Art History and Business Management

Art history and business management might seem an unlikely pairing, but it is one that makes considerable sense in the contemporary cultural economy. Art history develops your ability to analyse visual and material culture with precision, to understand the historical and cultural contexts that produce and shape objects, buildings and images, and to write and speak about them with clarity and authority. Business management provides the commercial and organisational knowledge needed to understand how cultural institutions, galleries, auction houses, publishing houses and creative businesses actually function.

Together, they prepare you for the professional world of the arts at a practical level that pure art history alone does not reach.

At Liverpool Hope University, the three-year full-time programme develops your knowledge of art history across different periods and traditions, from ancient and medieval art through Renaissance painting to modern and contemporary practice. You will study the historical, social and political contexts of visual culture, develop skills in visual analysis and critical writing, and understand the material and commercial dimensions of art objects and their markets. The business management strand introduces you to marketing, finance, human resources, strategy and organisational behaviour.

The degree includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you the opportunity to develop professional experience and international perspectives before graduation.

Liverpool is an excellent city for this kind of study, with major collections at the Walker Art Gallery, Tate Liverpool and the World Museum, alongside a lively contemporary art scene.

Graduates work in galleries and museums, auction houses, arts organisations, cultural heritage management, arts marketing, publishing, education and arts administration. Many go on to postgraduate study in art history, museum studies, heritage management or arts management.