Â鶹ԭ´´

Art History: Collecting and Provenance in an International Context MSc

UK

What will I learn?

This masters programme offers an interdisciplinary approach to studying the history of collecting and collections from an international perspective. In particular, it focuses on the trajectory of artefacts through time and space and their historical legacy. Subjects covered include methodological approaches and legal issues relating to provenance and restitution, illegal trafficking of cultural objects, connoisseurship, taste, the patterns of collecting and viewing both private and public, and the politics of display. The programme will move the collective debate beyond the Western tradition.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

  • This programme is unique to Scotland and the UK as it combines aspects of art history and law and places them in a broad international context.
  • You will learn from world-leading researchers and develop expert knowledge in this specialised area of art history.
  • Glasgow’s civic and university collections are some of the richest and most diverse in Europe and are of international standing. The University’s own Hunterian Museum and Art gallery is the oldest public museum in Scotland and has extensive holdings covering fine art, geology, anatomy and the history of medicine. Furthermore, the facilities at Kelvin Hall support object-based study as a number of courses will include handling sessions of the objects in the collections.
  • Work placement opportunities are offered within the programme on a competitive basis. In addition to Scottish institutions, work placements may take place at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
  • Our research forum provides you with a lively and stimulating introduction to methodological debates within art history. It provides a sense of art history’s own history as well as contemporary concerns and practice, examining the beliefs and values that have informed various forms of historical and visual analysis and enquiry. It is focused around a series of seminars or workshops run by members of staff and visiting academics.

CAREER PROSPECTS

This Masters programme is intended to provide you with a strong foundation from which to embark upon a career in the visual arts, the art market, museums and galleries, and heritage and historic properties.

Graduates have gone on to hold positions in museums and galleries (both public and private) in the UK and have, more broadly, entered the commercial, cultural and heritage sectors in a number of roles. The programme also provides an excellent platform for you to move into PhD studies and an academic career.

Which department am I in?

School of Culture and Creative Arts

Study options

Full Time (1 year)

Tuition fees
£24,000.00 (26,14,949) per year
Additional fees applicable.

This is a fixed fee

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please

Application deadline

Expected July 2025

Start date

September 2025

Venue

University of Glasgow

The Fraser Building,

65 Hillhead Street,

Glasgow,

Glasgow, City Of,

G12 8QQ, SCOTLAND, Scotland

Entry requirements

For international students

Entry requirements for postgraduate taught programmes are a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification (for example, GPA 3.0 or above) in a relevant subject, or suitable practical experience. Note: A minimum 2.1 in History of Art or a related subject is required. You should also submit a writing sample of 2000-3000 words, a CV and a personal statement. IELTS: 7.0 with no subtests under 6.5 and TOEFL (ibt, my best or athome): 94; with Reading 19; Listening 20; Speaking 20; Writing 24.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

Pathways options

Offered by other partners

This university accepts pathways courses from
  • Kaplan International College (KIC) London - Kaplan UK
ADD TO MY FAVOURITES

About University of Glasgow

Glasgow is a place where people have been making world changing discoveries for over 500 years and students become innovative global pioneers.

  • Based in Glasgow, a UNESCO city of music
  • Ranked in the top 100 universities in the world
  • Fourth-oldest higher education provider in the UK
  • Over 600 different courses on offer