Philosophy and History of Art

Philosophy and history of art is a combination that brings two disciplines with deep historical connections into explicit dialogue. History of art examines how and why visual objects, buildings, and works of design come to look the way they do, situating them within the social, cultural, and historical contexts of their making. Philosophy addresses the most fundamental questions about knowledge, reality, ethics, and the nature of human experience through reason and argument.

The two disciplines share an interest in questions of perception and representation, and studying them together gives you both the historical and contextual grounding to understand specific works and traditions and the philosophical tools to interrogate the nature of art itself.

At University College London, you will study philosophy and history of art over three years full-time, developing an understanding of the central debates in both disciplines. The philosophy strand covers all major areas of the subject and includes aesthetics, the branch of philosophy that directly addresses questions about art, beauty, perception, and the nature of aesthetic experience. The history of art strand gives you a detailed education in specific traditions and periods, from medieval and Renaissance art to modernism and contemporary practice.

Together, they address questions about the very nature of art and human perception of visual culture that neither discipline can answer alone. The typical entry tariff is 168 UCAS points.

Graduates of philosophy and history of art programmes work in museums, galleries, auction houses, arts journalism, publishing, curatorial roles, education, and academic research. The philosophical training is also valued in law, the civil service, management consultancy, and any role requiring rigorous analytical thinking. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in philosophy, art history, curatorial practice, or aesthetics.