Master of Art Curatorship

The Master of Art Curatorship provides specialist training and a professional qualification for graduates who are working, or seeking to work in the field, and may also be taken for general interest. This program does not necessarily lead to higher degree study, however high achieving students who complete the thesis option may qualify for entry to a masters by research or PhD.

Students who complete the masters should have a good understanding of:

• the role of the visual arts in Australia as reflected by professional networks, funding bodies, and government departments/agencies at national, state and local level;
• the changing role of art museums/galleries in society and the history of collecting;
• the current discourse associated with issues of access, education and funding within art museums and cultural institutions;
• the organisational structure of a collecting institution and the various responsibilities and tasks of its personnel;
• art conservation theory and practice and its role in storage, transportation, display and interpretation of art objects;
• the theory and practice of cataloguing and presenting art objects in an art museum;
• advanced skills in researching and writing on art objects.

200 point program

Duration: 2 years full-time / up to 4 years part-time

The Master of Art Curatorship 200 point program requires:

• six compulsory subjects (75 points)

• four core subjects completed in the first 100 points (50 points)

Coursework Only Option:

• six elective subjects (75 points)

or

Minor Thesis Option:

• minor thesis (37.5 points)
• MULT50001 Research Principles and Practices (12.5 points)
• two elective subjects (25 points)

Please note: the minor thesis requires enrolment over two consecutive semesters

150 point program

Duration: 1.5 years full-time / up to 3 years part-time

The Master of Art Curatorship 150 point program requires:

Coursework Only Option:

• six compulsory subjects (75 points)
• six elective subjects (75 points)

or

Minor Thesis Option:

• six compulsory subjects (75 points)
• minor thesis (37.5 points)
• MULT50001 Research Principles and Practices (12.5 points)
• two elective subjects (25 points)

Please note: the minor thesis requires enrolment over two consecutive semesters

100 point program

Duration: 1 year full-time / up to 2 years part-time

The Master of Art Curatorship 100 point program requires:

Coursework Only Option:

• six compulsory subjects (75 points)
• two elective subjects (25 points)

or

Minor Thesis Option:

• four compulsory subjects (50 points)

• minor thesis (37.5 points)

• MULT50001 Research Principles and Practices (12.5 points)

Please note: the minor thesis requires enrolment over two consecutive semesters

Capstone Requirement:

All students are required to complete the Capstone Requirement for the program (at least 25 points). Students must complete one capstone option -

Capstone Stream 1: Co-requisites: MULT90018 Internship 1 (Placement Only) (12.5 points) and ACUR90002 Art Museums and Curatorship (12.5 points)

Purpose: An opportunity to acquire a theoretical grounding in art curatorship and management practice and apply this knowledge in a professional context in order to develop an integrated understanding of art curatorship theory and practice.

Capstone Stream 2: ACUR90004 Minor Thesis Art Curatorship (37.5 points)

Purpose: An opportunity to integrate knowledge and research skills to address a specific art curatorship research question. Pathway to the PhD.

Capstone Stream 3: Co-requisites: MULT90018 Internship 1 (Placement Only) (12.5 points) and ACUR90006 Exhibition Management (12.5 points)

Purpose: An opportunity to acquire a theoretical grounding in arts management practice and apply this knowledge to solve problems that arise in a professional context in order to develop an integrated understanding of art curatorship theory and practice.

Capstone Stream 4: Co-requisites: MULT90018 Internship 1 (Placement Only) (12.5 points) and ACUR90005 Interpreting Exhibitions (12.5 points)

Purpose: An opportunity to engage critically and theoretically with exhibition practices and strategies and apply this in a professional context in order to develop an integrated understanding of art curatorship theory and practice.

Capstone Stream 5: ACUR90002 Art Museums and Curatorship (12.5 points) and ACUR90006 Exhibition Management (12.5 points)

Purpose: An opportunity to gain fundamental knowledge and skills of curatorship are contained in these two subjects, which also involve major essay and major exhibition proposal assessment tasks respectively, meeting the substantial piece of scholarship – masters (coursework) requirement.

For policies that govern this degree, see Academic Services Policy in the University Melbourne Policy Framework. Students also should also refer to information in the Student Policy Directory.

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

• an undergraduate degree, or equivalent, including at least 50 credit points at second year level or above in subjects requiring written and analytical assessment, with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent.

Meeting this requirement does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• prior academic performance; and

• relevance of previous studies.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Student Application and Selection Procedure .

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Note:

Applicants with the following may be awarded up to 50 points of credit:

• an undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline, with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%); or equivalent;

Applicants with the following may be awarded up to 100 points of credit:

• an Honours degree in a cognate discipline with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent ; or

• an undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent, and at least two years documented relevant work and/or professional experience.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Students who complete the thesis option may be eligible to undertake a PhD.

http://www.unimelb.edu.au/about/attributes.html

Students who successfully complete the Masters will:

• be able to demonstrate an advanced development of research skills;
• be able to define areas of inquiry and create relevant methods of research in the preparation of essays;
• be able to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgements and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations;
• be able to demonstrate highly developed skills in presentations;
• be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and seminar discussion;
• be able to participate productively in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.