Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck, University of London is a public research college of the University of London, based in Bloomsbury. It was founded in 1823 by George Birkbeck as the London Mechanics' Institute and joined the University of London in 1920. Its defining structure is evening and flexible teaching for working and mature students in central London.

Schools cover arts, business, economics and informatics, historical studies, law, science, and social sciences. It is known for history, psychology, politics, law, and part-time research degrees. The Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities and neighboring University of London research institutes in Bloomsbury serve graduate students.

About 13,000 students enroll, many part-time, and a large share are postgraduate. International students are a substantial minority and come from more than 100 countries. Faculty number several hundred. Alumni include Labour prime minister Ramsay MacDonald, who took evening classes in London.

Graduate degrees are taught master's, often scheduled in the evening, and research MPhil and PhD degrees. Supervision follows University of London conventions; taught master's are modular. The year follows the London three-term pattern. Research students may hold studentships; many master's students study while employed. Classes meet in Bloomsbury, so graduate life is the University of London quarter around Malet Street and Russell Square.

In the Grad School Navigator directory, Birkbeck, University of London lists 3 graduate programs in art, all of them master's programs.