History of Art, Architecture & Design

• Studying: 22%
• Employed in graduate job: 31%
• Employed in non-graduate job: 31%
• Unemployed: 8%

• Average graduate salary: £18,588
• Average non-graduate salary: £14,659

Studying history of art allows you to explore how societies evolve by examining the visual arts through a range of historical, social, geographical, cultural and psychological contexts. As you learn to interpret the meaning or significance implied by the subject and style of different art forms you will consider the impact that art has on our lives. As well as the more specific academic skills you acquire, you will also gain a number of highly transferable skills that are desirable to future employers. Consider the skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.

View the best universities for history of art, architecture & design degrees.

Prospects

In 2010, six months after graduation, around 5% of history of art graduates were in paid employment in the UK or overseas. Of these, around 10% had entered professional roles in areas related to their field of study such as the arts, culture or marketing, 8% were in managerial roles in the public and private sector, and 3% had chosen to pursue careers in finance and business. Around 9% of graduates who were in employment had taken clerical or secretarial roles.

Where are the jobs?

Arts administration is a popular choice. Many graduates work in museums and galleries. As well as curatorial work, there are opportunities in areas such as outreach, education, marketing, public relations (PR) and events management. Specialist booksellers, antique dealers and auctioneers are also key employers and another option is to follow an academic career in higher education.

Jobs directly related to your degree

The specific skills a degree in history of arts, architecture & design will give you, will mean you're suitably qualified to work in jobs such as:

• Museum/gallery conservator
• Commercial art gallery manager
• Heritage manager

Jobs where your degree would be useful

You could also apply your skills to positions such as:

• Arts administrator
• Museum education officer
• Higher education lecturer 

Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it's not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Included with the permission of AGCAS and Graduate Prospects. For the latest version of this publication, see www.prospects.ac.uk. For permission to reproduce, contact copyright@agcas.org.uk. We would welcome your comments on this section of The Complete University Guide. Please email us at admin@thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk.