PhD history of art : Courtauld or Cambridge?

Hi! My main advice is that it is probably a bit too early for you to really weight these up – factors will change and emerge during the application process, particularly regarding the supervisors in more unquantifiable terms than how esteemed etc they are (things like how supportive they are of you/your project, how well you get on with them, how much time you think they'd have for you as a student etc). But, as someone deciding currently between 2 funded PhD offers, who didn't think about the choices before as I didn't think I'd get one let alone 2, it is probably good to start weighing things up.

However, I thought I might be able to offer some general advice – I did a HoA undergrad at Cambridge, the worked at the Courtauld as a library assistant for two years straight after. Obviously, it goes without saying that these are two of the best places to study HoA in the UK, so uni/department reputation shouldn't really come into it (and tbh shouldn't in general in terms of PhD choices).

In general vibe, you're probably looking at two very different experiences – the HoA dept at Camb is pretty tiny, but its in a bigger student community through the wider university, though Cambridge as a city is small obv. At the Courtauld, it's much bigger than the HoA dept at Cambridge, but then that's obviously it as the uni is just HoA - but you're in London, so lots of other unis etc if you want to feel like you're branching out a bit (KCL is particularly close). I knew a lot of PhD students at the Courtauld when I worked there (some worked in the library, and more through union stuff), and it seemed like a really great and supportive community. Personally, I found the HoA dept at Camb pretty claustrophobic as a student, both socially and academically (especially as an undergrad it can feel quite restrictive in terms of topics covered), but can't really compare with the student experience at the Courtauld - though I did get a bit of a more expansive vibe based on chats with some people there. In terms of funding, there's obviously a lot of ££ sloshing around at Camb, but the Courtauld seems to do really well out of CHASE, AHRC Collaborative awards, and also met a lot of phd students funded by pots outside of Research councils so there seemed to be a good set of options.

What I will say is Alyce Mahon (who I assume is the surrealism specialist at Cambridge you mention) was one of the best teachers I ever had at uni, and if you can get her to supervise you I'm sure it would be amazing. If you're talking abut Gavin Parkinson at Courtauld, I've also heard really great things about him, and knew one of his supervises p well who seemed to rate him. By virtue of having more staff at the Courtauld, they did also seem to deliver much more niche teaching than at Camb - while that doesn't really have as much bearing on a research degree, it could be worth looking beyond the 'big names' there to see if there are ones who align more closely with your topic beyond period.
Or thinking about co-supervisory teams (at both) – e.g. having one supervisor that shares a similar period to you, but another that aligns with a different element of your project (e.g. if you were looking at late surrealism in LatAm, Klara Kemp Welch would be a great co-supervisor, etc). It's also worth thinking about other potential supervisors in case your top pics are a) not interested in your topic, b) isn't accepting new phd students, etc.

This is really interesting. If you were to do your time again, would you choose Cambridge over the Courtauld for undergrad?

Not a PhD applicant here, but in a dilemma on how to pick between MA offers. Basically, I'm holding 4 offers for MA/MSt History of Art from Oxford, The Courtauld, UCL, and NYU Institute of Fine Arts. My supervisor from Oxford will be Professor Erin Pauwels (Modern American Art), while the Special Option lead at The Courtauld is Dr. Stephen Whiteman (Early Modern Chinese Art, Ming/ Qing etc.). No particular information from UCL or NYU so far. I prefer small classes/ close relationships between teachers and students, so I am leaning towards Oxford and The Courtauld. My majored in law and politics in my undergrad and minored in art history. In terms of experience, I am acquainted with both the scopes at Oxford and The Courtauld, but only superficially. I speak English, Chinese, and some French. I would like to pursue doctoral studies in the US. What advice would you give me if on how to choose between these institutions?

I'm also deciding between offers from Oxford and the Courtauld! It's a tough choice, isn't it? A degree from the Courtauld has a lot of weight in the art history world, but Oxford is much more known outside of it. Technically receiving an offer from Oxford (twenty students in the MSt) is more competitive than the Courtauld (200 students total in the MA). Oxford's MSt has an exam component, but the Courtauld's MA doesn't. Both programmes do not have prerequisites of previous study in art history, but have similar structures with core modules and special options (although more limited in choice at Oxford), plus similar evaluations. Oxford's programme offers sessions on professional practice and art handling with the Ashmolean, while the Courtauld's Special Options often offer field trips in London, the UK, and sometimes even abroad. The Courtauld is an art history-only community in a massive city, and Oxford's is a twenty-student programme in a tight-knit university town. Cost of living is significant in both places, but London in particular is really expensive... Let me know what you've been thinking, because I'm in the same boat, but slightly leaning towards Oxford!

Oooooo congrats and I hope we get to know each other in person (even if we don't end up as classmates)!! May I ask why you think Oxford is the better fit for you? Personally, I haven't made a decision yet — I would like to get more advice from my professors and dig around for information regarding my potential supervisors. I guess it all comes down to personal suitability and research interests — both of them are esteemed institutions and will be challenging in their own way!