Fitzwilliam Museum by Sir Cam

History of Art

The History of Art Tripos at Cambridge provides an introduction to the study of the history and criticism of art and architecture, primarily of Western Europe.

 

Fitzwilliam Museum by Cambridge University

History of Art at Wolfson

The three-year course is designed to provide students with a sound general introduction to the history of art, its theory and methodologies. The teaching includes making use of the exceptional resources of Cambridge collections and buildings. As well as greater knowledge of the subject, you will acquire critical and analytical skills and the ability to undertake independent research.

Cambridge is one of the best places in the world to study the History of Art. The city and University are home to fantastic collections of the finest art and architecture from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. Cambridge has a host of museums, some of the country’s greatest libraries, and internationally renowned and dedicated academic staff to guide your studies.

As a fairly small subject – it admits about 20-30 students across all the Colleges each year, the History of Art is organised very largely at a Departmental level, and for this reason students at different Colleges have basically the same academic experience. Whilst every College has a Director of Studies in the subject, all supervisions, lectures and seminars are organised centrally in the Department. History of Art is in this sense one of the most integrated subjects in the University.

You can find further information about studying History of Art on the University's course pages. Detailed information is also available on the Department's Prospective Undergraduates page.

Uffizi Gallery by Joshua Earle/Unsplash

What are we looking for?

Art historians study visual and material culture in their historical contexts. As such, we are looking for students with the potential to develop both acute skills of visual analysis and the ability to interpret works of art and architecture in relation to the social, political, religious and intellectual circumstances in which they were made and received.

Entry Requirements

No particular subjects at A level (or equivalent) are required for the History of Art course but subjects should be primarily academic. Subjects like History, English, Modern Languages, History of Art, Religious Studies and Classics are ideal, and Mathematics and experimental sciences are acceptable if accompanied by one or two arts A levels. Art/History of Art do not necessarily confer an advantage. Please consult the University's entry requirements for History of Art for further information. 

Applications

Applications to study History of Art at Wolfson are submitted through UCAS. The College additionally requires the submission of a written assessment and an online interview, as detailed below.

Written Work

No written work submission is required.

Assessment

Those interviewed will sit a written assessment around the time of the interview. Further information about the written assessment can be found on our applying page.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to be interviewed in December. There will be one or two interviews (in total lasting 40-50 minutes) which will be conducted online via Zoom. The interview may include visual analysis, where applicants are presented with a couple of images of works of art or architecture, and asked to comment on them. This aspect is not intended as a narrow identification test but rather to facilitate broader discussion of how we can read and respond to visual material.

For more information about making an application, please visit our application webpages.  

You can also find useful information on our Application FAQs page.