History of Art and Archaeology

Undertaking thisHistory of Art and Archaeology programme from SOAS University of Londonis an intense and personally rewarding experience.

A full-time doctoral student at this History of Art and Archaeology programme from SOAS University of London has three years to complete a full draft of their thesis and then a further one year for writing up (known as a 3+1 degree).

The department offers a dynamic and collegiate atmosphere to support research students in all dimensions of their work – from developing the individual thought process, to information-sharing on archives or conferences, to refining presentation skills, to building social and professional networks.

Research degrees are generally undertaken by individuals who aim to become professionals in the field of art history and/or archaeology, whether as academics who carry out research and teach in universities or as curators or educators in museums, libraries or archives, or in any number of other related areas such as academic publishing or even the commercial art world.

Employment

Students in the School of Arts develop a ​​critical and theoretically informed approach to global arts and culture. In addition to an intercultural awareness and practical expertise, graduates gain a wide portfolio of transferable skills which are especially sought after in the creative and cultural industries.Recent graduates have been hired by:

• Christie’s

• Christine Park Gallery

• Crisis

• Design Museum

• Hong Kong Museum Of Art

• India Foundation For The Arts

• Japanese Gallery

• Museum of East Asian Art

• Research topics can be considered under three headings: first, historical and contextual studies of the traditions, forms and artists of the past; second, the study of contemporary and popular visual arts; and third, the contribution of Asian and African art studies to the development of a comparative philosophy of art and archaeology.

• The opportunities for original and innovative research are therefore extremely wide-ranging. This is an area in which cooperation with scholars in Asia and Africa is possible to mutual advantage. All staff are simultaneously attached as art historians or archaeologists to the department and as regional specialists to their appropriate regional centre at SOAS.