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Art History and Visual Culture

  • BA (Hons)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-time
  • 28 September 2026
  • Undergraduate
Brighton
More about University of Brighton

Course options

2026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

This course focuses on global art history and visual culture from the eighteenth century to the present day, covering creative production from modern art and popular photography to multimedia and contemporary practices.

You will learn about the politics of creativity and culture, studying material and visual histories and art theory as well as engaging with debates around gender and sexuality, ecology, race, class, politics and ableism. You will also gain extensive knowledge on collecting, curating and exhibition-making.

We have excellent specialist facilities and you will also benefit from our close relationships with local and national museums, galleries and archives.

TOP REASONS TO CHOOSE THIS COURSE

  • Staff include academics who develop leading research as part of the Centre for Design History on the museums and heritage sector

  • Opportunity to take a second-year placement

  • Access to internationally important collections including the Royal Pavilion and Museum’s collections of decorative art, world art and natural history and University of Brighton-held collections relating to design and screen history, and historic dress.

  • At the end of your degree, you will exhibit your dissertation and accompanying poster in the annual graduate show

  • As a university we offer excellent resources including the Design lab, a space housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, the Design Archives, St Peters House Special Collection and Screen Archive South East

  • Off-site study visits and hands-on sessions.

Join a vibrant community, featuring visiting researchers and practitioners, reading groups, lectures and workshops

  • The specialist course team have research expertise on the Middle East, North Africa, South and East Asia, North America and Britain

Modules

Year 1
Local and Global: Concepts and Ideas in Cross-cultural Histories of Art and Design, Fashion and Visual Culture
Local and Global: Themes and Topics in Cross-cultural Histories of Art and Design, Fashion and Visual Culture
Art and Design History in Brighton: Places and Processes
Material Matters: Histories of Production, Consumption and Sustainability
Artist, Designer and the Prosumer: Theories and Debates
Artist, Designer and the Prosumer: Approaches and Practices

Year 2
Spaces and Bodies
Gender and Sexuality in Art and Visual Culture
Constructing Histories: Research Methods and Professional Practice in History of Art and Design
Art, Visual Culture and Ecology

Options*
Words and Pictures, Texts and Textiles
Reconstruct, Recreate, Remake
Understanding Exhibitions and Creating Displays
Staging and Screening Fashion and Design
Behind the Scenes: Placements in Arts and Heritage
I Click Therefore I Am: Self and Selfies
Modernism in Asia
Cold War Cultures: Art, Design and Fashion 1946–1989
Museums, Material Culture, Representation

Optional Placement Year

Final Year
Art and Visual Culture in Communities
Professional Paths in Art and Design History
Communicating Research
Dissertation in History of Art and Design

Options*
Participation, Performance and Politics
The Past in the Present: Vintage, Retro, Revival
Fashion Contexts
Contemporary Art and Design in Asia
Making and Representing the Modern Home: Art, Design, Domesticity and Discourse

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Brighton

Study options

  • BA (Hons) • Full-time • 3 Years

Start dates

  • 28 September 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:
V352
Institution code:
B72
Campus name:
Brighton
Campus Code:
B
Points of Entry:
Year 1, 2

University of Brighton 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:
V352
Institution code:
B72
Campus name:
Brighton
Campus Code:
B

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Open days

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff
104 - 120 points

A level
BCC - BBB

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

Access to HE Diploma
P: 45 credits

Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits, to include at least 45 credits at Level 3. Access courses in Humanities, History or Politics are preferred.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
26 points

Must include three subjects at Higher Level.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3, H3, H3, H4, H4

Or equivalent combination of grades.,

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)66.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5. in each element, or equivalent English Language qualification.

Review our English Language requirementshttps://www.brighton.ac.uk/international/applying-here/how-to-apply/english-language-requirements/index.aspx

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 Brighton we recognise that not everyone's background provides the same advantages, and we know that grades are not the only indicator of potential.

If you meet our contextual admissions criteria we will make you an offer which is at least 16 UCAS points lower than our standard offer. You may also be eligible for additional financial and practical support from us through the Brighton Boost cost of living support package.

Learn more on the University of Brighton website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course 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

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear

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

Fees are payable each year and will increase annually in line with inflation.

Tuition fees for full-time UK / Home undergraduate students in academic year 2026–27
Annual course fees:

Honours degree £9,790
Placement year £1,958
Integrated foundation year (except the School of Business and Law) £9,790
Integrated foundation year in the School of Business and Law* £5,760*
*The £5,760 fee is for the foundation year only. Subsequent years are charged at the regulated undergraduate fee.

Many courses include the option of a salaried placement year. Tuition fees for a placement year are charged at a lower rate.

Regulated fees:
Tuition fees for UK / Home students on undergraduate courses in England are set by the UK government and are known as regulated fees. From academic year 2026–27 onwards, regulated fees will increase annually in line with forecast inflation. The regulated fee will be £9,790 in academic year 2026–27 and £10,050 in academic year 2027–28 (subject to parliamentary approval).

Standard tuition fees for full-time international students in academic year 2026–27:

Classroom-based courses £17,796–19,692
Laboratory or studio-based courses £17,796–19,692
Placement year £1,958

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