History of Art

The History of Art course (or ‘tripos’) is a three-year degree which focuses on direct contact with, and analysis of, works of art and architecture right from the start.

Please visit the University website for full details of the History of Art course content and structure, including the course film. You will also find information on the Department of History of Art page for prospective applicants. If you have further questions about course content, please contact undergrad.enquiries@aha.cam.ac.uk.

Your lectures and seminars take place in the Department of History of Art (10 mins walk from Christ’s) and – especially in first year – on site in colleges, chapels, libraries, museums and conservation studios around Cambridge.

You discuss your written work at weekly supervisions (small group teaching sessions with 2 to 3 students) and have regular term-time meetings with Christ’s Director of Studies Dr Teresa Soley. Dr Soley's research focuses primarily on Iberian and global visual and material culture, with a particular interest in cross-cultural exchange and the role of artworks in shaping historical perceptions, narratives, and imagery. We also have a fellow in History of Art at Christ's: Dr Kareem Estefan, whose research interests include film, video, and digital media, particularly Arab moving-image practices, documentary and Global South cinema, and activist engagements with colonialism and its legacies in contemporary art and film.

Arianna and Ruby are History of Art students here at Christ's. They have written about their experiences in their student profiles:

• Arianna's profile
• Ruby's profile

If you’d like to hear from other Christ’s students, please watch the Christ's student Q&A film, and visit our Student Profiles page.

This is an academic course, so although practical artistic skills may help your understanding of media and technique, they’re not essential. There are no required subjects. We recommend you study subjects such as the following to A-level, IB Higher Level, Scottish Advanced Higher or equivalent: 

> History 
> History of Art 
> English (language or literature) 
> Languages (ancient or modern) - especially Italian, French or German

You don’t need any previous knowledge of History of Art, but we do expect you to have a basic understanding of the subject and to show enthusiasm for, and visual sensitivity to, works of art.

We encourage students to attend one of our regular Subject Matters webinars for help with choosing Post-16 subjects for competitive university applications. This webinar is pitched for students aged 14-16 though it is also possible to attend when you have started sixth form. 

If we select you for interviews, these take place online (on Microsoft Teams) in early December. Selected candidates are normally interviewed for 35-50 minutes in total. At Christ’s, we usually split the time into two interviews with academics in History of Art. You will normally have two interviewers in each interview, and you can choose to do your interviews at home (most candidates do this) or at school if easier. 

As part of the interviews, we usually show you one or more images/works of art and ask for your comments. During the interviews we may ask you about topics you’re not familiar with. Our aim is to assess your innate ability when working through unprepared questions and see how quickly you absorb new ideas. It’s not about catching you out. We help you work through questions and ask you to think out loud as you tackle them, so we understand your individual approach. 

There are no preparatory exercises, no test that you take on the day of your interviews and there is no additional 'general interview' - you just need to attend the two History of Art interviews scheduled for you. 

Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section, and it's worth also having a look at supervisions (short film here), as interviews are similar to what you do every week as a Cambridge student.

We define the terms of each offer individually but our minimum offer for History of Art is 

> A*AA at A-level (with the A* in a subject other than Art and Design) 
> 42 points overall in the International Baccalaureate with 7,7,6 at Higher Level 
> A1, A2, A2 in three Scottish Advanced Highers

You need to be academically ambitious: the majority of Christ's students arrive with higher grades than are required.

If you're taking another qualification, we expect you to be working at or close to the top of the mark range i.e. 

> Baccalauréat français international (BFI): 17 (mention très bien) out of 20 overall, with a minimum of 17 in relevant subjects 
> European Baccalaureate: at least 85% overall, with 9/10 in relevant subjects

You can look up other qualifications in the offer levels for other exam systems and international entry requirements, and if you are applying from outside the UK please read the Christ's international students section for further information and check the country pages.

If you will have finished school when you apply, please also read about post-qualification applications, taking a gap year, and, if relevant, applying from a university.

Would you like to receive these resources in an email? Please complete this brief form.

For more detail of what the course involves, please read Undergraduate History of Art admissions on the University website and visit the Department of History of Art site too.

If you have any questions, please get in touch at admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help.