In accordance with current regulations regarding university admission, students will gain admission to these programs by passing the University Entrance Exams, after completing any of the baccalaureate programs. If demand exceeds the number of places available (initially set at 50), admission will be based on the final grade achieved on the University Entrance Exams (PAU).For students who lack the Baccalaureate and the PAU (University of La Laguna) qualifications, the University of La Laguna offers the possibility of access through the course and the entrance exam for those over 25 years of age, in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 743/2003, of June 20, which regulates the university entrance exam for those over 25 years of age (Official State Gazette of July 4, 2003).For students who hold a university degree or equivalent, a number of places of no less than 1% and no more than 3% are reserved. All those students who hold a Higher Grade Vocational Training Cycle, Level III Professional Module or Second Grade Vocational Training can directly access certain university studies, in accordance with Annex X of Order ECI/2527/2005, of July 4 (BOE of August 5, 2005).Given the characteristics and objectives of these studies, students who enter must have defined their educational perspectives in the field of knowledge of the art world in its many manifestations and facets.It is therefore essential that they acquire the knowledge necessary to establish themselves professionally in this field and, furthermore, to maintain a well-founded analytical and critical approach, from both a scientific and professional perspective, to a world like the art world, which is subject to constant change and evolution. In particular, a strong interest in understanding the actual workings of the art market and how to address current and future challenges in the arts using genuinely professional criteria should be considered fundamental.
There are professions that, beyond the names by which we know them, are perceived by society as clearly defined professions that respond to needs that have not changed substantially over time (such as medicine, architecture, or law, among others). These professions have also become socially established thanks to professional associations or other corporate groups.
However, other professions, such as Art Historian, due to its recent introduction as a degree in Spanish universities (the first art history subjects were introduced in the 1920s) and the recent influx of graduates into the workforce (the degree dates back to the 1990s and has been a specialty in Philosophy and Literature or Geography and History since the 1970s), do not currently enjoy such prominence. Nevertheless, the strides taken in this direction in recent years have been enormous.
Thus, specific sections of Art Historians have emerged in the Professional Associations of Graduates in the Humanities area (among others, this is the case of Barcelona and Valencia), professional groups in certain autonomous communities (among others, this is the case of the Professional Association of Art Historians of Galicia or the Professional Association of Art Historians of Granada) and stable national organizations have been established such as the Spanish Committee of Art History (CEHA) founded in the 70s, today recognized as the oldest institution of this kind in Europe and, as such, a permanent member of the International Committee of Art History (CIHA).
Traditionally, teaching has been the primary career path for art historians. However, in recent decades, the growing public interest in culture and heritage has offered, and continues to offer, other fascinating professional fields for art historians. To document this, the team that drafted the White Paper, in collaboration with the Behavioral Sciences Methodology team from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Barcelona, under the direction of Dr. Cosculluela, surveyed graduates, university professors, and, above all, private employers and institutions that employ art historians throughout Spain in 2005. As a result of this study, the first of its kind in Spain, the profiles considered optimal for a Bachelor's degree in Art History were the following: