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Oxford University

Ruskin School of Art

Oxford’s Ruskin School of Art provides an exceptional teaching and research environment that enables contemporary artists, art historians and art theorists to work closely together in a world-leading, research-intensive university.

Ruskin School of Art

The Ruskin School of Art. Credit: Oxford University Images

Overview

The Ruskin is an intimately-scaled art school (about 130 students) that is home to a closely integrated creative and intellectual culture between graduate and undergraduate courses, students and staff. Its dynamic, inter-disciplinary structure allows you to work closely with some of the UK's leading contemporary artists, writers and art historians, and to respond quickly and flexibly to developments within the contexts of Oxford University, the wider art world, and an increasingly uncertain international climate.

It also supports a wide-ranging portfolio of art making and research activities by its students, staff and visiting scholars in which fine art is prized as a vital component of contemporary culture with a broad range of practical, historical and theoretical references.

The Ruskin remains at the top of the league tables among art schools in the UK and was the UK’s top department for Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise.

The Ruskin enjoys vibrant relationships with Oxford’s Department of the History of Art, the School of Anatomy, the Department of Engineering Science, the Institute of Archaeology, the Ashmolean Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, and many other parts of the University. In addition, connection with Modern Art Oxford has enabled Ruskin students to stage exhibitions, performances and screenings in their galleries.

Courses offered

Humanities Division

Oxford is at the forefront of international research in the humanities, with five subject areas judged to have the highest volume of world-leading 4*-rated research in the UK in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

“As we delve into our particular subjects, we’re invited not to lose sight of the general awe of what it means to be human,” said Julia, an MPhil student in Linguistics and Comparative Philology. Oxford offers an unparalleled range of Humanities subjects, from music and fine art to ancient and modern languages.

The Humanities Division comprises around a third of the University's community of staff and students, offering taught graduate and research degrees in a very wide range of subjects. Humanities departments and faculties attract outstanding students, academics and researchers from across the globe. As a result, graduate students have the opportunity to undertake their studies and research in a stimulating, challenging and highly rewarding intellectual environment.

Some of these subjects are relatively new, and cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Others are areas of academic research that have long been recognised as of central importance, and they include some that few other universities are still able to support. In each case, the objective is to sustain and to teach the highest standards of scholarship. The dynamism of intellectual activity is evident in the wide variety of open lectures and seminars, in addition to those for specific courses.

You will have access to an immense range of research material, including digital resources. These resources are provided through Oxford’s impressive library system, based on the central Bodleian libraries, through the work produced by the University's research projects, and through the rich and diverse holdings of its museums.

In addition to materials and support focused on conveying subject-specific knowledge, there are a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills, developing new skills, and preparing them for careers after they have completed their studies.

Further information