MA History and History of Art
About this course
History and the history of art are two disciplines that illuminate each other in important ways. History develops your capacity to analyse how societies have changed over time, how political and social forces have shaped human experience, and how the past is constructed and contested through the evidence that survives. The history of art brings a visual dimension to this enquiry, asking how objects, images and architecture have been made, what they meant in their own time, and how they have been interpreted and reinterpreted since. Together they train a form of close attention to evidence that is genuinely rare. At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time programme combines both disciplines with the opportunity for a year abroad, which allows you to study at a partner institution overseas. Edinburgh's location, its museums and galleries, and the wider cultural resources of Scotland and beyond provide a rich context for both historical and art-historical study. You will engage with primary sources, archival material, visual analysis and historiographical debate, developing your ability to construct sophisticated arguments and communicate them clearly in writing. The four-year Scottish degree structure gives time for genuine intellectual depth to develop across both fields. Graduates move into careers in museums, galleries, auction houses, arts administration, heritage conservation, journalism, education, broadcasting, publishing and the cultural sector more broadly. The analytical skills, research training and cultural knowledge developed across both disciplines are also valued in many non-arts careers, including law, the civil service and management consultancy. Postgraduate study in history, art history, museum studies, heritage management or curatorial practice is a common route for those who wish to develop their expertise in a particular area or pursue careers in academic research.
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