Degree program Art History and Visual Culture Studies (Master)

Planned changes

Starting in the 2026/27 winter semester, the program is be called "Art History and Visual Culture Studies"

Admission requirements

(1) Admission to the program requires a first professional university degree recognized in Germany or a degree from a state-run or state-recognized vocational academy in art history or a related field of study.

(2) In addition, English language skills at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR) are required. Proof of language proficiency must be provided by submitting a relevant certificate or language certificate. This may include, in particular, the university entrance qualification certificate or a language certificate such as IELTS (minimum 5.5) or TOEFL iBT (minimum 72).

German language requirements

International applicants and German applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification are kindly advised to read the requirements for German-language courses.

Notes on the application process

If, at the time of application, proof of the first degree qualifying the applicant for a profession is not yet available, the application will be considered under the precondition that 80% of the credit points attainable for the degree have already been achieved based on completed module examinations or the final thesis and the colloquium (if applicable). A certification from the awarding institute of higher education (examination office) serves as proof of the above-mentioned academic achievements. You can find the appropriate form on the Admissions Office website.

General information about the degree program

The consecutive Master’s degree program in Art History and Visual Cultures deepens and expands the knowledge of art history acquired during the Bachelor’s degree program. Its focus is on the academic analysis, historical contextualization, and critical interpretation of images, objects, architecture as well as visual media. The degree program combines classical art-historical perspectives with contemporary approaches in Visual Culture Studies, thereby offering a broader view of visual phenomena from the pre-modern era right up to the present.

Students engage with art-historical theories, methods, and research traditions while simultaneously developing skills in working with diverse visual media and cultural contexts. By combining research-oriented teaching, object studies and field trips, the degree program offers a practice-oriented education in art history.

Study contents

The Master’s degree program comprises four semesters and provides advanced subject-specific and methodological competencies in art history within the context of visual cultures. The degree program is divided into a required component, a subject-specific elective component, and a component of supplementary qualifications.
In the compulsory section, fundamental perspectives of art historical research are deepened. The modules cover central themes such as theory, methodology, and historiography; art, politics, and society; art history in a global context; and image and object studies. A research trip enables intensive engagement with original works on site and deepens methodological and historical knowledge.

In the elective section, students can set their own academic priorities, for example in the areas of technical and digital visual cultures, museums, exhibitions, and archives, or architecture and the built environment. In addition, interdisciplinary modules and practice-oriented opportunities, such as professional internships, are available.
The degree program concludes with the Master’s thesis and a colloquium, in which students work on an independent academic research question.

View the module descriptions

Structure

Core courses (90 ECTS credit points)
Focus courses (30 ECTS credit points)

For the focus courses, students can choose between

— Studying abroad
— An internship
— Interdisciplinary studies

or combine the internship with interdisciplinary studies.

Further information on the elective compulsory field of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science

Stay abroad

Would you like to spend a semester abroad? Whether it is a semester, an internship or a language course abroad, you will definitely benefit from the international experience. You can improve your subject and language skills, establish new contacts, make friends, get to know other cultures, and much more. You can find more information on the International Office’s website.

Double degrees

Further information can be found on the website for the Dual Master’s Program.

Occupational fields

Graduates of this degree program receive the general qualification needed for all classic and modern areas of work in art history – at universities and museums as well as in preservation of historical monuments, gallery and exhibition work, image archives, art dealing, journalism (press and publishing, radio broadcasting, television, online services), art consulting, culture management, tourism, adult education, project management, marketing, etc.

The subsequent doctorate is often required as a prerequisite to the “classic” occupational fields which are more research-oriented (universities, museums, preservation). This can be completed in Art History at TU Dresden.

Study documents

The official announcements of TU Dresden include all published regulations . Please use the search bar to find the document you need: Official proclamation

The regulations are also available on each institution’s website.

Contacts

Admissions Office

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science

International Office

Additional information