Digital Art History – online January and September 2025

Unlock the power of digital tools in art historical research and elevate your career with sought-after skills embraced by leading museums and galleries worldwide.

Masters scholarships

Successful entrants starting online studies at Masters level in January 2025 can apply for scholarships of up to £6000 towards the course fees.

Start date
January 2025
End date
Flexible
Duration
PG Certificate (up to one year), PG Diploma (one to two years), MLitt (one to three years)
School
School of Art History

Register your interest Explore the course

January 2025 entry

Application deadline: Friday 3 January 2025

Apply for PGCert Apply for PGDip Apply for MLitt

September 2025 entry

Application deadline: Monday 1 September 2025

Apply for PGCert Apply for PGDip Apply for MLitt

Entry requirements

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application requirements

  • CV that includes your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date
  • personal statement (500 words)
  • sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
  • two original signed academic references
  • academic transcripts and degree certificates

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.

English language proficiency

If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.

Course details

Discover the future of art history with our interdisciplinary online Masters programme, where art history meets cutting-edge computer science.  

This unique programme equips you with in-demand digital and analytical skills at the intersection of art history and computer science, preparing you for careers in museums, cultural heritage, academia, and beyond. 

Highlights

  • First degree programme in Digital Art History in the UK.
  • Delivered jointly by the School of Art History and the School of Computer Science.
  • Flexible and fully online.

Whether you're passionate about preserving cultural heritage, analysing digital art, or reimagining how we experience history, this Masters programme prepares you to lead in a world where technology and art converge.

Our programme brings together the expertise of the UK’s top-ranked School of Computer Science and our world-renowned School of Art History where you will learn advanced computational techniques with traditional art history methods, empowering you to push the boundaries of how we analyse, interpret, and visualise art historical data.  

Working with live data and live collections from university collections, ArtUK, and the McManus Gallery, you will explore key contemporary topics.  

You will learn: 

  • The possibilities, limitations, and risks of digital technologies and their impact on the arts and industry. 
  • How digital tools are changing the way people engage with and understand collections and artefacts. 
  • Issues of ethics, inclusivity, accessibility – is digital art history truly more equitable and accessible? 
  • Digital access, creative working and decision-making about collections covering themes such as the role of AI and using technology to decolonise collections. 

You will develop and explore your own research questions to test your new computational skills in action, using the techniques needed to succeed in an increasingly digital world, including: 

  • Data and text mining.
  • The principles of visualisation design and interaction. 
  • Practical visualisation techniques and tools. 
  • Digital mapping techniques.
  • Machine learning.  

Dive into the future of art history with innovative tools and insights that redefine how we understand the past.

Modules

The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.

Students studying for a PGCert take three modules in Art History and one module in Computer Science from those listed below. Those studying for a PGDip take five modules in Art History and three modules in Computer Science from the following.

  • Introduction to Digital Art History and the Humanities: introduces the key issues, themes, and ideas relating to Digital Art History.
  • Programming in Python: introduces and revises modelling, design and implementation in Python.
  • Digital Art – From Computer-generated Projects to Artificial Intelligence: analyses the ways in which artists, archivists, curators, and other museum professionals have implemented digital tools, materials and methodologies.
  • Digital Tools – Visualisation, Interpretation and Analysis: introduces the key techniques and digital platforms available to art historians and the ways in which they can facilitate (or limit) our analysis, interpretation, and visualisation of art historical data.
  • Project Work – Theory: will challenge students to critically analyse the methodological choices made by digital art historians. A series of major research projects will serve as case studies, allowing students to explore how the theories and approaches central to the disciplines of Digital Humanities and Art History work in practice.
  • Project Work – Data Analysis: requires students to design and develop their own research project based on a given data set drawn from real collections.
  • Data and information visualisation: focuses on the question of how to utilise visual representations to make information accessible for exploration and analysis.
  • Machine learning algorithms: covers the essential theory and algorithms, including mathematical foundations, and methodological approaches, using a variety of regression, classification and unsupervised approaches.
  • Complex systems modelling and simulation: introduces a range of techniques and their applications to different classes of problems, with a practical focus on modern network-based models and simulation.
  • Discrete optimisation: covers the theory, tools and technologies developed and used to solve problems in Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization.
  • Data-driven systems: is an advanced research-focused module that presents the foundations of distributed systems and techniques that process data.
  • Numeric optimisation: takes linear algebra and optimization as the primary topics of interest and solutions to machine learning problems as the applications of the resulting tools, techniques and algorithms.
  • Research methods in data science: introduces the skills necessary for the planning, data gathering, data analysis and dissemination stages of data science research.
  • Knowledge discovery and datamining: covers many of the methods found under the banner of ‘datamining’, building from a theoretical perspective but ultimately teaching practical application.

Those studying for an MLitt take five modules in Art History, three modules in Computer Science and complete a dissertation or final project in an agreed subject.

Dissertation or final project

Following the successful completion of the coursework, MLitt students undertake a dissertation module of 60 credits (15,000 words). The dissertation should demonstrate an element of independent thinking or originality of thought in the establishment of the argument and be based upon clearly founded research, analysis and interpretation. It should demonstrate the organisational and presentation qualities required for academic work.

Students can expect to meet with their supervisors at least three times during the research and writing of their dissertations and to make appropriate arrangements for the submission of drafts and timely feedback.

Teaching

Teaching methods include lectures, tutorials and practical work. A self-led approach is taken, with students accessing modules and components at a pace and on a timetable that suits their work and study environment.

Most modules are assessed through coursework exercises, presentations and tests.

Fees

  • MLitt (three years) £18,000 (charged £6000 per year of study)
  • PGDip (two years) £12,000 (charged £6000 per year of study)
  • PGCert (one year) £6,000

Fees will be charged evenly across each academic year, based on the maximum length of study confirmed for your specific programme. For example, an MLitt student will be charged £6000 per year for a three-year period.

Students completing in a shorter length of time will have fees adjusted at relevant points in their programme so that the full fee has been charged prior to completion.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.

15% Recent Graduate Discount

If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.

Taught postgraduate scholarships    Postgraduate loans

After your degree

Careers

This course is designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed to make a success of your career, whether you are looking to grow in an existing role or are new to the sector.  

Our Art History graduates work in a variety of roles, including universities, museums, galleries, auction houses, media, and art dealerships, in roles including research, curation, collections, archives, exhibitions, and learning and engagement.  

Salaries in heritage tend to be higher with a postgraduate qualification (prospects.ac.uk), and recent government research finds that taught postgraduates have a lifetime salary premium of £61,000 compared with graduates with an undergraduate degree.  

We are committed to supporting your career aspirations, whatever stage of your career you are at. Our Careers Centre can help connect you to our extensive global alumni community for advice and mentoring, as well as offering career coaching, bespoke workshops, employer connections, experiences, and application support.  

Our International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute can also support you with academic and professional skills development. The University’s Entrepreneurship Centre offers start-up support for those looking to freelance as well as create their own business. 

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.


Further study

Many graduates of the School of Arts and Humanities continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews.

Postgraduate research

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 2150
Email
admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
School of Art History
79 North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

School of Art History website