History of Art

About this course

History of art is the discipline that asks how and why paintings, sculptures, buildings, photographs, films and objects of design come to look the way they do. It takes visual culture seriously as a subject of rigorous academic enquiry, exploring the formal properties of works, the conditions of their production, their cultural and historical contexts, and the interpretive frameworks through which they have been understood across time. The discipline develops visual literacy, the ability to look carefully and describe what you see precisely, alongside the analytical and historical skills of academic argument. At Cambridge, this three-year full-time programme offers one of the most intellectually demanding and wide-ranging art historical educations in the world. You will develop deep knowledge of art and architecture across periods and cultures, learning to situate works within their his

Where its graduates go

The 5 largest scored destinations, covering 48% of graduates; the headline also reflects the subject baseline.

• 60 / 100Business, Research and Administrative Professionals · 8% of graduatescards →
• 55 / 100Administrative occupations · 8% of graduatescards →
• 52 / 100Finance Professionals · 11% of graduatescards →
• 48 / 100Business and public service associate professionals · 13% of graduatescards →
• 45 / 100Media Professionals · 8% of graduatescards →

The tabs above carry the rest: modules and satisfaction (The Course), where you'd live and what it costs (Student Life), the full pay story (Pay & Outcomes), and easier ways into the same subject (Alternatives).