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
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.
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
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?
The following entry points are available for this course:
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | 6.0 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
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.
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.
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.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
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.
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
Phone:01273 644000
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Phone:01273 644644
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Lewes Road
Brighton
BN2 4AT
At University of Brighton
