- Public Programming Coordinator, Kelowna Art Gallery
- Archival Assistant, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies website to learn more about Art History and Visual Culture.
View full program detailsProgram information
Explore a variety of global perspectives for studying art and visual culture, with courses on the arts of South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. You’ll develop critical thinking and writing skills while analyzing diverse forms of art and visual culture – including “high” art, pop culture, architecture, everyday objects, and performance – in their cultural and historical contexts.
Program overview
- Campus
- Okanagan
- Program length
- 4 years
- Honours This option has additional requirements compared to those required in a Major specialization. Students must maintain high academic standing and may have to write a graduating thesis.
- No
- Co-op Co-op is an optional program where students alternate between academic terms and paid work terms. It’s an opportunity to gain relevant job experience while completing your degree.
- Yes
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
What you'll learn
Art History involves the study and analysis of complex visual artifacts – including conventional fine arts and popular visual cultures, such as film and media – against a background of histories, ideologies, theories, and values.
As an Art History and Visual Culture student, you’ll have access to courses in the visual art traditions of many cultures, with particular focus on theoretical and critical discourses concerning the social impact of art and visual representation. Interested in pursuing a combined major? Cultural Studies and English are both options.
Experiential learning and research
In your third year of study, choose to study special topics and work with interpretive centres on team-based and project-based learning. Or pursue an area of interest with a directed studies course, in which you’ll complete directed readings and written assignments under the supervision of a faculty member.
Program advantages
Explore human creativity, imagination, and beauty and gain a variety of global perspectives for exploring art and visual culture. You’ll have the opportunity to work with world-class faculty researchers on innovative projects, including 3D modelling, app design, and local heritage institutions.
Courses
There are hundreds of courses you can take within Art History and Visual Culture. Here are a few you might like.
A survey of changing attitudes towards class, ethnicity, gender, and ideology as reflected in folk, blues, jazz, rock and hip-hop music and their accompanying visual cultures from the early 20th century to the early 21st century
Critical perspectives on representations of visual art and artists in popular film, mass media, and documentary film.
Artistic practice in Canada from 1970 to the present. Video, film, and photography will be considered along with visual artists’ continuing engagement with painting and sculpture. Emphasis on art’s relationship to the changing political, economic, and social arenas during this time
The development of Surrealism from its roots in 20th-century French thought to its global proliferation in film, literature, visual culture and contemporary theories
Outcomes
In the Art History and Visual Culture program, you’ll learn how to analyze and interpret form, technique, iconography, and the historical function of art. As a graduate of this program, you’ll be well positioned to thrive in a variety of environments, including museums, galleries, historical societies, and provincial and federal arts organizations.
Program graduates
Take action & plan
Program requirements
Choose application type:
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Arts
- No specific courses required beyond those needed for general admission
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Second Languages
- Social Studies
- Visual and Performing Arts
Want to get a feel for campus?
If you’re unable to visit UBC in person, or you just want to get a sneak peek at your new home campus before you arrive, take one of our virtual tours. Current UBC students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Related programs
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies website to learn more about Art History and Visual Culture.
View full program detailsGet a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies website to learn more about Art History and Visual Culture.
View full program details