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Undergraduate Study

BA Art History & Visual Culture and Modern Languages - 2026 entry

Please note: The below is for 2026 entry. Click here for 2025 entry.
UCAS code VR42
Duration 4 years
Entry year 2026
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline Art History & Visual Culture
Contact

Web: Enquire online
Phone: 0300 555 6060 (UK callers) 
+44 (0)1392 723044 (EU/International callers)

Typical offer

View full entry requirements

A-Level: ABB
IB: 32/655
BTEC: DDM

Contextual offers

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Overview

  • Interpret different aspects of contemporary culture (including architecture and design) as well as images, objects and practices in order to understand past and present societies.
  • Opportunity to learn Chinese (Mandarin), French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian or Portuguese from beginners. French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian can also be taken from advanced/post-A-Level.
  • Option to spend your third year studying or working abroad in a country where you can develop your chosen language. Students studying beginners languages are required to study the 4-year “with International Placement” course.
  • Gain a high level of proficiency in reading, writing, understanding and speaking your selected languages, providing you with valued language skills of potential use for future careers.

View 2025 Entry

Request a prospectus

Open Days

How to apply

International Placement

Contact

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Top 150 icon

Top 150 in world subject rankings for Modern Languages and Cultures

QS World University Subject Rankings 2025

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Study 1-3 languages with 7 language options to choose from

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Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design

12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Classical statue icon

Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Top 150 icon

Top 150 in world subject rankings for Modern Languages and Cultures

QS World University Subject Rankings 2025

Speech Bubble icon

Study 1-3 languages with 7 language options to choose from

Rosette icon

Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design

12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Classical statue icon

Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Studying at Exeter has been a brilliant experience, it felt like the right choice from the first open day I visited.

Exeter has provided me with access to work experience in the local arts centres and museums, and has given me the opportunity to travel and visit the art we study in class. In my experience lecturers go above and beyond to provide academic support for students, as do the Wellbeing and Accessibility Services. I have also been able to join a range of academic and social societies, in which I have made friends for life.

Read more from India

India

BA Art History & Visual Culture and Classics

Course duration

Did you know that there are both 3-year and 4-year degree programmes in Modern Languages at Exeter?

There are significant benefits of choosing the 4-year with International Placement programme, particularly in enhancing your language proficiency.

Both the 4-year and 3-year programmes offer a comprehensive and in-depth study of modern languages and cultures. However, the 4-year degree includes a valuable international placement year, giving you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and culture of your chosen country while either studying or working.

We know that graduates who have studied the 4-year course with a year abroad have benefitted from a range of key skills that have been vital in shaping their early careers:

  • Enhanced language proficiency – Evidence shows that speaking your chosen language in the country where it is the main language helps improve proficiency significantly.
  • Cultural immersion – Spending time on an international placement will give you a deeper understanding of the nation’s cultures and broaden your appreciation of individuals from different backgrounds.
  • Personal and professional development – You will have the opportunity to independently build intercultural communication skills and experience a range of professional sectors. These are key skills highly valued by today’s employers.
  • Competitive edge – Our graduates have gone on to work for organisations across the globe, and they tell us that gaining skills and experiences while on the international placement is the most important factor when applying for jobs after graduating.

Please also note that, if you are starting a language from beginner level, you must take the 4-year programme to ensure you develop the necessary language skills. If you are studying languages post-A level, it is possible to choose the 3-year programme. You can apply to both the 3- and 4-year courses via UCAS.

Read more

Entry requirements (typical offer)

Qualification Typical offer Required subjects
A-Level ABB Dependent on subjects chosen (see below)
IB 32/655 Dependent on subjects chosen (see 'read more' below)
BTEC DDM Dependent on subjects chosen (see below)
GCSE C or 4 English Language
Access to HE 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade Dependent on level chosen the required L3 credits in Modern Foreign Language subject area (see below)
T-Level Distinction Dependent on subjects chosen, GCE A-Level in a Modern Foreign Language (see below)
Contextual Offer
* Please note: The contextual offer shown is an example based on offers made to students starting in 2025, and is for guidance only. We will confirm the contextual offer for 2026 entry later this year.* Please note: The contextual offer shown is an example based on offers made to students starting in 2024, and is for guidance only. We will confirm the contextual offer for 2025 entry later this year.

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers.

Other accepted qualifications

View other accepted qualifications

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply

Choosing a language

You may choose one language to study alongside Art History and Visual Culture. Find out more about the languages we offer below

Check subject requirements for different language levels

It may be possible to study further languages to a lower level of proficiency than degree level in the Language Centre, subject to demand: this is arranged on registration at Exeter.

Completing your UCAS form

When completing your UCAS form it is essential that you indicate the language you want to study with us under ‘further details’ in the ‘choices’ section of the application form, using the below abbreviations.

French Fren
Chinese (Mandarin) Chin
German Germ
Italian Ital
Portuguese Port
Russian Russ
Spanish Span

For further information on completing your UCAS form, please visit the UCAS website.

Read more

Course content

Students studying beginners languages must take the 4-year “with International Placement” course.

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language, 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 30 credits of Modern Languages modules.

a select 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language.

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
Modern Languages Stage 1 Compulsory Language Modules [see note a above]
MLF1001 French Language 30
MLF1052 French Language for Beginners 30
MLG1001 German Language 30
MLG1052 German Language for Beginners 30
MLI1001 Italian Language 30
MLI1052 Italian Language for Beginners 30
MLM1052 Beginners Chinese 30
MLP1052 Portuguese Language for Beginners 30
MLR1001 Contemporary Russian Written and Oral 30
MLR1030 Russian Language for Beginners 30
MLS1001 Spanish Language 30
MLS1056 Spanish Language for Beginners 30
AHV1011 Questions and Methods in Art History and Visual Culture 30

Optional modules

b - select either AHV1005 and AHV1009, or AHV1012, selecting 30 credits in total.

c - select 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language; on the Modern Languages side of your programme, you may select a maximum of 15 credits of either the SML- or HUM-coded modules for the year. Please note that certain modules may only be available to students on Single Honours programmes, or to students who have taken a particular language module. This information will be given in the pre-requisites or co-requisites section of the relevant module descriptor.

CodeModule Credits
AHVC Stage 1 Combined Hons Option Modules 2025-6 [see note b above]
AHV1005 Inside the Museum 15
AHV1006 Visual Media 15
AHV1008 Topics in Art History and Visual Culture I 15
AHV1009 Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II 15
AHV1012 Approaches to Art History and Visual Culture 30
MLF1121 French Visual History 15
MLM1014 Chinese Art and the Art of Living 15
French Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
MLF1017 The Making of Modern France 15
MLF1018 The Devil is in the Detail: An Introduction to the Short Story in French 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLF1103 The French Language, Present and Past 15
MLF1105 An Introduction to French Thought 15
MLF1121 French Visual History 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
German Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
MLG1020 Made in Germany: the History and Culture of a Global Brand 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLG1014 A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Italian Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLI1016 Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy 15
MLI1121 A Thousand Faces: Cultures and History in 19th-Century Italy 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Chinese Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
PHL1010 Introduction to Asian Philosophy 15
MLM1014 Chinese Art and the Art of Living 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Portuguese Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
MLP1002 Introduction to the Lusophone World 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Russian Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
MLR1006 An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLR1023 Russia: Empire and Identity 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Spanish Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note c above]
MLS1064 An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context 15
MLS1068 An Introduction to the Literature and Film of Spain 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLS1066 The Making of Modern Latin America: History Through Literature and Culture 15
MLS1164 A Journey of Discovery: Hispanic Global Culture 15

30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language, 60 credits of optional modules (including 30 credits of Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 30 credits of Modern Languages modules).

Compulsory modules

d - select 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language.

CodeModule Credits
AHV2015 Art History and Visual Culture Field Study for Blended Learning 30
Modern Languages Stage 2 Compulsory Language Modules [see note d above]
MLF2001 French Language, Written and Oral 30
MLF2152 Intermediate French 30
MLG2001 German Language, Written and Oral 30
MLG2052 Intermediate German 30
MLI2001 Italian Language, Written and Oral 30
MLI2051 Italian Language 30
MLM2052 Intermediate Chinese (One) 30
MLP2052 Intermediate Portuguese 30
MLR2001 Contemporary Russian Written and Oral I 30
MLR2030 Intermediate Russian 30
MLS2001 Spanish Language, Written and Oral 30
MLS2156 Spanish Language (ex-beginners) 30

Optional modules

e - select 30 credits from this list of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules; we recommend selecting at least one module from AHV2002 and AHV2007.

f - select 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language; on the Modern Languages side of your programme, you may select a maximum of 15 credits of either the SML- or HUM-coded modules listed below for the year. It is your responsibility to ensure that credit for SML modules can be counted towards the language of your study, where this is necessary for your credit count

CodeModule Credits
AHVC Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note e above]
EAS2089 Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future 30
MLM2003 Chinoiserie and Europeenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe 15
AHV2012 Revolutions: Art and Society in France, 1770-1848 30
AHV2018 Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres 30
AHV2019 Common Threads: Art, Craft and Activism 15
AHV2016 Contemporary Art and Curation 15
AHV2020 Deconstructing the Dutch Golden Age: Nationalism, Exceptionalism and Decline 15
AHV2023 Global Impressionisms 15
AHV2013 Photography and Evidence 15
AHV2024 Renaissances North and South: Italy and the Netherlands 15
AHV2009 The New York Avant-Garde 1955-1980 30
French Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
MLF2005 Classical myth in French and francophone cinema 15
MLF2012 Evolution of the French Language 15
MLF2056 Provoking Thoughts - French Literature and Philosophy from the Renaissance to the 20th Century 15
AHV2012 Revolutions: Art and Society in France, 1770-1848 30
MLF2006 French-language Road Movies: Space, Place and Identity 15
MLF2070 Violence and Virtue: Early Modern French Theatre 15
MLF2076 Subversive Texts: Baudelaire and Rachilde 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
German Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
MLG2003 Youth and Age: Generations in German Fiction and Film 15
MLG2018 Berlin - Culture, History and Politics 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
Italian Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
MLI2004 From Page to Screen: The Italian Female Detective in Literature, Film and Television 15
MLI2019 Italian(s) in the World 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
Chinese Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
MLM2003 Chinoiserie and Europeenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe 15
MLM2008 Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
Portuguese Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
SML2004 Contemporary Latin American Cinema 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
Russian Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
MLR2026 The Deceptive City: the Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature 15
MLR2021 Understanding Russia 15
MLR2025 Imperfect Murder: Reading Crime and Punishment 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
Spanish Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 [see note f above]
MLS2044 How to be a Knight: Political Lessons from 14th-Century Spain 15
MLS2070 Catalonia Is Not Spain? Modern Catalan Culture in Context 15
MLS2073 Literary Non-Fiction in Argentina: When Writing Meets the Real 15
SML2004 Contemporary Latin American Cinema 15
MLS2045 Federico Garcia Lorca: Theatre and Poetry 15
MLS2061 The Latin American Short Story 15
MLS2160 Fiction in Post-War Spain: Voices of Conformity and Subversion 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2244 Multilingualism in Society 15
SML2246 Intercultural Communication 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15

If you choose the with International Placement variant of this course, your placement will take place in Year 3.

120 credits of compulsory placement module.

Compulsory modules

g - You must take one of these modules.

CodeModule Credits
SML3010 Work and Study Abroad [see note g above]120
SML3020 Study Abroad at a Partner University (with Assessment in the Foreign Language) [see note g above]120
SML3025 Internship Abroad Combined with Study at a Partner University Abroad [see note g above]120

60 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language and 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language.

Compulsory modules

h - select 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language.

CodeModule Credits
Modern Languages Final Stage Compulsory Language Modules [see note h above]
MLM3111 Advanced Chinese Language Skills 30
MLF3111 Advanced French Language Skills 30
MLG3111 Advanced German Language Skills 30
MLI3111 Advanced Italian Language Skills 30
MLP3111 Advanced Portuguese Language Skills 30
MLR3111 Advanced Russian Language Skills 30
MLS3111 Advanced Spanish Language Skills 30

Optional modules

i - select 60 credits from this list of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules.

j - select 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language; you may select a maximum of 15 credits of the SML- or HUM-coded modules listed below for the year, these are additional to SML3015. You may, alternatively, take SML3030. Please note you may only select one dissertation module across the two programmes. It is your responsibility to ensure that credit for SML modules can be counted towards the language of your study, where this is necessary for your credit count.

CodeModule Credits
AHVC Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note i above]
EAF3515 Something to See: War and Visual Media 30
EAS3421 Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century 30
SML3052 The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Europe and Asia 15
MLG3036 Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria 15
AHV3017 'Queen City of Europe': Art, Culture and Society in Renaissance Antwerp, c.1500-70 15
AHV3013 Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-1900 15
AHV3016 Conceptual Art 15
AHV3007 Global Modernisms 15
AHV3012 Installation Art 15
AHV3008 Performance Art 15
AHV3020 Subjectivity and Storytelling: From Decorative Arts to Digital Futures 15
AHV3018 The Body in Art and Disability Studies 15
AHV3003 The Face 15
AHV3002 Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy 15
French Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30
MLF3006 The Invention of Modern Love 15
MLF3007 Multilingualism, Audiovisual Translation and Power in Cinema-monde 15
MLF3075 First-Person Outsiders in Modern French Literature 15
MLF3079 Sex, Subversion and Censorship: Libertine Literature in Seventeenth-Century France 15
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
MLF3046 Dialectology in France 15
MLF3078 Philosophers, Prophets and Mystics in French Culture 15
MLF3080 Les Miserables from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3044 Migration in World Cinema 15
German Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
MLG3037 Coping with Catastrophe: German Culture, Literature and Politics in the Interwar Years 15
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
MLG3036 Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3044 Migration in World Cinema 15
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30
Italian Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
AHV3002 Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy 15
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
MLI3033 Multicultural Italy 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3044 Migration in World Cinema 15
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30
Chinese Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
MLM3009 China through the Lens: Cultural Translation and Self-Presentation 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
SML3052 The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Europe and Asia 15
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
MLM3008 Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30
Portuguese Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3044 Migration in World Cinema 15
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30
Russian Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
MLR3026 The Deceptive City: The Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature 15
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
MLR3121 Understanding Russia 15
MLR3125 Imperfect Murder: Reading Crime and Punishment 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30
Spanish Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 [see note j above]
MLS3071 The Chilean Road to Socialism (1970-1973): What Happened and Why? Elements for a Debate 15
MLS3037 Women and Feminism in 20th Century Spain 15
MLS3057 Cross Currents: Memory, Myth and Modernity in Latin America 15
MLS3112 Spanish Modernists: Narratives of Identity, Gender and Nation 15
SML3009 Intercultural Communication in a Global World 15
SML3015 Dissertation 15
MLS3072 Unlawful Sex: Sexualities on Trial in Medieval Spain 15
MLS3114 Sustainability in the Hispanic World 15
SML3031 Advanced Translation Skills 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3042 Transcultural Devon: Creating, Analysing and Subtitling Interviews in the Context of Migration 15
SML3043 Migration and Multilingualism 15
SML3044 Migration in World Cinema 15
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30

Our languages

Combined Honours students can choose from one of the seven languages we offer at Exeter.

All languages are available at beginners level. French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish can be studied at advanced level.

In addition, there is also the possibility to take modules in an extra language through the Language Centre.

Fees

Please note: The fees for students starting in 2026 have yet to be set. The fees provided below are the fees for students starting in 2025 and are for guidance only. We will post the fees for 2026 entry shortly.

Tuition fees for 2025 entry

UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.

Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Learning and teaching

How will I learn?

You will be taught by internationally respected staff, who are leading researchers in their specialisms. We use a wide variety of techniques and approaches including seminars, lectures, study groups and web-based learning, as well as valuable field study. We integrate the latest approaches with traditional learning and teaching to give you a varied and challenging programme. As you study the compulsory modules, you will learn through individual practical and project work, teamwork and a research project, all of which are designed to help you develop key skills for success throughout your degree and into your future career.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in a variety of ways, but primarily through exams and coursework. Coursework includes essays, a dissertation and presentation work. The ratio of formal exams to coursework is on average 40:60 (depending on your choice of modules). Your first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress. The assessments in the second year, year abroad (if applicable) and final year will contribute to your final degree classification.

Contact time

In your first year, you will receive a minimum of 10 hours of contact with academic staff per week. You will also be expected to attend other activities such as study groups, workshop activities and film screenings. Your total workload should average about 40 hours per week during term time. The exact amount of time spent working independently varies from module to module.

Research-inspired teaching

Teaching that is inspired by research ensures lectures are up-to-date and relevant: you will benefit from access to the latest thinking, equipment and resources. All options are taught by staff with expertise including art history, architecture, film, photography, visual media, art and technology, curation and exhibition, mixed and virtual realities, performance art and visual culture in the UK and abroad.

Academic support

All students have access to a personal tutor who is available for advice and support throughout your studies. There are also several services on campus where you can get advice and information, including the Students’ Guild Advice Unit.

Optional modules outside of this course

Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.

Proficiency in a second subject

If you complete 60 credits of modules in specified subjects, you may have the words 'with proficiency in’ added to your degree title when you graduate.

Find out more about proficiency options

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Your future

Employer-valued skills this course develops

Studying Art History & Visual Culture equips students with a broad range of highly desirable transferable skills in analysis, critique, research and theoretical and practical creativity. These will prepare you to enter a wide variety of professions.

You will also develop specialist knowledge of everything from traditional art forms such as architecture and sculpture, to today’s visual practices such as film, video, performance and digital art. You will benefit from productive engagement with collections, institutions and art groups in the area, in tandem with the wider arts community in the South West and beyond.

Further study

The Art History & Visual Culture programme prepares its graduates to undertake postgraduate study or training in areas such as education, arts management and journalism, amongst others. Recent graduates have gone on to study:

  • MA Publishing
  • MA Multimedia Broadcast Journalism
  • MA Creative Advertising
  • CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)
  • MA Fine and Decorative Arts
  • MA Marketing & International Management
  • Graduate Diploma in Law
  • MA Stage and Event Management

Career support and pathways

We have a dedicated, award-winning Careers Service, ensuring you have access to careers advisors, mentors and the tools you need to succeed in finding employment in your chosen field on graduation. We offer the Exeter Award and the Exeter Leaders Award which include employability-related workshops, skills events, volunteering and employment which will contribute to your career decision-making skills and success in the employment market. 

Art History & Visual Culture graduates compete very successfully in the employment market, with many employers targeting the University when recruiting new graduates.

Examples of roles recent graduates are now working as include:

  • Art Gallery Intern
  • Brand Intern in fashion industry
  • Civil Service Fast Stream
  • Collections Information Officer
  • Editorial Assistant
  • Events Planner
  • Marketing Intern
  • PR Account Executive
  • Researcher
  • TV Promotions Assistant

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