Art History and Spanish

Art history and Spanish at the University of St Andrews is a four-year combination that connects the scholarly analysis of visual culture with the study of one of the world's most widely spoken and culturally rich languages. Art history asks fundamental questions about why people make images and objects, what they mean, how they relate to power and identity, and how the history of visual art illuminates the societies that produce it. Spanish brings you the literature, history, and cultural traditions of Spain and Latin America, along with linguistic proficiency in a language spoken by hundreds of millions of people across four continents.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to engage with both art historical and Spanish-speaking contexts outside the campus.

You will learn to analyse the history, context, style, and meaning of images and objects, developing visual literacy and engaging with critical approaches and theoretical frameworks that address the complex role of visual culture in questions of aesthetics, politics, power, and identity. Spanish study develops your linguistic competence alongside cultural and historical knowledge, and the combination with art history creates particular opportunities to explore the extraordinary visual traditions of Spain and Latin America, from the court painters of the Spanish Golden Age through to the vibrant twentieth-century movements of Mexican muralism and Spanish surrealism.

Graduates from art history and Spanish programmes are well placed for careers in museums and galleries, arts administration, cultural policy, auction houses, journalism, publishing, teaching, translation, and the many other fields where visual literacy and language skills add professional value. Many continue to postgraduate study in art history, curatorial practice, or Hispanic studies.