MA History of Art: The Courtauld, UCL, Edinburgh or St Andrews?

I believe the Courtauld is usually considered the pre-eminent masters in the field for continuing to roles in the sector (although I read somewhere the RCA Curating Contemporary Art course is also becoming increasingly common amongst curators of major museums/galleries etc). London is obviously very different to St Andrews and even Edinburgh and so represents a very different (and expensive) living experience. People tend to either really like London as a place to live or they really don't, I believe.

Hi, thanks for your response! Yes I've heard from many people that The Courtauld is highly regarded in the field of art history. However I was wondering if it would it still be valuable if I don't end up working in the sector or go into academia? Also I do like the small town and quiet atmosphere of St Andrews, although London has some of the best collections and museums and galleries - so I was quite conflicted

Hi, thanks for your response! Yes I've heard from many people that The Courtauld is highly regarded in the field of art history. However I was wondering if it would it still be valuable if I don't end up working in the sector or go into academia? Also I do like the small town and quiet atmosphere of St Andrews, although London has some of the best collections and museums and galleries - so I was quite conflicted

From the location perspective, London beats Edinburgh and St Andrews hands down as a place to learn about art. But of course it is also very important to do the best course for your own specialisation.

Probably not as well known outside that area. If you're just doing the masters for intellectual reasons and to then go into another area, that's probably a nonfactor then so it would be down to whether the options appeal to you.

From the location perspective, London beats Edinburgh and St Andrews hands down as a place to learn about art. But of course it is also very important to do the best course for your own specialisation.

Could you also give me some advice? I'm holding MA/MSt offers for History of Art from Oxford (supervised by Professor Erin Pauwels), The Courtauld (supervised by Dr. Stephen Whiteman), UCL, and NYU Institute of Fine Arts.

Congratulations on the offers! May I ask if you are leaning towards any of them?

I thought so too! London provides more opportunities for object-based and archival research, but the course at St Andrews seems more suitable for my academic interest. So I'm a bit torn between the two

I think I function better in small group settings, so at the moment I'm on the fence for Oxford and The Courtauld. I am acquainted with both of the subject areas in the their two respective specialisms, but only superficially (my undergrad was in law and politics), so in any event it will be a great deal to learn for me! In the long term I would like to pursue a doctorate, preferably in the US.

If you have any questions about art history at St Andrews – the experience, facilities, any of the lecturers – please feel free to ask, @angelz19 ! I'm a current student there, and I can't recommend it enough!

Ooh thank you! What is your area of research interest? Mine is in 18th-19th century British and French art, and I know St Andrews has a large number of academic staff specialising in those areas (as confirmed by my BA art history professors - one of them actually went to St Andrews recently as a senior fellow and said the department is great and energetic). Do you know any of them well by any chance (Dr Lenia Kouneni, Dr Stephanie O’Rourke, or Dr Billy Rough)?
Do the MA students have a close relationship with the department? And for the dissertation, do you get to choose your supervisor?
Another enticing thing about the St Andrews art history program is the Louvre summer program. Do you know much about it? Is it hard to get into?
How do you find living in St Andrews? Do you get many opportunities to visit museums and galleries?
Sorry that I've got so many questions, and thank you for your time in advance!

Could you also give me some advice? I'm holding MA/MSt offers for History of Art from Oxford (supervised by Professor Erin Pauwels), The Courtauld (supervised by Dr. Stephen Whiteman), UCL, and NYU Institute of Fine Arts.

I work primarily on histories of photography as well as intersections between art and literature in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Disclaimer that I am a final year undergrad, but everyone really knows everyone in the department, and for your questions about the MA, I can speak to the experiences of my friends!
Yes, I know everyone you mentioned very well! Dr Rough is great, he specialises in 19th-century British art and the culture of the music hall; Dr O'Rourke works extensively on intersecting histories of art and science in the 18th and 19th centuries; Dr Kouneni works more on classical and Renaissance art, but she does look at classical reception into later centuries, especially through topics like the Grand Tour. If you're at all interested in 19th-century French impressionism/post-impressionism or women artists, Professor Linda Goddard is wonderful as well. To my knowledge, you're assigned a supervisor for your dissertation, but you can specify a preference - either way, the school does well in matching you with someone whose research interests overlap with yours.
The entirety of the art history community at St Andrews is very tight-knit, but I think the grad students are even more so. There are dedicated grad seminar series in addition to the research seminar series each semester, and often visiting Global Fellows will meet with the grad students – all of these provide great connections in academia. You'll have access to a number of great facilities like the university Special Collections, the postgrad college building, the beautiful dedicated postgrad library Martyrs Kirk (with heated desks - I envy y'all so much!), and often certain modules will go on field trips to museums and galleries in Scotland (or even further afield) or attend conferences in town or elsewhere.
The Louvre summer programme is definitely competitive, as students from all three MLitts in Art History can apply for it, but it's really a one-of-a-kind opportunity, as the École du Louvre normally doesn't offer teaching in English. It isn't running this year because of the Paris Olympics (you do need to sort out your accommodation), but it should be running again this coming year.
I will be honest and say that St Andrews is not the most well-connected place to live in, compared to Edinburgh or London. Housing is not the best, with some students living in other villages around St Andrews, or even Dundee for the sake of affordability. We don't have a train station in town, so you'd need to take a taxi or a bus to the nearest one in Leuchars. It takes a couple of hours to get into town from Edinburgh to Glasgow. But the galleries there are great, and the bus is decently affordable (free for under 22s and there are student ticket deals).
I hope I've answered your questions! St Andrews is a gorgeous place to live in, and the art history department is absolutely wonderful, not to mention ranked as one of the best in the UK. So if the idea of studying in a research-focused department with intelligent and supportive academics, surrounded by the north sea and medieval ruins sounds appealing to you, I'd unequivocally recommend St Andrews!

Thank you so much for such thoughtful and detailed response, that was super helpful! The program and department sound amazing and perfectly suited to my academic interests, and the town looks beautiful too It's making me more conflicted between St Andrews and London, with the latter being more well-connected and having more galleries and museums. Would you say that St Andrews is better for a PhD in art history? Or if you plan to go into academia?