MA by Research in History of Art at Oxford Brookes University

Programme overview

The MA by Research in History of Art allows students to critically investigate and evaluate an approved topic, combining the equivalent of up to one semester of taught research training with a major research project. It is examined by a 30,000-word thesis and viva, with supervision from History of Art and Visual Culture staff.

Faculty: School of Education, Humanities and Languages | Department: History of Art | Duration: 1 year full time; 2 years part time | Intake: June, September, January (page lists June 2025 to September 2026 starts) | Study mode: full-time or part-time | Location: Oxford, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Research training and an individual 30,000-word thesis project, supervised within the History of Art and Visual Culture research group.

Career pathways

Graduates of the school have gone into IT, advertising, publishing, teaching, business, the civil and diplomatic services, public relations, law, sales and marketing, and the heritage industry.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Please see the specific entry requirement details in the degree routes section above. If you choose to study full-time you must be able to devote a minimum of 35 hours per week over a 44-week year to your research. You should not undertake more than 20 hours per week paid employment or other commitments (including a maximum of six hours per week teaching, demonstrating, or other paid work directly related to your research training). If you choose to study part-time you must be able to devote a minimum of 15 hours per week over a 44-week year to the programme of research. You must also meet our residence requirements Applicants whose main language is not English must meet the Faculty’s English language requirements. The minimum IELTS score required for entry to the research degree programme is 6.5–7 overall. In addition, we require a minimum of 6.5 in each component of the test. We do not accept IELTS certificates that are over two years old.

Domestic applicants: GBP 5,338 a year (2026/27). Full time, first year; fees rise in later years Source

International applicants: GBP 18,300 a year (2026/27). Full time, first year; fees rise in later years Source

Intake: June, September, January (page lists June 2025 to September 2026 starts)

Duration: 1 year full time; 2 years part time

Apply through the official page: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/research/history-of-art#apply

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