UCL vs Courtauld for History of Art

I am currently in UCL studying French and History of Art and I don’t really like it plus I want to drop the French. I also received a place from Courtauld and now I wonder if I should’ve gone there… any help?

Reply 1

AngelikaK

I've replied on the other thread but will repeat here - yes, you should have chosen the Courtauld! Why didn't you? It wipes the floor with UCL for History of Art with a much larger cohort, incredible academics and a dynamic institution that has undergone and is still undergoing much investment and expansion. If you want to go to the Courtauld you need to reapply through UCAS for next year but you should probably get in touch with Alex Hawkins from Admissions to discuss your case.

Reply 2

comtesse33

Original post by AngelikaK

Thanks for your reply! I went to UCL because I thought it was higher in the league tables but now being here I find the course quite useless and too focused on identity politics. Emailed Courtauld admissions to give me some advice on the transfer and see what happens.
May I ask what did you study and where?

Reply 3

AngelikaK

League tables are very misleading... though I would be curious to know in which league tables UCL History of Art is better than Courtauld History of Art! The Courtauld is a FAR bigger and FAR more prestigious home for History of Art than UCL and has been forever.
I don't want to out myself. I do, however, know a lot about Art and History of Art education.

Reply 4

comtesse33

Original post by AngelikaK

I can see you do know alot about this subject, wish I saw your post before making my choices.Thank you for the help!

Also, here are the ranking sources. They’re the first thing that pop up when I google art history league tables.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/history-of-art-architecture-and-design

https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2022/sep/24/best-uk-universities-for-history-of-art-league-table

https://edurank.org/art-design/art-history/england/

Might I add that today was particularly awful. The seminar teacher admitted to not knowing anything about the most important periods of art history such as the Renaissance because “they don’t matter”. I was shocked! Also, not to mention that both the lecture hall and the seminar room were overcrowded and freezing cold. And this is supposed to be a world class university? I feel scammed.

Reply 5

AngelikaK

Original post by comtesse33

I can see you do know alot about this subject, wish I saw your post before making my choices.Thank you for the help!
Also, here are the ranking sources. They’re the first thing that pop up when I google art history league tables.
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/history-of-art-architecture-and-design
https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2022/sep/24/best-uk-universities-for-history-of-art-league-table
https://edurank.org/art-design/art-history/england/
Might I add that today was particularly awful. The seminar teacher admitted to not knowing anything about the most important periods of art history such as the Renaissance because “they don’t matter”. I was shocked! Also, not to mention that both the lecture hall and the seminar room were overcrowded and freezing cold. And this is supposed to be a world class university? I feel scammed.

Yes, I think you are being scammed. Please try to move to the Courtauld - you will love it.

https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/art-history

Are you a Home or an Overseas student?

UCL has been getting rid of staff in its History department and one can hypothesise that History of Art, which is a fragile subject, is at great risk of staff redundancies and possibly even closure. It is winding down its art museum:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/oct/27/university-college-london-art-museum-redevelopment-ucl-staff-concern

UCL History of Art is going absolutely nowhere, fast.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 6

comtesse33

Original post by AngelikaK

Yes, I think you are being scammed. Please try to move to the Courtauld - you will love it.
https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/art-history
Are you a Home or an Overseas student?
UCL has been getting rid of staff in its History department and one can hypothesise that History of Art, which is a fragile subject, is at great risk of staff redundancies and possibly even closure. It is winding down its art museum:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/oct/27/university-college-london-art-museum-redevelopment-ucl-staff-concern
UCL History of Art is going absolutely nowhere, fast.

This is beyond outrageous, right when I thought it couldn’t get any worse after raising the tuition fees to £9,535 per year (I am a Home student).

UCL’s Art Museum is one of the poorest I’ve ever seen so they probably want to get rid of it due to embarrassment 😅 Even Royal Holloway has a proper art gallery.

Will try my best to move to Courtauld, if that is not possible I’ll definitely go there for my MA.

Once again, thanks for the info! Much appreciated.

Reply 7

AngelikaK

Original post by comtesse33

This is beyond outrageous, right when I thought it couldn’t get any worse after raising the tuition fees to £9,535 per year (I am a Home student).
UCL’s Art Museum is one of the poorest I’ve ever seen so they probably want to get rid of it due to embarrassment 😅 Even Royal Holloway has a proper art gallery.
Will try my best to move to Courtauld, if that is not possible I’ll definitely go there for my MA.
Once again, thanks for the info! Much appreciated.

Good luck - I hope the Courtauld is helpful. The Courtauld's renovations at Somerset House include a 300-seat auditorium which suggests rather strongly that the Courtauld is intending to increase the size of its cohorts. Given that both the Courtauld and UCL are part of the University of London it would make sense for only one of the two to invest heavily in History of Art and the Courtauld is self-evidently the better candidate.