Course Overview

Are you fascinated by the world of art? On this unique master’s course, you’ll study the historical and contemporary arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.

You’ll benefit from teaching that emphasises museum anthropology and material culture. At the same time, you’ll engage with the issues involved in the analysis and display of these works of art, both in their original contexts and in museums and exhibitions.

Our department is one of the leading centres in the world for the study of art and material culture. It’s also the only centre in the UK concerned with the study of art worldwide. Our research output includes publications, exhibitions, catalogues, conferences, symposia and lectures. For details of the research undertaken by individual members of faculty and research students, please visit our Sainsbury Research Unit page.

This MA is cross-disciplinary. That means you’ll engage with regional developments and shared themes across anthropology, art history, archaeology, and museology. Throughout the programme, you’ll encounter contemporary theories and current methods of research.

You’ll have the opportunity to study the world-famous collection of art held in the Sainsbury Centre and access to the Robert Sainsbury Library, a dedicated library located in the building. The SRU also has its own teaching collection of over 200 items. Engagement with museums is an integral part of the course and there will be visits to museums and exhibitions in Paris, London, Cambridge and Oxford.

Our graduates have gone on to do PhD research and to university appointments, careers in consultancy, publishing and museum work in the UK and abroad.