150 Point 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 Master of Art Curatorship will 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; and
• advanced skills in researching and writing on art objects.

150 point program

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

Coursework Only Option:

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

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.

Compulsory Subjects

6 compulsory subjects (75 points)

Minor Thesis Subjects

• minor thesis (37.5 points)
• MULT50001 Research Principles and Practices (12.5 points)

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

Elective Subjects

Coursework Only Option:

• elective subjects (75 points)

or

Minor Thesis Option:

• elective subjects (25 points)