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History of Art and Visual Culture and Comparative Literature and Culture

  • BA (Hons)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-time with time abroad
  • 21/09/2026
  • Undergraduate
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More about Royal Holloway, University of London

Course options

2026-2027
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Course summary

This Joint Honours course enables you to study Comparative Literature and Culture and History of Art and Visual Culture in equal parts.

If you have a passion for the visual arts, History of Art and Visual Culture will give you the skills to read, interpret and analyse images and artefacts across cultures. You will benefit from the research expertise of staff in the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, engaging in the key phases in the development of the history of art and visual culture of Europe and Latin America, equipping you with the skills You can take courses on key historical skills and take options that combine the study of art history with that of photography, film and other media, ranging from medieval times to contemporary visual culture.

Comparative Literature and Culture (CLC) offers you the opportunity to study global literature as well as to explore film, philosophy and visual arts. CLC combines a fascinating breadth of material with a focus on contexts – places, periods, and genres – to explore how key cultural shifts transform how we see, represent, and make sense of our changing world. CLC at Royal Holloway is a unique and intellectually stimulating degree which will develop you as a culturally-aware, creative and adaptable thinker.

We’ve developed this degree so that you can tailor it to suit your own evolving interests, choosing from our exceptionally wide range of fascinating options, ranging across continents and centuries, from antiquity to the present day, novels and poetry to philosophy, cinema and art. We will read, watch, and compare from Ancient Greece to contemporary New York, from Cuba to Korea, from epics to crime fiction, and from tragedy to the avant-garde. CLC enables you to study texts originally written in many languages, all translated into English.

  • Make use of Royal Holloway’s exceptional collection of Victorian Art housed in the Founder’s Picture Gallery

  • Choose options in Visual Culture from across the School of Modern Languages, Literature and Cultures

Modules

Please refer to our website for information:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/comparative-literature-and-culture/history-of-art-and-visual-culture-and-comparative-literature-and-culture/

Assessment method

Your course will be assessed by a combination of examinations and in-course assignments in the form of essays or presentations.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Main Site

Study options

  • BA (Hons) • Full-time with time abroad • 3 Years

Start dates

  • 21/09/2026

Apply by
14 January

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
QW26
Institution code:
R72
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-
Points of Entry:
Year 1

Royal Holloway, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
QW26
Institution code:
R72
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Open days

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

A level - BBB - BBB

Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A-levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio-economic factors which may have impacted an applicant’s education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Required: An essay based subject at A level

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM

BTEC must be in a relevant subject area.

Access to HE Diploma - D: 24 credits M: 21 credits

Scottish Higher - BBBBB

Including an essay based subject

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DD

BTEC must be in a relevant subject plus an A Level Grade B in an essay based subject

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016) - D

BTEC must be in a relevant subject plus two A Level Grades B,B including an essay based subject

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) - DDM

BTEC must be in a relevant subject area.

Scottish Advanced Higher - BBB - BBC

Including an essay based subject

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 30 points

5,5,5 at Higher Level OR with a minimum of 30 points overall including an essay based subject

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

Requirements are as for A-levels where one non-subject-specified A-level can be replaced by the same grade in the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H3, H3, H3, H3, H3

Including an essay based subject

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

Applicants with the Cambridge Pre-U are strongly encouraged to apply to Royal Holloway. Offers will be made on the basis of equivalent A-Level grades as can be found on the Royal Holloway website.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

We require English and Mathematics at grade 4/C.

Combinations of qualifications will be considered on an individual basis, please contact us on admissions.enquiries@rhul.ac.uk to discuss your situation

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

At Royal Holloway, we know every student approaches university with different experiences and backgrounds. We look at each application individually, and different factors can affect the exact offer a student receives. For instance, our contextual offer scheme means students from disadvantaged socio-economic background can receive a different offer. For full details please see our website.

Learn more on the Royal Holloway, University of London website

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
EU£26800Year 1
Republic of Ireland£9535*Year 1
England£9535*Year 1
Northern Ireland£9535*Year 1
Scotland£9535*Year 1
Wales£9535*Year 1
Channel Islands£9535*Year 1
International£26800Year 1

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £9,535

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £26,800

Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.

*The tuition fee for Home (UK) undergraduates is controlled by Government regulations. This figure is the fee for the academic year 2025/26 and is shown as a guide. The fee for the academic year 2026/27 has not yet been announced.

**This figure is the fee for EU and international students on this course in the academic year 2026/27.

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase tuition fees annually for all students. For further information see: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/fees-and-funding/

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2026/27 academic year. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.

Sponsorship information

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/undergraduate/feesandfunding/bursariesandscholarships/home.aspx

Related courses

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