Art and Visual Culture (specialisation)

Entry requirements

A completed Bachelor's degree in Art History, Cultural Studies or Greek and Latin languages and cultures or related area

Your average grade during the second and third years of your BA studies has to have been at least a 7.5 and your Bachelor’s thesis had to have received a grade of at least 8.0.

Programme overview A proficiency in English

In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English.This requirement has been satisfied when the student meets the conditions, listed on our website.

A letter of motivation

You have to be able to demonstrate your motivation for and affinity with international academic research. A selection committee will review evaluate the motivation of each applicant separately.

A proficiency in English A letter of recommendation

We also ask that your BA thesis supervisor (or other relevant teacher) sends us a letter of recommendation by mail.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Programme overview

Art is an expression of the human spirit. The study of art deals with cultural, social, religious, political and aesthetic meaning in the time it was created, the present and the eras in between.

The Research Master’s in Art and Visual Culture studies the relationship between art, the past and the present from various angles, including the interpretation of the cultural contexts of visual expressions and their transformations throughout the ages up to now. This programme is geared towards classical archaeologists, art historians and cultural scholars alike.

Europe and ‘its worlds’

The programme welcomes students with interest in all forms of art and visual culture. Our own research primarily focuses on Europe and ‘its worlds’, including how European artefacts interact with and differ from the rest of the world. Our research studies artefacts in the broadest sense, ranging from the more traditional forms as sculptures, paintings and architecture to modern ones as film, digital art, the performing arts and even fashion. All our research is performed in collaboration with scientists from other fields within the Institute for Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies (HLCS).

What will you learn?

• Gain general knowledge of leading perspectives, theories, concepts, and paradigm shifts in the humanities as well as advanced knowledge specifically to your own field.
• Expand your knowledge on your own topic in the field of Art-Historical, Cultural Studies and Archaeology.
• Get valuable experience designing, conducting and presenting your own research.
• Improve your English academic writing skills.

Career Prospects

This programme is intended to prepare students for an academic career. However, students can also find a wide variety of opportunities:

• Researcher at a cultural or scientific organisation or research centre
• Assistant of a senior researcher
• Teacher at an institution for higher education
• Policy-making official in the fields of culture and science
• Editor in the field of historical or cultural scholarship
• Staff member of a publishing company or text agency, usually with regard to scientific, historical or cultural journals
• Curator of a cultural heritage institution or in the museal sector
• Consultant for a political party
• Journalist or critic

* This is a specialisation of the Master's in Historical, Literary & Cultural Studies.

If you have any questions, email us here: study-information@ru.nl

Learn more via the Radboud University contact form.

Information for international students

Application deadlines

Non-EU/EEA students

• The deadline for non-EU/EEA students who wish to apply for a scholarship is 31 January prior to the September intake. For the requirements and selection procedure for scholarships, please check our scholarship overview.
• The deadline for those not applying for a scholarship is 1 April for non-EU/EEA nationals for the September 2026 intake. You can apply for the September 2026 intake from 1 October 2025.

EU/EEA students

• The application deadline for EU/EEA students with housing assistance for the September 2026 intake is 1 May, and the deadline without housing assistance is 1 July. You can apply from 1 October onward for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The application deadlines for Master’s starting in February are 1 November for non-EU/EEA citizens and 1 December for EU/EEA citizens.

Fees and funding

Radboud University offers 3 different scholarships that are open to prospective Master's students from non-EU/EEA countries and who want to follow an English-taught Master's programme.

Radboud Scholarship Programme

The Radboud Scholarship Programme offers talented, highly motivated, non-EU/EEA students with outstanding study results the opportunity to be awarded a partial scholarship for an English-taught Master’s programme.

NL Scholarship (for prospective students)

The NL Scholarship (formerly known as Holland Scholarship) is a partial scholarship for non-EU/EEA students who want to do their Master’s in the Netherlands.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

The Fulbright Commission, sponsored by Radboud University, is offering scholarships for talented American students to study at Radboud University.