Undergraduate Diploma in the History of Art (2027 entry)

Course details

Discover the secrets behind the beauty of art.

Have you ever wanted to study a particular period of the History of Art in more depth? Or have you ever wondered why the nude in Western art became and continues to be an important feature? Discover more about how the landscape paintings of the nineteenth century are still important today in consideration of the environment.

This flexible part-time course will allow you to acquire in-depth knowledge of specific artistic movements, artists, and themes by choosing particular period pathways for in-person teaching in Oxford, while the online units cover important themes, from the Body to Landscape.  

Taught through a combination of online digital learning and in-person teaching, this course supports a student-focused and transformative learning environment. 

Please note:

This page is intended as an overview of the new course, and some information listed may be subject to change before the first application deadline. To read our FAQs about the course changes, please see here. 

Quick links

• Who is the course for?

• How you will study
• The course in detail – course structure and assessment
• IT requirements
• Teaching staff and contact information
• Application details – how to apply, fees, award and credit transfer

• English language requirements

• Pathways and other levels of study

Who is this course for?

Do you have a passion for art history and ideas? Do you have an openness towards studying a range of historical art forms and grappling with critical debates about meaning? This course is for anyone with a high degree of motivation, is interested in the critical analysis of art, and are keen to discuss visual experience in an analytical way. 

Taught at second-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 5), this course is the next step if you have either completed, or are due to complete, our Certificate in the History of Art, our Certificate of Higher Education (having completed some History of Art courses), or other similar courses at first-year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 4). 

You must have the necessary language skills (see below for English language requirements); a determination to succeed; and sufficient time available to devote to studying.

What will 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.  

How you will study

In-person elements

Students will meet in person twice per term, on specific dates on Fridays. In total, there will be 12 hours of in-person teaching, per term, plus select Saturdays (either in Oxford or London). The in-person elements of the course (two Fridays per term) will be held at Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA.

Two Saturdays per year will be dedicated to Oxford/London trips and presentations.

Online elements

There are then eight online units per term, along with online tutorials.

The Online asynchronous (self-paced) instruction will include reading materials (materials in the Virtual Learning Environment and set texts from journal articles, textbooks, exhibition catalogues, and books), videos, forum activities, and online exercises, as well as independent study such as essay preparation and research. Some online units will take the form of case studies, allowing students to study in-depth around a particular topic, while others will offer theoretical or methodological approaches that can be employed across periods and regions. 

Students will be assigned a personal tutor for the year. They will have five hours of online synchronous tutorials for the entire year (three hours of small group tutorials – one hour per term, and two hours of one-to-one with the tutor). This includes up to 90 minutes for their research project supervision, spread out over the year plus extra time for one-to-ones throughout the year. Small tutor group tutorials will address essay writing, interpreting feedback, follow-up on online learning units, student presentations or student-led discussion.

You will need to spend about 10-12 hours in home study per week in term time.

The course in detail

Course structure

Year 1

Students will be introduced to different approaches to the History of Art through key themes (online units) and in the first year they will have the chance to study particular periods in depth by choosing a pathway (medieval or modern) for Friday residences. There are six Friday residences (two per term), composed of three two-hour teaching sessions. 

Year 2

The second year has six Friday residences (two per term), composed of three two-hour teaching sessions. The Friday residences have two parallel sessions and students choose either a Renaissance/Early Modern or Contemporary pathway. 

Online units:

1. The first term (Michaelmas) covers Landscape;
2. The second term (Hilary) covers Contact Zones: Global Cities;
3. The final term (Trinity) covers History of Art Now: Current Debates.

Provisional options for Friday residences: 

• Renaissance/Early Modern: Gifts and Diplomatic Exchange; Italian and Ottoman Encounters; Collecting in the Courts; Female Artists and Creativity; Caravaggio and the Caravaggisti; The Elizabethan Country House. 
• Contemporary: Spectacle and Spectator; Reproducibility: Art in the Age of Mass Media; Film: Art; Politics and the Moving Image; Memory and Trauma; Art and Diaspora; Art and Protest.

Assessment

Most assessments will take the form of written work, but some will follow innovative methods in Art History such as designing a virtual exhibition, but which can be assessed through a presentation. 

Year 1

Year 2 

Teaching staff

The Course Director is Dr Sean Willcock. 

Along with Dr Willcock, the teaching panel includes a number of experienced tutors – not only in their subject but in teaching adult students. They understand the learning needs of students returning to education and will be able to advise you on subject-based study skills throughout the course.

The Course Director and tutors will be able to help you with academic advice and support. In addition, there are academic literacy and academic English courses available to help you develop and improve the academic skills needed for effective study. 

Contact information

How to apply

• a written statement stating why they wish to undertake the course, and including (if relevant) an outline of previous experience of the subject
• contact details for one referee
• proof of English language ability if a non-native English speaker. Further information on English language requirements can be found here. Please note that candidates are required to have the higher-level score.

If possible, your referee should be someone who can comment on your academic ability and background, but where this is not appropriate, please choose a referee who can vouch for your motivation, commitment and potential. A reference from a family member is not acceptable.

Admissions decisions will be based on an assessment of knowledge, relevant experience, academic ability, potential and suitability for a course of study. We welcome applicants without traditional qualifications, including those with relevant career or life skills.

Current Certificate in the History of Art students who wish to progress to the Diploma should submit their completed application with a statement of reasons for wanting to apply to the course. No reference is necessary.

If you are a current or previous Certificate in the History of Art student, a place on the Diploma will be reserved for you if your application form is received by the first deadline and if there are enough places available. If there are more Certificate in the History of Art students than places available, a selective system will operate. Certificate in the History of Art students who are offered a place on the Diploma will be given a place on their first-choice Diploma module wherever possible. If you are offered a place on the Diploma, but are not given a place on your first-choice module, you will be offered a place on the other module running that year.

Selection criteria

Even if a course has no specific academic entry requirements then: (a) assessment of an applicant’s academic ability and suitability for the course of study will still take place and (b) since applications for many courses often significantly exceed places available, each application will be judged against the gathered field of applicants for each course each year.

The University is committed to promoting diversity, equality, inclusion, and widening access, including during the admissions process. We fully endorse the Equality Policy and our admissions procedures are kept under regular review to ensure compliance with this policy.

• Short-listed applicants will be invited for interview.
• The final decision on admission to the course rests with the Department.

English language requirements

Please check the information on the specific English language requirements for this course. Applicants are required to have the higher-level scores.

Award and credit transfer

An Undergraduate Diploma will be awarded on completion of the course. You will be invited to celebrate at the annual Awards Ceremony, held at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre. 

Fees

Fees for 2027-28 will be available from September 2026.

Please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. 

Pathways

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