Diploma in Arts (Art History)

The art history program is housed in the School of Culture and Communication. The first program of its kind in Australia, it was founded in 1946. The School develops joint projects with many Australian museums including the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Students of art history have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork overseas. Subjects taught in Rome and New York provide unrivalled access to major art collections such as those of the Vatican museums and the Museum of Modern Art. Alliances with the Centre for Cultural Material Conservation (CCMC) and Ian Potter Museum of Art also bolster the pre-eminent position of the School within the academic community of the Asia-Pacific region. Students benefit directly from these close links with industry and the arts community and are able to develop a wide range of transferable skills. Graduates of the art history program occupy key curatorial, museum and administrative positions in the arts throughout Australia and overseas. Students have the opportunity to further explore their academic interests and develop specialist knowledge in art history through an articulated structure of higher degree options at the University of Melbourne.

Art history is concerned with the visual and material aspects of culture and how painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, design, photography and museums, may be interpreted. Students of art history should develop critical and historical skills about the work of art as a physical object and the representation of subject matter. Art history subjects cover a broad spectrum from ancient classical art to the art of the postmodern. The School has particular research and teaching strengths in the study of Australian culture and Aboriginal art, the medieval, Renaissance and baroque periods and in Asian art, including a unique course on Japanese curatorship.

The Diploma in Arts (Art History) is only available to students who are currently enrolled in a degree course at the University of Melbourne. It consists of a three-year sequence of study, and adds one year to the duration of your degree.

Students must complete 25 points of first-year art history subjects and 75 points of second/third-year art history subjects. Alternatively, students who have completed appropriate background studies at first year may complete 100 points of second/third-year art history subjects.

There are no prerequisites for first-year subjects in art history.

The prerequisite for a second/third-year subject in art history is usually one first-year subject in art history (12.5 points). Students who believe they have completed a suitable alternative first-year subject are advised to consult with the Head of School for permission to enrol. Exemptions may also be granted where second/third-year subjects are taken as part of an approved interdisciplinary program with its own entry requirements.

First Year Subjects

Second/Third Year Subjects

However, the University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. The Faculty Disability Contact Officer works with students, the University Disability Liaison Unit and teaching staff to assist students with their special requirements, with a particular focus on accommodations for in-class and examination assessment tasks. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability.