Course summary

The Graduate Diploma in History of Art and Architecture is an intensive conversion course designed for students with a first degree in another subject who wish to pursue a Master's degree in the history of art or architecture. On this course, you will gain the chance to work closely with internationally recognised experts who are defining the field conducting ground-breaking research in periods from medieval to contemporary and focusing on painting, sculpture, print culture, architecture, photography, digital art and museology. Our History of Art and Architecture Graduate Diploma is also enriched by museum and site visits, visiting speakers and screenings. Over the course of the Diploma you will develop skills of visual analysis, critical thinking, academic writing and research experience that will prepare you to embark on further postgraduate study, for example our MA History of Art, MA History of Architecture, MA History of Photography, MA History of Art with Curating or MA Museum Cultures. If you wish to progress on to postgraduate MA-level study, but can only study part-time, you can apply for our Graduate Certificate in History of Art and Architecture. Please contact us if you are unsure about what level of study would best suit you. Highlights

• Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

• You can attend a wide range of events, including the Postgraduate Research Seminar, which brings art historians from all over the UK and beyond to speak at Birkbeck; the biennial Murray Lecture; the Murray Seminar on Medieval and Renaissance Art; the exhibitions and displays at Birkbeck's Peltz Gallery, and events at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities. Find out more about our staff and student activities on the Birkbeck History of Art blog or join us at one of our information evenings, held throughout the year.

• You will have access to an incredible range of resources, including the Birkbeck Library and our in-house resources centre, the British Library, specialist libraries at the University of London, Courtauld Institute of Art, Royal Institute of British Architects and V&A, as well as the visual resources of the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, V&A, Barbican Gallery, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Hayward Gallery and Royal Academy, and many commercial galleries and salesrooms.

• We encourage you to become involved in our lively research culture through the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, the Architecture, Space and Society Centre and the Vasari Research Centre, which has pioneered the field of digital art history. - You will have the option to join our study trips, offered each spring. Cities visited in the last few years include Florence, Paris, Venice, Vienna, Rome, Berlin and Moscow.

• You will have the option to join our study trips, offered each spring. Cities visited in the last few years include Florence, Paris, Venice, Vienna, Rome, Berlin and Moscow.

• museum/gallery curator

• arts administrator

• advertising account executive

• community arts worker

• multimedia specialist

• higher education lecturer.