The MA History of Art and Architectural History programme aims to equip students with an understanding of architecture and visual culture’s formal qualities, theoretical frameworks and relationship to the wider cultural, social, economic and political circumstances in which works of art and architecture were created. The 4-year Edinburgh degree is unique for a number of reasons: Edinburgh is a capital city with national collections and archives. A World Heritage site, it has over 4,500 listed buildings, ranging from medieval to modern. Its rich heritage and continued excellence in architectural design is essential to teaching and students’ independent projects. Our ties with institutions including the National Galleries of Scotland, Historic Scotland and the National Library of Scotland as well as with the city’s thriving contemporary art galleries have been carefully forged and maintained. The University has a long tradition of teaching eastern art, especially Chinese and Middle Eastern, as an integral component of the program. Similarly, the modern and contemporary areas explore the effects of globalization on art and architecture. Established, independent projects, such as Work Placement, provide students with vocational skills necessary to today’s competitive recruitment market. The programme aims to equip students with: a wide-ranging knowledge of the history of art and architecture from antiquity to present day; an understanding of the methodologies as well as the historical, theoretical, and critical frameworks of History of Art and architectural history; a familiarity with the roles of connoisseurship, collecting, criticism as well as materials, display, curating, heritage management and conservation.