
Looking to turn your passion for art into a professional career? The MA in Art History equips you with the expertise, skills, and experience to succeed.
The MA Art History is an international master's programme that
attracts students from around the world and prepares intellectually
rigorous, socially engaged art historians with a strong orientation
toward professional practice.
The programme combines a research-driven curriculum with curatorial
experience developed in collaboration with museums, galleries,
alternative art spaces, and heritage institutions. Courses address
early modern, modern, and contemporary art while emphasising
transhistorical and transcultural perspectives. Students also
engage with artistic research in collaboration with the art academy
and examine current conservation issues, including eco-critical
approaches in art history.
An international team of specialists teaches the programme in
medieval, early modern, and modern and contemporary art, as well as
Chinese, South American, and African heritage and museum studies,
artistic research, and visual and material culture. Teaching takes
place in close dialogue with museums, curators, artists, and other
professionals and frequently includes on-site components.
All students participate in an academic excursion to a major
European city such as Berlin, Paris, Rome, or Venice. In addition
to the MA thesis, small research tutorials allow students to work
closely with individual professors and develop their academic and
professional profiles.
Within the one-year master's track, a group of students is selected
after the first semester to undertake a 4-month curatorial
internship. This pathway is intended for students who demonstrate
strong academic performance and the ability to contribute
effectively within collaborative professional environments.
Students interested in a research-oriented academic path may, after
the first semester, transfer to the Research Master's programme in
consultation with their supervisors.
Graduates obtain an internationally recognised MA degree that
provides a strong foundation for careers in museums, curatorial
practice, cultural institutions, or academic research. Our alumni
have built successful careers in a wide range of institutions
across the art sector.
| Semesters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
| Art History Now: Theory, Method, Historiography (5 EC) | ||||
| Objects: Collecting and Conserving (10 EC) | ||||
| Practices: Curating and Creating (10 EC, optional) | ||||
| Excursion (5 EC) | ||||
| Tutorial: Research expertise (5 EC) | ||||
| Curatorial Internship (10 EC) The MA internship is upon selection. Students that are not selected for the internship would replace the 10 ECTS with courses from other tracks of MA Arts & Culture | ||||
| Master Thesis Art History (20 EC) | ||||
| Programme options |
|---|
| Master's Placement (specialization) This Master's track includes an optional work placement for which you are awarded ECTS credit points. It is your responsibility to find a placement yourself, but the Office for Student Affairs can offer help with this where necessary. |
Art History is an international discipline. During the scheduled excursions you will familiarize yourself with art in foreign countries, museums, art academies and exhibitions. The Master's track Art History offers you the opportunity to follow an internship abroad.
| Specific requirements | More information |
|---|---|
| previous education |
Students with a Bachelor's degree in Art History and Arts, Culture and Media (incl. Visual Art programme) are directly admissible to this Master's track. University of Groningen students with a BA in:
with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are also eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. Professionals and students with a background in a related field are welcome to apply to the track. The Admission Board will assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific track requirements, and will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies. Checklist previous education (to upload to the Progress Portal): https://www.rug.nl/let/studeren-bij-ons/kunstgeschiedenis/arts-and-culture-art-history-checklist.docx |
| language test |
Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. |
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| Communication and Information Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| Dutch Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| European Languages and Cultures | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| Middle Eastern Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| History (part-time) | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| Media Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| American Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| English Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| Arts, Culture and Media | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Incl. Visual Art programme |
| Arts, Culture and Media | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Excl. Visual Art programme. - Students with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. |
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| Art History | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
Please use this step-by-step guide for more information regarding your eligibility and your specific application procedure.
After you complete your application, the Admissions Board will assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, and will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies.
The Admissions Board will then determine whether:
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 15 August 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| 15 August 2027 | 01 September 2027 | |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 | |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 |
| Specific requirements | More information |
|---|---|
| previous education |
Students with a Bachelor's degree in Art History and Arts. Culture and Media (incl. Visual Art programme) are directly admissible to this Master's track. University of Groningen students with a BA in:
with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in History in Art, Architecture and Landscape are also eligible for admission to this Master's track only via the Admission Board. Professionals and students with a background in a related field are welcome to apply to the track. The Admission Board will assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific track requirements, and will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies. Checklist previous education (to upload to the Progress Portal): https://www.rug.nl/let/studeren-bij-ons/kunstgeschiedenis/arts-and-culture-art-history-checklist.docx |
| language test |
Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items) or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. |
Please use this step-by-step guide for more information regarding your eligibility and your specific application procedure.
After you complete your application, the Admissions Board will assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, and will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies.
The Admissions Board will then determine whether:
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 15 August 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| 15 August 2027 | 01 September 2027 | |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 | |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 |
Art is in general of great importance to our contemporary society, as museums are taken by storm on a daily basis. Depending on your own interests and specialization, your job prospects are varied, therefore it is only natural that graduates in the field of Ancient, Modern and Contemporary art end up in varying professions.
After you have graduated the MA track Art History, you can officially call yourself an art historian. Your title shows you have completed a versatile degree programme, where you have acquired a lot of knowledge of works of art, artists, their clients, the professional field, practice, and the public. Your job opportunities after completing this degree are very diverse. Traditionally, our graduates work in museums, where they look after the collections, curate exhibitions, and put together educational material. On the other hand, they often work in the media, for art-oriented shows, write art critiques or work for a publishing house. Art historians are also active in municipal, provincial or government departments, in policy or executive positions, for example in heritage management. Particularly in the last couple of years, there has been an increased interest in cultural-historical heritage and its social significance (cultural tourism). This has increased the demand for people who can to present art in all its aspects in an appealing way.
Conducting research in the field of Art History is one of the most wonderful challenges you can face as a Master's student. In nearly all art history related jobs, research is an important aspect of your work, whether you are a curator in a print room or a policy officer at a municipality, employers will call upon your research skills and critical thinking. During your Master's, you will learn what art historical research entails, how you can conduct it yourself, and how you can apply these skills to the benefit of society. The field of research is extensive, including, analyzing and interpreting works of art, focusing on the technique of the artist and material properties of the artwork, the museological and social context -in other words, the art world-, theoretical approaches and archival research. Ideally, your research alligns with our staff's specializations, but this does not have to be the case. Our staff members will be able to teach and supervize you because of their great research background. Additionally, our staff members have numerous international contacts in a range of fields, therefore it would be possible to study to conduct reasearch abroad, as the curriculum also permits.

Ben je geïnteresseerd in een onderzoeksgerichte carrière? Kijk ook eens bij ons Research Masterprogramma Kunst- en Cultuurwetenschappen.
