Master of Arts by Research in History of Art: Renaissance to Modernism The University of Buckingham, UK

The University of Buckingham’s Master’s programme in the History of Art offers the opportunity to pursue research at Master’s level in any one of a wide range of art historical topics: from explorations of individual artists, to examinations of styles, themes, movements and the role of art in society across the centuries.

Individual research topics are closely focused; but the approach of the course is to encourage students to investigate the interconnections between art’s multiple facets and roles. Recent dissertations have surveyed, for example, the role of modern church art, the links between three twentieth-century female sculptors, Caravaggio’s biblical understanding, the origins of the Official War Artists scheme during the First World War, and art commissioned by the East India Company. The choice of subject area is ultimately the student’s own.

The Master’s degree can be taken either full-time and completed in a single academic year, or taken part-time and extended over two years. Although original research it the prime focus of the programme, there is also a strongly collegial aspect to the course, as all research students meet regularly throughout the year for a series of early-evening seminars by some of the most distinguished scholars working in the history of early-modern England. The seminars are held in the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BE, and provide an opportunity for students to meet and debate with the visiting speaker. Each seminar is followed by a working dinner at a nearby restaurant at which discussion continues. (The full seminar programme is given below.)

The MA is awarded solely on the basis of the dissertation (there are no ‘exams’), and the relationship between the student and supervisor is therefore at the heart of the course.

The maximum length for the MA dissertation in the School of Humanities is 25,000 words (or approximately 75 pages at line-spacing of 1.5), excluding notes and references. Student and supervisor meet regularly on a one-to-one basis to discuss, plan, and review the dissertation as it develops through the year.

The University of Buckingham MA programmes are intended to impart all the skills necessary for the student to work as an independent researcher and writer – skills that are valued by both academic and non-academic employers. But the MA can be undertaken just as fulfillingly as an exercise in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and as a means of exploring areas of enquiry that are of particular interest to the student.

The academic year begins in October with classes on how to undertake archival research, how to plan and structure a dissertation successfully, and on the many online resources that are available to assist in historical research. Specialist classes are also offered on paleography (the study of historic handwriting) to enable students to read contemporary manuscripts with speed and accuracy.

Tutorials and classes will normally take place at the University of Buckingham’s London offices at 51 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, WC1E 6HJ, very close to the British Museum.
DEFINING A SUBJECT FOR RESEARCH

Some students know from the outset the precise subject on which they intend to work. For most, however, the definition of a research proposal is usually a gradual process, with the student starting with a general area of interest, and then focusing on a more closely defined topic as a result of further reading and consultation, usually with the Course Director. Most students do not arrive at the final title of their dissertation until towards the end of the first Term, before Christmas.

The Course Director, Michael Prodger, is available to offer advice to prospective students who would like to discuss possible subjects for their research before they apply.