Master of Arts in History of Art and Visual Studies

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

This MA programme provides you with a thorough grounding in the classics of Social and Political Thought, and a deep and varied engagement with their 20th and 21st century offshoots. It addresses key concepts and ideas that are central to the analysis of contemporary society, politics and culture. These include debates over the basis of contemporary capitalism, neoliberalism, biopolitics, ideology, and the fundamental question of what it means to be ‘social’ and/or ‘human’.

Skills from this degree

• Ability to analyse and evaluate complex intellectual ideas
• Ability to analyse and evaluate competing approaches to understanding the contemporary world
• Ability to build sophisticated and persuasive arguments from an array of sources
• Ability to carry out independent research
• Ability to write about complex ideas in a clear way

Our flexible MA in Writing is open to students from around the world and offers two pathways: 

Route A (Taught) Full-Time

Four taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus three other taught modules of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing)

Route B (Long Project) Full-Time

Two taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus one other taught module of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing) and a Long Project module for which you write a long piece of creative work in any genre that the Programme is able to supervise. This creative piece is accompanied by a shorter critical reflection.

Route B (Long Project) Full-Time

Two taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus one other taught module of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing) and a Long Project module for which you write a long piece of creative work in any genre that the Programme is able to supervise. This creative piece is accompanied by a shorter critical reflection.

Route B (Long Project) Part-Time

In your first year you take two taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus one other taught module of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing). In your second year you take a Long Project module for which you write a long piece of creative work in any genre that the Programme is able to supervise. This creative piece is accompanied by a shorter critical reflection.

Permission to follow the Long Project route depends on an assessment of your prior experience of writing and of a proposal submitted before the degree begins, as well as on the availability of a qualified supervisor(s) who will supervise you during the spring and summer terms.

Warwick Writing Programme
The acclaimed Warwick Writing Programme is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in Europe. You will be working alongside practising, award-winning novelists, poets and literary translators. Our teaching staff includes: A.L. Kennedy, Tim Leach, Nell Stevens, Maureen Freely (Chair of the International Booker Prize 2019), Gonzalo C. Garcia, David Morley (winner of the Ted Hughes Award 2015), Ian Sansom and Chantal Wright. We are closely involved with The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Each year the winner of the award – which has in the past included Sally Rooney and Raymond Antrobus – spends a period of time as writer-in-residence at Warwick, working with students.

Further information about the MA in Writing is available on the Warwick Writing Programme websiteLink opens in a new window.

Neuroscience is the discipline that encompasses the study of the brain and nervous system in health and disease. This degree course is designed for students who wish to develop a greater understanding of the most complex and enigmatic of organs.

With the knowledge and practical experience gained on this course you will be able to develop a career in neuroscience and human health. Careers could include academic research, laboratory services, pharmaceutical drug discovery or clinical trials. Alternatively, you may wish to pursue a career in employment sectors that appreciate the value of a solid understanding of scientific principles, methods and approaches.

Neuroscience is the discipline that encompasses the study of the brain and nervous system in health and disease. It is an enormous field spanning genomic, molecular, cellular, network and behavioural levels.

This degree course is designed for students who wish to develop a greater understanding of the most complex and enigmatic of organs.

With the knowledge and practical experience gained on this course, you will be able to develop a career in neuroscience and human health. Careers could include academic research, laboratory services, pharmaceutical drug discovery or clinical trials. Alternatively, you may wish to pursue a career in employment sectors that appreciate the value of a solid understanding of scientific principles, methods and approaches.

Study abroad

As an alternative to a work placement we support student mobility with the opportunity to apply for a year abroad at one of our partner universities all over the world. The Study Abroad Team supports these activities, and our dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can give you more specific information and assistance.

Warwick offers an innovative approach to Hispanic Studies, combining the study of the Spanish language alongside a diverse range of Hispanic cultures across Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas, including Hispanic history in Africa and the Pacific.

In Economics, you will study the choices of consumers, corporations, governments, networks and nations. You will also develop a deep knowledge of global and local economic trends, institutions and policies.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, to consolidate and enhance your learning.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you may move to a three-year degree. In such cases, you will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement

Warwick offers an innovative approach to Hispanic Studies, combining the study of the Spanish language with the study of Hispanic cultures across Europe, the Caribbean, the Americas, including aspects of Hispanic history in Africa and the Pacific.

Your studies in History will also enable you to explore the history of the European and non-European worlds.

Your second or third year will normally be spent abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year. You will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement

Sociology – the study of humans in society – is at the heart of the roadmap towards a sustainable future. Each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has a sociological aspect, and understanding the social implications of world trade, economic growth, and climate change has never been more critical.

Since the birth of the neoliberal era, major global transformations have redefined societies across the world. Sociologists are now focusing on why the current organisation of society might itself be unsustainable, researching innovative solutions to develop social-environmental relationships that are less environmentally harmful.

On this course, you will combine sociological concepts, including race, identity, ethnicity, and gender, and apply these to global issues such as wealth inequality, elite power, and food security. Our transdisciplinary approach also gives you the freedom to research the topics that most interest you.

Our students are aspiring global citizens with social consciences. They’re flexible, adaptable and broad-minded.

By studying GSD, you’ll take a transdisciplinary approach and confront issues from a diverse array of perspectives. You will need to be ready to think creatively and embrace new opinions from your peers from across the world. We will challenge you to become an active participant in your own learning.

You can enhance your skills and studies through optional work placements, study abroad, and certificates.

Study abroad

We encourage you to take the opportunity to study abroad during your course at Warwick.

• Enjoy the freedom to take chances with your module choices.
• Push yourself outside of your comfort zone with your learning.
• You may have the opportunity to learn a new language and immerse yourself in a new learning context.
• You may choose to apply for an intercalated year spent either studying abroad or on a work placement (subject to you meeting departmental academic requirements). This will mean extending your course to four years.

If you want to extend your learning and broaden your perspective by studying abroad for a year, Warwick has partnerships with universities across the world. You will spend your first and second years at Warwick, studying abroad in your third year. You will then return to Warwick for your final year.

On this degree you will split your time equally between Modern Languages and Economics.

Studying Modern Languages will enable you to gain expertise in two languages. Choose one language from: French, German, Italian or Spanish. Choose the second language from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian or Spanish.

As well as studying the foundations of economics, you will develop your linguistic and intercultural skills. You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you may move to a three-year degree. In such cases, you will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement

The year abroad options are flexible.

Warwick's Language, Culture and Communication degree is a globally unique interdisciplinary program that prepares students to forge careers in the international marketplace. The degree combines elements of linguistics, intercultural communication, social psychology and public relations.

You will develop a unique combination of intellectual, analytical, research and communication skills, and apply them in a range of authentic situations. You will also develop your expertise in communicating effectively in different contexts, cultures and languages, and acquire first-hand experience of living abroad and working in multicultural contexts.

Study abroad

• If you wish to spend a year abroad (which we thoroughly recommend), this will take place in your third year, meaning that you will complete your degree in four years instead of three. All students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities.
• The Student Mobility Team offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance. Students who elect not to complete the year abroad, or who do not academically qualify for it, may complete the course without a year abroad.

Our MA is designed to prepare students for specialised postgraduate research in the fields of Art History and Visual Studies. You will have the option of spending the autumn term in Venice or can study for the full year on the Warwick campus.

The course enables you to develop your research skills by studying different periods and media in the history of art, and by taking an active part in research, exploring some of the broader issues in Art History today such as cross-cultural interaction and the arts, the spatial contexts of art, architecture and urbanism, and the arts within a global society.