Art History provides a first-class rounded education and excellent intellectual training. While the primary focus is on the visual arts, the subject also touches on many other traditional humanities disciplines such as literature, history, religion, languages, classics, psychology and philosophy, with which it provides natural subject combinations. Students acquire skills of critical and historical analysis and the ability to evaluate evidence and present arguments fluently, both orally and in writing. In Journalism, students receive a practical introduction to, and training in, professional aspects of journalism and communication in different media, an area which is relevant to the world of critical reporting in different media on subjects relating to the arts, heritage and the art market. The modules are designed to give an insight to a major industry and to develop students’ knowledge and awareness of the practical and professional issues that are involved in contemporary communication and media. Critical and informed reporting, as well as interpretive and analytical writing and commentary in other media, is a major area in which journalism engages with the visual and other arts, heritage issues and related areas, and the Journalism Minor contributes to understanding how the contemporary arts are affected by the media. The combination of the two subjects affords opportunities to develop a range of skills, academic and practical, which can be applied to a variety of graduate situations or further professional or academic specialist training.

As well as the wide variety of professional or management careers for which an arts and humanities degree is a useful preparation, art history and heritage can prepare graduates for employment or further academic study or graduate training in areas related to the subjects studied, which can include the art market, curating, museums and heritage organisations, specialist media and publishing, and to areas for which visual understanding is an asset such as in advertising. A knowledge of art history is also useful for conservation training in fine and decorative art and architecture.