| UCAS code | WW42 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBC |
| UCAS code | WW24 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBC |
| UCAS code | WW22 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBC |
| UCAS code | WW23 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Art History & Visual Culture |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBC |
Overview
- An excellent grounding in the main themes and methods of Art History & Visual culture while developing your critical, imaginative and practical engagement with the social, historical and cultural contexts of theatre
- Develop essential tools to interpret works of arts (including architecture and design) as well as images, objects and practices
- Study traditional fine art and contemporary visual forms including painting, sculpture, illustration, architecture, film, video, performance and digital art
- Studio-based work will equip you with communication and organisation skills and will enhance your creative development and analytical skills
- Throughout the programme you will get equal opportunities and challenges to act, direct, write or create dramatic events
2nd in the UK for Drama, Dance and Cinematics
2nd in the Complete University Guide 2025
Professional standard performance spaces and state-of-the-art production facilities for video, sound and scenic design
Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design
12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
2nd in the UK for Drama, Dance and Cinematics
2nd in the Complete University Guide 2025
Professional standard performance spaces and state-of-the-art production facilities for video, sound and scenic design
Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design
12th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
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.
India
BA Art History & Visual Culture and Classics
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | ABB | n/a |
| IB | 32/655 | n/a |
| BTEC | DDM | n/a |
| GCSE | C or 4 | English Language |
| Access to HE | 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade. | N/A |
| T-Level | Distinction | N/A |
| Contextual Offer | A-Level: BBC |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| 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
Course content
30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 60 credits of compulsory Drama modules, and 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHV1011 | Questions and Methods in Art History and Visual Culture | 30 |
| DRA1016 | Performance Analysis | 30 |
| DRA1018 | The Creative Actor | 30 |
Optional modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
a -select either AHV1012 (30 credits) or AHV1005 AND AHV1009 (15 credits each), selecting 30 credits in total.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHVC Stage 1 Combined Hons Option Modules 2024-5 [See note a above] | ||
| AHV1006 | Visual Media | 15 |
| AHV1008 | Topics in Art History and Visual Culture I | 15 |
| MLM1014 | Chinese Art and the Art of Living | 15 |
| AHV1012 | Approaches to Art History and Visual Culture | 30 |
| AHV1005 | Inside the Museum | 15 |
| AHV1009 | Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II | 15 |
| MLF1121 | French Visual History | 15 |
30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules and 60 credits of optional Drama modules.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHV2015 | Art History and Visual Culture Field Study for Blended Learning | 30 |
Optional modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
b - select 30 credits from this list of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules - we recommend selecting at least one module from AHV2002 and AHV2007.
c - select 60 credits from this list of optional Drama modules - Students can only take one practice module and one Drama seminar module.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHVC Stage 2 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note b above] | ||
| AHV2012 | Revolutions: Art and Society in France, 1770-1848 | 30 |
| AHV2016 | Contemporary Art and Curation | 15 |
| AHV2018 | Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres | 30 |
| AHV2021 | American Photographs | 15 |
| AHV2022 | Animals in Nineteenth-century Art and Visual Culture | 15 |
| AHV2023 | Global Impressionisms | 15 |
| AHV2208 | Ideal Cities? Urban Cultures of Renaissance Italy | 15 |
| AHV2013 | Photography and Evidence | 15 |
| AHV2019 | Common Threads: Art, Craft and Activism | 15 |
| AHV2020 | Deconstructing the Dutch Golden Age: Nationalism, Exceptionalism and Decline | 15 |
| AHV2024 | Renaissances North and South: Italy and the Netherlands | 15 |
| MLM2003 | Chinoiserie and Europeenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe | 15 |
| EAS2089 | Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future | 30 |
| AHV2002 | Debates and Contestations in Art History [See note b above] | 15 |
| AHV2007 | Contemporary Visual Practices [See note b above] | 15 |
| Drama Stage 2 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note c above] | ||
| DRA2026 | Applied Drama: Interactive Theatre | 30 |
| DRA2042 | Puppetry and Object Theatre | 30 |
| DRA2044 | Acting Shakespeare | 30 |
| DRA2045 | Theatre and Health | 30 |
| DRA2047 | Interpretive Acting | 30 |
| DRA2061B | Digital Theatrecrafts | 30 |
| DRA2072 | Culture in / as Performance | 30 |
| DRA2076 | Playwriting | 30 |
| DRA2077 | Theatre for Environmental Change | 30 |
| DRA2083 | Intermedial Performance Practice | 30 |
| DRA2087 | Activism and Performance | 30 |
| DRA2089 | Popular Entertainment and Performance Documentation | 30 |
| DRA2092 | Modernist Drama in Contemporary Theatre | 30 |
| DRA2096 | Voices Across Stage and Screen | 30 |
| DRA2104 | Approaches to Comedy | 30 |
| DRA2105 | Eco-Theatre: Outdoor and Immersive Performance | 30 |
| DRA2108 | Introduction to Creative Producing: Making Change and Shifting Cultures | 30 |
| DRA2109 | Ensemble Acting: Co-Creation | 30 |
| DRA2110 | Political Theatre: The 1980s | 30 |
| DRA2111 | Live Art and Spatial Practices | 30 |
Typically, any placement year will take place in Year 3. If you are not taking a placement year please see the Final Year modules for year 3.
0-30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 0-30 credits of compulsory Drama modules, 30-60 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 30-60 credits of optional Drama modules.
Compulsory modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
d - select either AHV3000 or DRA3094 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHV3000 | Art History and Visual Culture Dissertation [see note d above] | 30 |
| DRA3094 | Theatre Dissertation [see note d above] | 30 |
Optional modules
if selecting DRA3094, select 30-60 credits from this list of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules.
if selecting AHV3000, select 30-60 credits from this list of optional Drama modules.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHVC Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5 | ||
| AHV3002 | Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy | 15 |
| AHV3007 | Global Modernisms | 15 |
| AHV3008 | Performance Art | 15 |
| AHV3009 | Paris to the World: Modelling the Modern City | 15 |
| AHV3012 | Installation Art | 15 |
| AHV3017 | 'Queen City of Europe': Art, Culture and Society in Renaissance Antwerp, c.1500-70 | 15 |
| EAF3515 | Something to See: War and Visual Media | 30 |
| EAS3245 | The 21st Century Museum | 30 |
| EAS3421 | Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century | 30 |
| EAS3504 | Surrealism and its Legacies | 30 |
| HUM3015 | The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Britain and China | 15 |
| MLG3036 | Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria | 15 |
| AHV3013 | Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-1900 | 15 |
| AHV3019 | Artists' Film and Video | 15 |
| AHV3018 | The Body in Art and Disability Studies | 15 |
| AHV3020 | Subjectivity and Storytelling: From Decorative Arts to Digital Futures | 15 |
| THE3229 | Syriac Christianity: Monks, Monasteries and Mimre | 30 |
| Drama Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5 | ||
| DRA3011 | Practice II: Technical Specialisation | 30 |
| DRA3012 | Theatre Practice I: Applied Drama | 30 |
| DRA3050 | Creative Industries Management | 30 |
| DRA3051 | Voice for the Actor | 30 |
| DRA3061 | Practical Essay | 30 |
| DRA3088 | Women and Theatre 1700-1928 | 30 |
| DRA3092 | Theatre for a Changing Climate | 30 |
| DRA3094 | Theatre Dissertation | 30 |
| DRA3095 | Music Drama | 30 |
| DRA3100 | Physical Performance | 30 |
| DRA3102 | Audio Dramaturgy: Theatre of the Ear | 30 |
| DRA3104 | Approaches to Acting | 30 |
| DRA3105 | Theatre for Environmental Change | 30 |
| DRA3106 | Acting for Screen | 30 |
| DRA3107 | Theatres Against Colonialism | 30 |
Course variants
UCAS code: WW24
Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.
Why Study Abroad?
Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.
Where can I Study Abroad?
We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website.
Does it count towards my degree?
Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.
How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?
For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.
UCAS code: WW22
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements within the UK as part of your degree.
Why choose to include Employment Experience?
Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career. A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.
Where will I do my work placement?
The sector you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.
How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?
For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.
Find out more
Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.
UCAS code: WW23
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements as part of your degree.
Why choose to include Employment Experience Abroad?
Spending up to a year living and working in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. By carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements abroad you can demonstrate to employers your adaptability, cultural awareness, independence and resourcefulness and, depending on where you stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language.
Where will I do my work placement?
The sector and country you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.
How does it affect my tuition fee?
For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.
Is the placement paid?
You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.
Find out more
Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.
Fees
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.
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. 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.
Drama will mainly be taught through studio sessions, which means you will practise the subject as you learn. At the start of the programme, the emphasis is on group collaborative work, which becomes the basis for the development of your individual interests and skills later on. Practical class sizes are limited to around 20.
Assessment for Art History and Visual Culture
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. In order to be eligible for ‘with Study Abroad’ programmes, you will need to attain an average of 60 per cent or more in your first year. The assessments in the second year, year abroad (if applicable) and final year will contribute to your final degree classification.
Assessment for Drama
Assessment of each module varies and may include continuous assessment, essay, performance and portfolio or viva interview. In the first year, most work is assessed continuously through studio practice, seminars and essays. There are currently no written exams for Drama Single Honours Drama students, however Combined Honours students should refer to the relevant subject’s entry for their other subjects. You are required to pass your first year in order to progress, but these results do not count towards your final degree classification. In order to be eligible for ‘with Study Abroad’ programmes, you will need to attain an average of 60% or more in your first year. The assessments in the second year, year abroad (if applicable) and final year will contribute to your final degree classification.
Facilities
Drama is based on two sites on the Streatham Campus. All the practical spaces we use are reserved solely for Drama students, giving us a high degree of flexibility. Our facilities include two digital media suites and upgraded technical facilities. We have six studios fully equipped for stage lighting and sound, 10 other studios and seminar rooms, two sound studios, a video and multimedia studio, state-of-the-art computer facilities for lighting and sound design, costume and props stores and workshops for set construction, costume and prop-making.
Museums, galleries, and field trips
We believe it’s really important for you to gain first-hand exposure to works of art and other visual artefacts. You will profit from engaging with the museums and galleries in the region, in addition to field trips to collections in London and elsewhere. You will also can develop expertise in curation through the University’s Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
Art History and Visual Culture field trip abroad
In the second year of the programme we offer a core module, Art History & Visual Culture Field Study, which involves an intensive study trip abroad to immerse our students in the art, architecture and visual culture of a specific location in Europe. In recent years our study abroad trip has taken place in Florence Italy*.
Other opportunities
The Term Three Festival is a fringe-style experience, providing Drama students with exciting opportunities to showcase additional self-directed, non-assessed work. Students produce their own performances, take part in workshops, receive technical and practical training, participate in careers and employability sessions and watch over 50 brand new performances as part of the event. All students have the option to get involved with the Drama Society and a number of student-run theatre companies supported by the Students’ Guild.
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. In Drama, all staff teach second and third year options which are linked to their own interests, including areas such as theories of actor training, non-western performance, 20th and 21st century theatre practitioners, site-specific performance, applied performance, gender and performance, theatre history, music theatre, arts management and the politics of culture.
*Field course destination subject to change
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 one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.
- A Foreign Language
- Data Science
- Entrepreneurship
- Innovation
- Law (Penryn Campus only)
- Leadership
- Management
- Social Data Science
Your future
Employer-valued skills this course develops
Art History and Visual Culture at the University of Exeter is a bold interdisciplinary programme, which will enable you to stand out in the job market. This programme will give you 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 develop a broad range of highly desirable skills in analysis, critique, research and theoretical and practical creativity.
Career paths
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
Career Zone
The services offered by the careers and employability team are complementary to the services offered by our central Career Zone, where you can participate in practical sessions to develop your skills; access paid internships and volunteering opportunities; explore postgraduate study options; meet prospective employers; get one-to-one advice and learn how to secure the right job for you.
