Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Art History, Visual Culture and Media Studies with Foundation Year

On our four-year BA Art History, Visual Culture and Media Studies (including foundation year), we work with you to develop your subject-specific knowledge, and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year (known as Year Zero) to prepare you for a further three years of undergraduate study at Essex.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with our School of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies.

At Essex, you will explore a broad spectrum of art, visual culture and media, both past and present. Youll learn about canonical forms of art and architecture and cover a range of visual culture, such as video art, medical photography, tattoos and objects from political protests. Youll also study the various forms of contemporary media that shape our everyday lives, including film and television, photography, social media and advertising.

To study on our course, you dont need an A-Level in art or art history. In fact, we believe that the best students of visual culture are those who bring fresh eyes and new perspectives to their objects of inquiry.

What's more, youll have the opportunity to cover a range of disciplines through your modules during which you will combine different approaches to the study of visual media, hone your critical thinking and develop a deeper understanding of the histories and meaning of the visual world around you. You will develop the skills you need to transform your passion for art, visual culture, and media into the ability to uncover new insights about the material you study.

All applications for degree courses with a foundation year (Year Zero) will be considered individually, whether you
think you might not have the grades to enter the first year of a degree course,
have non-traditional qualifications or experience (e.g. you havent studied A-levels or a BTEC),
are returning to university after some time away from education, or
are looking for more support during the transition into university study.

Our standard offer is 72 UCAS tariff points from at least two full A-levels, or equivalent.
Examples of the above tariff may include:
A-levels: DDD
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: MMP
T-levels: Pass with E in core

IELTS 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
TOEFL (IBT)- 72 overall, with a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.