History of Art/Theatre Studies

History of art and theatre studies is a combination that brings two performance-oriented disciplines into productive dialogue. History of art examines how and why paintings, sculptures, buildings, and works of design come to look the way they do, situating visual objects within the historical, social, and intellectual contexts of their making. Theatre studies examines the theory, history, and practice of theatrical performance, asking how drama is created, how it operates on its audiences, and how theatre has changed across different cultures and periods.

Together, they develop your capacity to analyse expressive and communicative forms across multiple media, and to understand performance in its broadest sense.

At the University of Glasgow, you will study both disciplines over four years full-time, developing skills in close analysis, historical contextualisation, and critical argument that are transferable well beyond the arts. The history of art strand gives you engagement with a wide range of visual traditions and the theoretical frameworks that art historians use to interpret them. The theatre studies strand develops your understanding of dramatic literature, performance theory, and the history of theatre, including both text-based and non-verbal forms.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner institution in a different country and encounter different cultural and artistic traditions at first hand. The typical entry tariff is 168 UCAS points.

Graduates from art history and theatre studies programmes go on to work in galleries, museums, theatre companies, arts administration, arts journalism, publishing, education, heritage organisations, and the cultural sector more broadly. The analytical and communicative skills developed are also valued in marketing, public relations, and communications roles with creative organisations. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in art history, performance studies, curatorial practice, or related fields.