| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-10-01 | - |
Program Overview
The MA Curating the Art Museum program at The Courtauld Institute of Art provides students with the expertise and skills for careers in museums and galleries. The program emphasizes the physical object in curatorial training, offers hands-on work experience, and encourages collaborative learning and public engagement. Graduates are prepared for a wide range of career paths within the museum and gallery sector, including curatorial and management roles, public programs, marketing, development, and research.
Program Outline
Applications for 2025 entry will open in autumn 2024.
Location:
Vernon Square Kings Cross, London WC1X 9EP (during The Courtauld Connects project)
Duration:
12 months, full time. October – September
Awarding body:
University of London
Intake:
12 students per year
Program Description:
This program is an excellent entry point for a career in museums and galleries. It emphasizes the physical object in curatorial training while situating specialist knowledge within the contemporary museum context. The program offers a diverse range of learning environments and exercises, encompassing taught seminars, group projects, and hands-on work experience. It also encourages various forms of expression, from academic writing to public debates and gallery talks. The program features a broad-based curriculum, attracting students with diverse interests across all periods and media. There's a strong emphasis on contemporary and innovative approaches to curating in public museums and galleries. The program's teaching draws expertise from the art history faculty, the conservation department, and The Courtauld Gallery staff. It benefits from close relationships and connections with museums and galleries across London, the UK, and internationally.
Curriculum highlights:
- Curators and museum professionals actively lead the program, spearheading practical exercises like the Virtual Display.
- Individual placements are arranged for students with London museums and galleries. Students work closely with mentors in various national museums, public galleries, and other organizations in London, one/two days a week over a six-month period.
- Collaborative work is highly encouraged, both in taught sessions and museum debate organization.
- Field trips, both in the UK and Europe, may be organized throughout the year (conditions permitting) to ensure broad contact with curators, museum professionals, artists, exhibitions, displays, and museum spaces.
- The program culminates in a collaborative exhibition project, public exhibition mounting, and related public events.
Program Aims:
- To address a wide range of interests and equip students with the expertise, research, and professional skills for diverse career paths.
Outline
Semester 1:
- Introductory sessions to the program, The Courtauld's collections, and various program elements.
- History and theory of museums (eight sessions, seminars, and museum visits; essay).
- Virtual Display exercise: four sessions, a practical exercise with a museum professional curator
- Contemporary approaches to the museum (eight seminars, museum visits or presentations from external curators, museum professionals and artists; essay).
- Ethics and practice of conservation (four seminars and a studio visit).
- Individual work placement in a London museum or gallery begins, 1 or 2 days per week.
Semester 2:
- Development and delivery of a public exhibition project.
- Language and interpretation (10 sessions, seminars, visits, and group exercises).
- Two student-organized public museum debates.
- Leadership session with a prominent museum director or curator.
- Individual work placements continue until Easter.
Summer:
- 10,000-word dissertation on a curatorial or museological subject (submission in September).
Assessment
The MA Curating the Art Museum is assessed through:
- Two 4,000-word essays (one each in semesters 1 and 2)
- Exhibition project
- A 10,000-word dissertation
- Placements are assessed pass/fail based on mentor’s report following self-reflective report written by the student
Teaching
Teaching methods:
The program employs diverse teaching methods, including seminars, group projects, individual placements, and field trips.
Faculty:
The program draws on the expertise of the art history faculty, the conservation department, and The Courtauld Gallery staff.
Unique approaches:
- Emphasis on collaborative learning and public engagement
- Strong focus on contemporary and innovative approaches to curating
- Extensive use of museum resources and placements
Careers
Career paths:
The program prepares graduates for a wide range of career paths within the museum and gallery sector, including curatorial and management roles, public programs, marketing, development, and research.
- Application deadline: Applications for 2025 entry will open in autumn 2024.
Note:
The MA Curating the Art Museum program is currently paused for 2024 entry. Applications for 2025 entry will open in autumn 2024.
Tuition fees can be found here.
