History and History of Art

History and art history make a natural pair. History asks what happened, why and what it means; art history examines the visual and material objects that civilisations have produced, seeing in them evidence of how people understood the world, expressed their values and exercised power. Together they give you a rich dual perspective on the past, combining the analysis of written sources with the study of images, buildings, objects and monuments.

At the University of East Anglia, a university with a strong tradition in both history and the visual arts, this three-year full-time programme brings the two disciplines into productive dialogue.

You will develop skills in historical research and argument alongside the visual analysis and contextual knowledge that art history requires. You will study historical periods and events alongside the artistic and visual cultures that accompanied them, asking how paintings, sculptures, architecture, prints and other objects illuminate the societies in which they were made and how they have been interpreted and valued by later generations. The programme develops your ability to work with diverse kinds of evidence, to think historically and visually, and to communicate your findings with precision and clarity.

Graduates from history and art history degrees move into careers in museums, galleries, heritage, arts administration, education, publishing, journalism, the civil service and a wide range of other fields where the ability to research, analyse and communicate is valued. The specific art historical expertise is particularly useful in gallery, museum and auction house contexts, as well as in cultural policy and arts management roles. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in history, art history, museum studies, heritage or cultural management, and UEA's connections to the regional cultural sector provide useful professional contacts.