional route through postgraduate study, many have come to their doctoral projects after, or alongside, careers. Diversity 100 studentships are also available to support BAME applicants.

    We have a lively postgraduate community, and students meet regularly to participate in reading groups, writing groups and special research skills seminars. MPhil/PhD students are encouraged to get involved in our research centres and funding is available for student-led events. We also advertise part-time Associate Tutor posts in history of art on an annual basis and provide training and mentoring for students new to teaching or wanting to refresh their skills.  

    You will have access to outstanding technical research support and facilities at Birkbeck. The Peltz Gallery is a flexible exhibition space for digital and material displays, small-scale performances, lectures and meetings. A range of advanced technical resources is also available in the Vasari Research Centre.  

    Birkbeck's location in Bloomsbury offers excellent access to specialist libraries in the University of London, including the Institute for Historical Research, Warburg Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, and the major national resource of the British Library. You will also have easy access to specialist art libraries not far from Birkbeck, including the library of the Courtauld Institute of Art, RIBA Library and the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

    The great visual resources of the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery, V&A and Royal Academy make London a particularly good place in which to undertake research in art history. We also have links with specialist museums and archives in London including the Foundling Museum, Whitechapel Gallery, INIVA, Wellcome Collection, ICA, London Metropolitan Archives and William Morris Society. 

    Recent research topics include:

    • Canadian surrealism 
    • Imperial exhibitions 1922-1936 
    • Sixteenth-century Venetian art 
    • The space of imagination: reading in French painting 1850-1900 
    • Selling England by the pound: the Hepworth Manufacturing Company 
    • Aesthetics and film 
    • Gender and race in late nineteenth-century British art 
    • Landscape 1918-1928 
    • Modernism à la mode: women, movies and modern style 
    • The historical documentary in post-war British television 
    • Photographic collections compiled by women 
    • Experiments in black and white: OP Art, Bridget Riley and Britain in the 1960s 
    • Richard Dadd: the art of the insane 
    • History of art in an electronic environment 
    • Bereavement, identity and monuments 
    • The role of media for immigration in post-war Britain (1945-1980) 
    • Popularising high culture 
    • Art and law
  • How to apply How to apply

    How to apply

    Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:

    1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.

    2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. You can look at the Find a Supervisor area on this page for an overview, or search our Experts’ Database or browse our staff pages for more in-depth information.

    3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the department they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.) Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research.

    4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding. Find out more about writing a research proposal.

    5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the online application link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

    Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe.

    Application deadlines and interviews

    You can apply throughout the year for registration at the beginning of term (October, January or April).

    If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.

    Apply for your course

    Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section.

  • Finding a supervisor Finding a supervisor

    Finding a supervisor

    A critical factor when applying for postgraduate study in history of art is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of the potential supervisor(s).

    Find out more about the research interests of our academic staff:

Visit the School of Historical Studies