Curating Contemporary Design MA (in partnership with the Design Museum)

Program Overview

The MA in Curating Contemporary Design, offered by Kingston School of Art and The Design Museum, equips students with the skills to curate design exhibitions and other formats. The program emphasizes critical engagement with contemporary design, hands-on experience through live projects, and collaboration with prestigious institutions. Graduates pursue careers in museums, galleries, and cultural organizations, leveraging the program's extensive international network of curators.

Program Outline

This MA program in Curating Contemporary Design, jointly offered by Kingston School of Art and The Design Museum, has established itself as a leading program for aspiring design curators globally. The program's objective is to equip students with the creative, theoretical, and practical skills necessary to curate design exhibitions and other curatorial formats. This includes developing expertise in devising briefs, conducting thorough research, selecting exhibits, and curating public programs. Students gain hands-on experience through live projects and build professional profiles through collaborations with institutions like The Design Museum, the British Council, the Royal Academy, and the Architecture Association.

Outline:

The MA in Curating Contemporary Design is structured around five modules, typically requiring students to complete 180 credits.

Core Modules:

• Curatorial Skill Sets (30 credits): Introduces curatorial concepts and practices, emphasizing hands-on engagement with the curatorial process through partnerships with The Design Museum.
Students participate in group curating projects with live briefs set by Design Museum curators, focusing on contemporary creative and professional practice.
• Theories of the Contemporary Object (30 credits): Explores key theoretical concepts of curatorial practice, examining the relationship between the object, collection, museum, and exhibition through historical and current critical writing.
It broadens the traditional definitions of contemporary design practice, incorporating connections with design, art, and architecture practice courses at Kingston School of Art. This fosters a collaborative environment for critical thinking, research, and engagement with new work. The module also prepares students for the major project by exploring its scope, direction, and intended aims through applied research skills and testing methodological approaches.
• Curatorial Formats (30 credits): Focuses on emerging curatorial formats and practices in response to the rapidly shifting landscape of contemporary design.
Group curating projects with live briefs are undertaken, focusing on testing and applying new curatorial formats.
• Politics of Display (30 credits): Emphasizes the inherent political nature of display practices in design and art.
It highlights the relationship between curatorial practice and political, social, and economic aspects like national identities, movements, technology, culture, and consumption. Students explore historical and contemporary adaptations of curatorial practice, informing their major project concepts.
• Major Project (60 credits): The capstone module, focusing on critical research, analysis, and presentation, allows students to synthesize and apply their acquired knowledge and skills.
It brings together students from various MA programs, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to research. Students have the option to present their major project as a written dissertation or as a creative project, such as a portfolio accompanied by a critical commentary. Students are responsible for securing their own placement, and it is covered by a Student Route visa.

Assessment:

Assessment methods include:

• Curatorial project briefs
• Critical reviews
• Seminar presentations
• Essays
• Dissertation

Teaching:

The Curating Contemporary Design course is delivered through a blend of:

• Kingston School of Art academics
• Visiting lecturers
• Guest speakers
• Industry connections
This approach offers students:
• Engagement with the most recent discourse in the field
• Live projects, site visits, and placements in prestigious institutions
• Project work and workshops with visiting lecturers and industry specialists

Careers:

Graduates from this program find employment in various sectors:

• Museums
• Galleries
• Creative agencies
• Cultural organizations

Other:

• The program emphasizes the importance of developing a professional profile through live projects and engagement with professional organizations.
• Students benefit from a program of curating visits to exhibitions, studios, and alternative sites of curatorial and design practice in London.
• The program prepares students to become active participants in the public presentation of contemporary design.
• The program encourages originality and creativity in design curation, with a focus on developing professional practice and theory.

Home 2025/26 MA full time £13,500 MA part time £7,425 International 2025/26 MA full time £22,800 MA part time £12,540 Home 2024/25 MA full time £12,900 MA part time £7,095 International 2024/25 MA full time £21,900 MA part time £12,045

Scholarships and bursaries

Kingston University offers a range of postgraduate scholarships, including: Alumni discount Progression Scholarship

The Sino-British Fellowship Trust

The Sino-British Fellowship Trust has generously supported senior graduate students with a one-year fellowship to study Curating Contemporary Design since 2006. Applications can be received all year.