History of Art and Museum Studies with Foundation Year

Why study History of Art and Museum Studies with Foundation Year at Liverpool John Moores University?

• 100% of students surveyed on this course said teaching staff were good at explaining things, made the subject engaging and found the course intellectually stimulating (National Student Survey 2025)

• Excellent overall student satisfaction rates in consecutive National Student Surveys

• Follow our course activities on Instagram and Facebook

• Option to specialise and tailor your assessments according to your career plans or personal interests in Art History

• No exams - all assessments by coursework

• You can get involved with the Schools own internationally-important gallery, the Exhibition Research Lab

• Taught in the John Lennon Art and Design Building so you can mix and work with artists across a range of disciplines

About your course
Informed by internationally important research, the BA (Hons) History of Art and Museum Studies programme is taught in our award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building and offers exciting international internship opportunities.

You will also find that you have the opportunity to examine particular art works and artists of your own choice in detail. In fact you can even design your own course. For example, if contemporary art is your passion, you can choose it as your research topic for almost all assessments, whereas if you plan to work as a Museum Curator, you can be assessed on your museum placements.

We have contacts with many local art galleries and museums, but our collaboration with Tate Liverpool is particularly beneficial, as you will spend time there getting to know its collections as well as the curators who can tell you what it's really like to work in the sector. There are more museums and galleries in Liverpool than in any city other than London - so it is an excellent city in which to study History of Art and Museum Studies.

However, our contacts aren't only based in and around Merseyside. Our internships in Venice and New York offer unique opportunities to really immerse yourself in the art world and experience living abroad for a few months. We also typically organise field visits to the art capitals of London, Amsterdam, Florence, Barcelona and Paris.

Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the interest and ability to study for a degree, but do not have the qualifications to enter directly onto the History of Art and Museum Studies honours degree programme yet. Once you pass the Foundation Year you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).

Please visit the Liverpool John Moores University website for detailed module information.

We acknowledge that all students perform differently depending on the way they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of assessment methods. However, there are no exams on this course; all assessment is through coursework. This may include:

• essays
• a dissertation
• literature reviews
• reflective portfolios
• individual and group presentations
• live projects (e.g. curating an exhibition, teaching within schools)
• reports on field studies or placements

Constructive feedback is crucial in helping you to identify your strengths and areas where you may need to put in more work. For this reason, we offer written and oral feedback immediately after each completed assignment as well as mid-way through, and at the end of, each semester. However, you will be encouraged to discuss your work informally with your tutors on an ongoing basis. As your tutors know you well you can be confident that their advice is based on deep knowledge of your work and your potential.