History of Art/Music

The history of art and music are companion disciplines in the study of human creativity, each asking how and why people make things in particular forms, and what those forms mean to the cultures that produce and receive them. Art history examines how paintings, sculptures, buildings and works of design come to look the way they do, situating visual objects in their historical, social and intellectual contexts. Music history extends the same inquiry into sound, examining how composers and performers have worked within and against the conventions of their time, and how musical practice has been shaped by and has in turn shaped the broader cultural world.

At the University of Glasgow you will study this combination on a part-time basis, allowing you to pursue both disciplines at a pace that fits your other commitments. The part-time structure means you work through the programme more gradually than a full-time student, but you engage with the same depth and range of material. The programme includes a year abroad, opening up the possibility of studying in an international context and encountering different collections, performance traditions and scholarly approaches.

You will develop skills in visual and aural analysis, archival research, critical writing, and the interpretation of creative works across different historical periods and cultural settings.

Graduates of art history and music history bring together two distinct critical languages and the analytical skills that come from applying both. Careers include curatorial and museum work, arts administration, music journalism and criticism, broadcasting, heritage management, publishing, education, and the many roles in the cultural sector that require deep knowledge of artistic and musical traditions. The communication skills and analytical precision developed across both disciplines are also valued in areas such as public relations, the auction trade, and cultural policy.

Postgraduate study in either discipline, or in related fields such as cultural history, musicology or museum studies, is a common next step for graduates wishing to develop specialist expertise.