Art History and Classical Studies

Art history and classical studies is a degree that brings together the visual and material culture of the ancient world with the broader history of art across periods and geographies. Art history develops your visual literacy and your ability to analyse images and objects in terms of their historical context, stylistic character, and cultural meaning. Classical studies focuses on the civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome, their literature, philosophy, history, and material culture, and the profound influence they have had on subsequent Western thought, art, and political life.

Together, they give you the tools to understand how visual culture has both reflected and shaped human history and experience from antiquity to the present.

The four-year full-time Art History and Classical Studies programme at the University of St Andrews develops your ability to analyse the history, context, style, and meaning of images and objects, engaging with different critical approaches and theoretical frameworks. These frameworks allow you to explore the complex role that visual culture plays in questions of aesthetics, politics, power, and identity, connecting the ancient world to the broader sweep of artistic and cultural history. A year abroad gives you the opportunity to study at a partner institution with relevant strengths in art history or classical studies, and the programme benefits from St Andrews' outstanding library and museum resources.

The programme has no listed entry tariff, reflecting the importance of assessing candidates on individual merit. Graduates pursue careers in galleries, museums, auction houses, heritage organisations, arts administration, publishing, journalism, education, cultural policy, and research. Many also go on to postgraduate study in art history, classical studies, museum studies, or curatorial practice.