History of Art/Latin

History of art is the study of how visual works, from paintings and sculptures to architecture and design, come to look the way they do, and what they reveal about the societies, beliefs, and individuals that produced them. It asks not just what something looks like but why it was made, how it was received, what conventions it followed or broke, and how our understanding of it has changed over time. Latin, one of the foundational languages of Western civilisation, deepens that project by giving you direct access to texts that shaped the intellectual and cultural contexts within which centuries of Western art were produced.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year full-time programme combines close engagement with works of art and architecture across periods and geographies with the study of Latin language and literature. You will develop skills in visual analysis, art historical research, and written argument alongside increasing proficiency in Latin, which opens up primary sources in theology, philosophy, history, and literature that are otherwise accessible only in translation. A year abroad is part of the programme, giving you the opportunity to engage with collections, buildings, and institutions in a different cultural environment, which is itself a way of sharpening your understanding of art and its contexts.

Graduates pursue careers in museums and galleries, auction houses, arts administration, publishing, heritage conservation, journalism, and arts education. The analytical and communication skills that history of art develops are also valued in law, the civil service, and the media. Those with Latin alongside their art history are well placed for careers in classical scholarship, museum curation of ancient collections, and academic research.

Postgraduate study in history of art, classical studies, cultural heritage, and museum studies is a common progression.