Are you fascinated by art, architecture and landscapes? Are you curious about the meaning, history, and impact of art, architecture, and landscapes? Then Art History is your programme.
The Department of History of Art, Architecture and Landscape in Groningen is unique because it combines the ecologically informed study of the visual arts, urbanism, architectural history and the history of landscapes. It examines the relationships between artwork, city and landscape and relates them to their respective environments. Our Bachelor's programme offers a combination of historical, theoretical, and practice-based courses in which our international faculty collaborates with distinguished experts and leading institutions. You are introduced to the professional world from the beginning. Because art historians study objects, buildings and landscapes in context. You will therefore go on an excursion abroad to a large European metropolis like Berlin, London, or Florence. The Department also organizes many excursions in the Netherlands.
After your Bachelor's degree you can continue your studies in the Master's programme Arts and Culture. You can choose between the following tracks:
The first-year courses introduce you to important works in the history of art, architecture and landscape from Classical Antiquity to Rembrandt, from Michelangelo to Mondriaan, and Warhol to Ai Weiwei. From Gothic churches to Rietveld and Rem Koolhaas, from Italian gardens to the Dutch polder landscape.
You learn everything about the most important artistic periods and movements, you take courses in visual analysis, iconography, and materials and techniques. Fridays are usually reserved for excursions and you explore a European metropolis.
| Semesters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
| Beyond Antiquity: Architecture 400-1400 (5 EC) | ||||
| Beyond Antiquity: Visual Arts 400-1400 (5 EC) | ||||
| Seeing and Knowing: Visual Analysis & Iconography (5 EC) | ||||
| Paint to Pixel: Artist's Materials & Techniques Through the Ages (5 EC) | ||||
| Towards Modernity: Architecture 1400-1800 (5 EC) | ||||
| Towards Modernity: Visual Arts 1400-1800 (5 EC) | ||||
| Cultural History of European Gardens and Parks (5 EC) | ||||
| Reality Contested: Visual Arts 1800-1914 (5 EC) | ||||
| Style & Modernity: Architecture & Urbanism 1800-1914 (5 EC) | ||||
| Blurring Boundaries: Architecture & Urbanism 1914-now (5 EC) | ||||
| Blurring Boundaries in Arts 1914-now (5 EC) | ||||
| European Cultural Metropole Excursion (5 EC) | ||||
The second year has a two-fold approach: on the one hand it deepens the knowledge you obtained during the first year by focusing on distinct subject matters, such as contemporary art, the design of landscapes, architectural theory, or Italian Renaissance art.
| Semesters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
| Architecture, City & Freedom (5 EC) | ||||
| Cultural Heritage in Landscape & Architecture (5 EC) | ||||
| Renaissance Art: Individual/Institution (5 EC) | ||||
| Art & Institutions (5 EC) | ||||
| Art Now (5 EC) | ||||
| Designed Landscapes 1800-present (5 EC) | ||||
| Art & Architecture's Global Potentials (5 EC) | ||||
| Art & Architecture of the Netherlands (5 EC) | ||||
| European Country House Landscapes (5 EC) | ||||
| Architecture, Nature & Enlightenment (5 EC) | ||||
| Art & Environment (5 EC) | ||||
| Perspectives in Art Theory (5 EC) | ||||
The first semester of the third year is reserved for your Minor. We recommend that you choose a Minor at one of our partner universities abroad. But you can also opt for a Career Minor that includes a placement or a Faculty Minor.
After you have finished your Minor, you go on a field trip to a major art or architectural metropolis, like Berlin, London, Vienna, or Brussels. You finish your programme with a thesis on a topic of your own choosing. You acquire the skills necessary for the job market in all of your classes.
| Semesters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
| Minor (30 EC) | ||||
| Practice Lab: Architecture/Art/Landscape (5 EC) | ||||
| Research Skills: Art/Architecture/Landscape (5 EC) | ||||
| BA Thesis (10 EC) | ||||
| Excursion abroad: Art & Architecture/Landscape (10 EC, optional) | ||||
| Excursion Landscape (10 EC, optional) | ||||
Please note that above is the programme for the current academic year (2025-2026). From 2026-2027, the courses of this programme will change. More will be announced in autumn 2025.
| Programme options |
|---|
| Modern and Contemporary Art (specialization) |
| Early Modern Art (specialization) |
| Architecture and Urbanism (specialization) |
| Landscape History (specialization) |
| Minors (minor) The fifth semester (year 3 semester 1) of your studies is dedicated to your Minor: a coherent set of future-oriented course units. It prepares you for a follow-on Master's degree program or for entering the labour market. You can opt for a Career Minor, a Minor abroad, a University Minor or a Faculty Minor. |
| University of Groningen Honours College (honours program) The Honours College will give talented, motivated students the chance to be challenged even more by following Honours programmes and taking part in numerous other activities. The Honours College comprises a broadening part and a deepening part and has a study load of 30 ECTS credit points besides the 180 ECTS credit points from your regular Bachelor programme |
Art history is an international discipline. Our department offers the opportunity to intern or take classes abroad for bachelor students. For instance at one of our partnership universities in Ghent, Louvain, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Münster, Rome, and Bern.
If you have passed the VWO (pre-university education) exam in English, you satisfy the language requirement.
If you have passed the VWO (pre-university education) exam in English, you satisfy the language requirement.
If you have passed the VWO (pre-university education) exam in English, you satisfy the language requirement.
If you have passed the VWO (pre-university education) exam in English, you satisfy the language requirement.
Language requirement English: 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 with a minimum score of 180. For more information, see: https://www.rug.nl/let/studeren-bij-ons/bachelor/aanmelding-en-inschrijving/language-requirements-ba
The degree programme will organize a matching procedure. Attendance is optional. The advice is not binding.
The Faculty of Arts believes students can decide for themselves whether they match with their chosen programme based on the available bachelor programme information, by visiting the Open Days, and by participating in a Webclass and/ or Student for a Day. If you are unable to attend one of these activities, a final opportunity for matching is to contact one of the students of the programme in June.
If you have any further questions about matching, check out: www.rug.nl/matching
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
The Faculty of Arts believes students can decide for themselves whether they match with their chosen programme based on the available Bachelor's programme information, by visiting the Open Days, and by participating in a Webclass and/ or Student for a Day. If you are unable to attend one of these activities, a final opportunity for matching is to contact one of the students of the programme in June.
If you have any further questions about matching, check out: www.rug.nl/matching
| Specific requirements | More information |
|---|---|
| previous education |
A Dutch VWO diploma, a German Abitur, an International Baccalaureate diploma, a European Baccalaureate or another diploma that is sufficient for acceptance to a Dutch university. For other VWO-equivalent qualifications, see: https://www.rug.nl/vwo-equivalent-qualifications. Students with a Dutch 'hbo-propedeuse' diploma also need to meet the language requirements mentioned below. |
| other admission requirements |
Language requirement English: 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 with a minimum score of 180. |
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2026 | 01 September 2026 |
If you want to continue with a Master's degree programme after your graduation, as most students do, you will have a wide range of programmes to choose from. With a Bachelor's degree in Art History, you have access to the following Master's tracks at the University of Groningen:
Art, Architecture and Landscapes are of great importance to society. The reference of our program to environmental and ecological aspects relates this importance to current challenges. Consequently, there are many career opportunities, depending on your specialization, master degree and personal interests. Our Department's graduates pursue a wide variety of jobs and professions.
As a graduate of our Department you are either specialized as an art historian, an architectural historian, or a historian of landscape. The term 'specialization' is relative: you have completed a versatile programme and you have acquired in-depth knowledge of works of art and architecture and their makers and designers, their patrons and historical context, and their function and audience. Art History graduates work in museums, they curate collections and exhibitions, and they design educational programmes. They work in television and radio, for newspapers and magazines, as art critics, and in the publishing industry. Historians of art and architecture also work for (local) government agencies, for example for cultural heritage management. The last couple of years there has been a lot of attention for cultural historical heritage and its societal meaning (cultural tourism). This field needs people who are skilled in presenting and producing information about art, monuments, historical landscapes-or a combination of these topics-in an appealing manner.
The term 'scholarly' or 'scientific' education points to the fact that research and teaching are connected. All faculty staff members are engaged in scholarly research in their respective areas. The classes you take are therefore partly based on current research within the Faculty of Arts.
Take a closer look at the current research in our department here.
Read more about Zofia and why she chose to study Art History in Groningen!
Questions? Send Zofia an e-mail!Are you at secondary school and want to know what studying at university is like? The Art History programme is offering a web class! This online course from the University of Groningen is specially designed for secondary school students.
Are you interested? Please register here.
