Our MA Curating teaches you the practice, theory and history of curating in equal measure.
As you work towards your final project – a co-curated exhibition at the University’s on-site gallery Art Exchange – you will learn practical skills through a range of activities, from workshops that use the University’s art collections to lectures by high-profile museum professionals. You will also have the opportunity to undertake competitive placements at leading museums and galleries, which, in previous years, have included the V&A, Royal Academy of Arts, Somerset House, and Firstsite.
To supplement such practical knowledge, you will take modules about the history and theory of exhibition-making. Taught by academics who work as active curators and produce ground-breaking texts on curatorial history and theory, these modules will expose you to an array of topics, such as:
One of the most distinctive features of our MA Curating course is our emphasis on interdisciplinarity, which cuts through everything you will do. The final exhibition that you co-curate, for instance, will involve students not just from MA Curating but also from art history and heritage studies courses. This reflects our belief that students from a mix of disciplines help to foster a more rigorous and creative dialogue about art’s social and political implications.
Additionally, you will have the option to supplement your modules with numerous classes in art history, history, heritage and philosophy. We offer such optionality to deepen your familiarity with the diverse methodologies that you may adopt when curating or writing about art and other forms of visual culture.
Our staff's research spans a diverse range of subjects, some of which include:
Some recent projects include:
At Essex, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums in the nearby town of Colchester; on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world's best museums and galleries at your fingertips.
Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience and engage in object-based learning, a cornerstone of our approach when teaching the history of art and its modes of display:
The visual arts and culture industries have become an increasingly significant part of the national and international economy, and our art history graduates leave Essex with the skills to take advantage of this growing opportunity.
Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in the media, in advertising, in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators, as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, in charities, in publishing, as specialist arts lawyers, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries.
Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:
We also offer research supervision for PhD and MPhil for those who want to continue with research. We cover the major areas of European art and architecture from 1300 to the present, as well as the art and architecture of Latin America and the United States.
We also work with the university's Careers Services to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
Visual Culture modules include, but are not limited to:
If you do not hold a degree which includes relevant modules, then we can still consider you. You should be able to show that you have relevant professional experience in one of the following fields:
If you do not have a relevant degree or relevant experience, then we may ask you to provide a sample of written work which demonstrates your interest in this field.
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.
If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in all other components.
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.
Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.
Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.
Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.
Status | What this means |
Core |
You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted. |
Core with Options |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted. |
Compulsory |
You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
Compulsory with Options |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
Optional |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.
Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.
In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.
Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:
HR | 100 | 4 | FY |
---|---|---|---|
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History. |
The module number. |
The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification. |
The term the module will be taught in.
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COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY
Want to do more than hang pretty pictures on a pleasantly coloured wall? Then take this module to learn how curators and designers from the 1920s onward have turned exhibition spaces into site of social and political critique -- a practice now often subsumed under the concept of ‘critical curating’. Organised chronologically, the module gives you the chance to hone your understanding of the complex relationship between critique and curating, generally by situating major exhibitions and paradigmatic curatorial concept in relation to key texts of critical theory.
COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY
Get valuable real-life experience of the unique holdings at Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) and contribute to their dissemination at the University. Learn about artworks in ESCALA and how they can be activated in object-based learning sessions with diverse publics.
View Collecting Art From Latin America on our Module Directory
COMPONENT 07: COMPULSORY
COMPONENT 08: COMPULSORY
This series of sessions teaches key real-world practical skills required for curatorial work in exhibitions and galleries, including object handling; condition reports; loan forms and database systems; artist relations; and the facilitation of group pedagogy and public workshops. You will be walked through the practical processes and skills which structure the organising and production cycle for galleries and museums, in a way that coincides with your own work towards the MA Curating group exhibition.
View Practical Skills for Curatorial Work on our Module Directory
Postgraduate students in the School of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies usually attend a one-hour lecture and one-hour seminar for each module each week or workshops.
£10,500
£22,750
We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:
If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.
You can apply for this postgraduate course online. Before you apply, please check our information about necessary documents that we'll ask you to provide as part of your application.
We aim to respond to applications within two weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.
For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply' information.
Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.
If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.
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