MA History of Art (and specialisms) Programme Specification 2023-24

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1	ACADEMIC QUALITY TEAM
2	Programme Specifications 2023-24
3	Revised February 2023
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6	Programme Title			MA History of Art; MA History of Art (Architectural History and Theory); MA History of Art (British Art); MA History of Art (Medieval Art and Medievalisms); MA History of Art (Modern and Contemporary Art).
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8	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:			2023		Award type			MA
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10	What level is this qualification?			Level 7		Length of programme			1 year full-time; 2 years part-time
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12	Mode of study (Full / Part Time)			Full-time and Part-time
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14	Will the programme use standard University semester dates?			Yes		For York Online programmes, will standard dates for such programmes be used?			n/a
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16	Awarding institution			University of York		Board of Studies for the programme			History of Art
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18	Lead department			History of Art		Other contributing departments
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20	Language of study and assessment			English		Language(s) of assessment			English
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22	Is this a campus-based or online programme?			Campus
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24	Partner organisations
25	If there are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme, please outline the nature of their involvement. You may wish to refer to the Policy on Collaborative Provision
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29	Reference points
30	Please state relevant reference points consulted in the design of this programme (for example, relevant documentation setting out PSRB requirements; the University's Frameworks for Programme Design (UG or PGT); QAA Subject Benchmark Statements; QAA Qualifications and Credit Frameworks).
31	I have consulted with the QAA resources: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code for guidance on design and delivery. Also the University's Frameworks for Programme Design for guidance on design, practical aspects, tools, approaches: Institutional Framework as well as Inclusive learning and PDLT resources.
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34	Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
35	Will this programme involve any exemptions from the University Policy and Procedures on Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning? If so, please specify and give a rationale
36	No formal exemptions
37	No formal exemptions
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39	Exceptions to Regulations
40	Please detail any exceptions to University Award Regulations and Frameworks that need to be approved (or are already approved) for this programme. This should include any that have been approved for related programmes and should be extended to this programme.
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44	Internal Transfers
45	Please use the boxes below to specify if transfers into / out of the programme from / to other programmes within the University are possible by indicating yes or no and listing any restrictions. These boxes can also be used to highlight any common transfer routes which it would be useful for students to know.
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47		Transfers in:	Yes			Transfers out:	Yes
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50	Statement of Purpose
51	Please briefly outline the overall aims of the programme. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
52	The Department offers an MA in History of Art, together with specialist History of Art MA degrees in Architectural History and Theory; British Art; Medieval Art and Medievalisms; Modern and Contemporary Art. These degrees offer you a programme of exceptional historical and geographical breadth and depth, from the late antique to the post-internet age, with the opportunity to study in one of the largest and most vibrant History of Art departments in the UK, recognised for the excellence of its research environment and research-led teaching. By undertaking the MA in History of Art or one of our specialist History of Art programmes, you will be able to bring together research questions and sources from different approaches to hone your skills in visual and material analysis in order to understand how artworks (and other forms of visual culture) produce meaning, in the past as well as today. These degrees are accompanied by an extensive provision of skills training in academic writing, archival research, and object-focused studying. The "core" Research Skills module will introduce you to some key issues within the discipline of art history; if you are studying on one of our specialist MA degrees, you will also explore key issues within your chosen field. You will be part of a lively scholarly environment including seminars, reading groups, research lectures and field trips (when circumstances allow), many of which are developed with our regional and national museum partners. This offering will enable you to develop essential research skills, and the ability to explore and solve problems independently. Through these MA programmes, you will develop skills which will prepare you for further post-graduate study, and to seek employment in a wide range of professions, including archives, libraries, museums, galleries, publishing companies, the media, education, the heritage sector, historic site management, planning and preservation, and the art market. Being in York gives you access to some of the UK’s most important collections and cultural heritage, significant monuments and churches, and dynamic galleries, as well as access to some of the world's most extraordinary resources for the study of medieval and medieval revival art (including the York Minster, with its archive, library and the largest collection of medieval stained glass in Britain). We have built a number of successful relationships in the region, including the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Henry Moore Institute, The Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire Country House Partnership, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle, offering access to unique resources and curatorial expertise. In the MA in History of Art, flexibility is the programme’s distinctive feature, allowing you to immerse yourself in diverse fields of studies that complement your expertise. You have free choice of a wide range of modules giving you the opportunity to study art chronologically, to focus on one medium, or to pursue a particular methodological perspective, leading to the production of supervised essays and a dissertation at the forefront of scholarly research. The Architectural History and Theory degree offers you a programme that is unique in its kind, as it focuses on the histories and theories of architecture across a wide range of periods, places and mediums, from Roman temples to the representation of urban spaces in Hollywood films today. The British Art degree offers you a unique programme, with topics ranging from the Anglo-Saxon period to the most recent Turner Prize. You will have the opportunity to study in the largest and most vibrant community of scholars and curators of British Art in the world. Variety and rigor are the programme's distinctive features, allowing you to consider the category of British Art critically and to investigate how it mobilises questions of national and political identity, problematising the role of the arts in the construction of national, imperial, and global cultures. The Medieval Art and Medievalisms degree offers you a programme with topics ranging from late Roman art through centuries of medieval art and architecture to medieval revivals in the modern period, with the opportunity to study in one of the largest and most vibrant History of Art departments, recognised for the excellence of its research in medieval studies and research-led teaching, in the largest community of scholars of medieval art in the UK. The Modern and Contemporary Art degree offers you an exceptional opportunity to study the art of our own time, informed by keen understanding of its recent precedents and their significance, from the legacies of modernism after the Second World War to the art of the post-internet age, as part of one of the largest communities of researchers in this area.
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63	If there are additional awards associated with the programme upon which students can register, please specify the Statement of Purpose for that programme. This will be most relevant for PGT programmes with exit awards that are also available as entry points. Use additional rows to include more than one additional award. Do not include years in industry / abroad (for which there are separate boxes).
64	Exit Award Title			Is the exit award also available as an entry point?	Outcomes: what will the student be able to do on exit with this award?			Specify the module diet that the student will need to complete to obtain this exit award
65	Postgraduate Certificate			No	Students with the Postgraduate Certificate will have partially fulfilled PLOs 1-5			To be eligible for this Exit Award, students must have passed 60 credits. This means that any three of the five 20-credit modules must be completed successfully to earn the PG certificate.
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67	Programme Learning Outcomes
68	What are the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) for the programme? (Normally a minimum of 6, maximum of 8). Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme and represent the outcomes that students progressively develop in the programme and achieve at graduation. PLOs should be worded to follow the stem 'Graduates will be able to...'
69	1	Demonstrate in-depth understanding of current research, theoretical approaches, context, sources and advanced scholarship at the forefront of art historical studies, as relevent to chosen programme (Depth of Knowledge)
70	2	Synthesise information in a sophisticated and mature fashion and critically analyse a wide range of materials by rigorously applying observational, descriptive, analytical and methodological skills, as relevent to chosen programme (Methodological Rigor)
71	3	Formulate independent research questions stemming from the accurate location and evaluation of archival, written, and visual sources and informed by knowledge of scholarly arguments and relevant disciplinary approaches, as relevent to chosen programme (Originality)
72	4	Analyse and critique the assumptions, theoretical principles and the use of evidence employed in present and past scholarship and situate them within larger art historical dynamics, as relevent to chosen programme (Critical Evaluation)
73	5	Confidently present relevant information and sophisticated arguments verbally and visually to a high professional standard to a range of academic and other audiences (Communication and Digital Literacy)
74	6	Initiate, conduct, and take responsibility for independent research projects, drawing on skills honed by graduate-level research training (Project Management)
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76	Diverse entry routes
77	Detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme. For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity.
78	Many of our MA students enter the degree (especially the general MA) without having formally studied History of Art - they might have experience primarily in another humanities or cognate subject. We have a heavily international student body at MA level, so they come to us from diverse educational systems. Moreover, our modules attract MA students from other humanities departments and Centres at York. Our teaching staff are thus very experienced in accomodating a diverse range of students in each seminar group. Module seminars allow students to ask questions, engage in discussions and benefit from peer learning. The Research Skills module prepares students with the skills associated with the production and communication of academic scholarship, including bibliographic and referencing skills, use of electronic and archival resources, different approaches of scholarly research and presentation, and specialized skills relevant to their individual degree.
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87	Inclusion
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89	Please confirm by ticking the box on the right that the design, content and delivery of the programme will support students from all backgrounds to succeed. This refers to the University's duties under the Equality Act 2010. You may wish to refer to the optional Inclusive Learning self-assessment tools to support reflection on this issue.
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91	Employability
92	Please give a brief overview - no more than 5 sentences - of how the programmes helps develop students' employability. Your Faculty Employability Manager can help reflection on this issue. This statement will be used by Marketing as the basis for external content with respect to employability.
93	The breadth and variety of modules offered by the MA in History of Art, combined with its focus on skills training, provide students with a distinctive skill set that can be applied to a wide range of careers. The digital literacy skills associated with writing essays and preparing the dissertation provide a solid foundation and have application in the work place, enabling graduates to undertake independent research and to produce high quality written and visual material. The structure of the MA also prepares students for group work and verbal presentations, and for managing their work load to ensure tasks are completed to deadlines. Students learn to handle objects at a professional level and about the subtelties of visual communication, thus ensuring them the possibility of a career in advertising, marketing, museums and galleries, conservation, interiors and architecture.
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