The Courtauld Institute of Art

The Courtauld Institute of Art is a specialist college of the University of London for the history of art and the conservation of paintings, founded in 1932 by Samuel Courtauld, Viscount Lee of Fareham, and Sir Robert Witt. Since 1989 it has occupied the North Block of Somerset House on the Strand. It also maintains the Courtauld Gallery.

Academic work covers the history of art, with strength in European painting, and professional conservation of easel paintings, wall paintings, and related objects. Graduate students use the Gallery collection, including Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works given by Samuel Courtauld, and on-site conservation studios.

The Institute enrolls about 500 to 600 students, most of them postgraduates, with a high international share. Faculty are art historians and conservators. Alumni include museum directors Nicholas Serota and Neil MacGregor.

The main graduate degrees are the MA in the History of Art, conservation master's degrees, and the PhD. Teaching is seminar- and object-based, with a dissertation. The year follows University of London terms. Support includes institute scholarships and research studentships. Students work in central London, within walking distance of national collections.

In the Grad School Navigator directory, The Courtauld Institute of Art lists 3 graduate programs in art: 2 master's programs and 1 doctoral program.