History of art
Study art history part-time with Oxford
Gain a global perspective of the History of Art with a part-time course
Our part-time qualifications in the history of art recognise the globally diverse range of users, makers, and viewers, offering you the chance to join a group of peers eager to learn more about visual cultures, voices, and experiences. Discover the latest debates in the history of art, through flexible learning and visits to Oxford’s world-leading museums and collections.
What can you gain?
- Get up to speed with the latest debates and methods to interpret works of art, particularly in the areas of politics, society, gender and identity, material culture and decolonising practices.
- Exchange ideas and develop questions with a group of like-minded peers.
- Gain practical knowledge and develop your interpretative skills through museum and gallery visits in Oxford and London.
- Fit study around your commitments and responsibilities by combining online digital learning with in-person teaching.
Short courses for adult learners
Explore a new topic or revisit a favourite subject over the course of a few days, a few weeks or a term. Our short courses run in person or online, with some offered in both formats – so you can choose the best study option.
Upcoming courses
Short intensive • Short courses • Professional development
This course provides an introduction to the legal and ethical issues arising in the art and cultural heritage sectors today. Aimed at all those engaged in the art world, it will outline principles and practices, exploring cases from the UK and beyond.
- Tue 02 Dec 2025
- 10:00am – 5:00pm
Online - flexible • Short courses
This course explores the riches of northern European art from c.1480 - 1580; artists including Dürer, Bosch, Holbein and Bruegel will be studied.
- Mon 12 Jan 2026 – 27 Mar 2026
Online - live • Short courses
This course examines the social, economic, religious, and political contexts under which women have always made art, but have largely been marginalised in its formal histories and markets.
- Wed 14 Jan 2026 – 25 Mar 2026
- 10 meetings
- 4:00 – 5:00pm
Online - live • Short courses
Uncover the mysteries of the medieval afterlife through its art and architecture. Examine a range of objects from across Western Europe and the Mediterranean.
- Wed 14 Jan 2026 – 25 Mar 2026
- 10 meetings
- 6:30 – 7:30pm
Online - live • Short courses
The art of prehistoric Europe is rich with imagery such as cave paintings, carvings, body ornamentation and frescoes. This course considers a range of sites and artefacts in our exploration of the unique and creative ways people visualised their world.
- Wed 14 Jan 2026 – 25 Mar 2026
- 10 meetings
- 6:30 – 7:30pm
Online - flexible • Short courses
Examine the major concerns of artists such as Cézanne, Monet, Manet and Degas and their intimate interaction with modern life.
- Wed 14 Jan 2026 – 27 Mar 2026
Undergraduate Certificate in the History of Art
The part-time Certificate in the History of Art teaches students about the production and provenance of works of art in museums, as well as key skills such as how to view and describe works of art.Undergraduate Diploma in the History of Art (2027 entry)
A two-year part-time course in which you study two modules from a choice of four, each of which allows you to immerse yourself in a specific period of art history. Taught at second-year undergraduate level.MSt in Literature and Arts
An interdisciplinary programme which encompasses literature, history, art, architectural history, political thought and the history of ideas. Designed around 3 sequential periods of British history, from Early Modern to the early 20th century.MSt in the History of Design
This two-year part-time master's degree explores how ordinary things and places created since 1851 reveal fascinating traces of historical experienc