Master of Arts in Curating with Professional Placement

Our MA Curating offers a practical and theoretical training in devising and curating exhibitions, as you work towards the preparation of an exhibition at our on-site Art Exchange gallery.

Our course combines practice, theory and histories of curating in equal measure. You will develop an essential base skills for a successful exhibition from object handling to managing exhibition budgets through visiting lectures by active museum professionals, practical workshops using our on-site collection and galleries, and competitive placements at leading institutions. Previous students have worked at the V&A, Royal Academy of Arts, Hayward Gallery and Firstsite Gallery.

You will build your own confident grasp of the history and theory of exhibition-making, studying with academics who besides being active curators are producing new key texts on the curatorial history and theory.
MA Curating with Professional Placement offers a unique opportunity for you to gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The placement is undertaken between the taught part of the course and the individual project. Its aim is to allow you to acquire industry experience and, especially, develop an appreciation of how the skills acquired in the taught part of the course can be applied to real world work.

A 2.2 Degree or equivalent in any discipline. Your Degree must contain at least three modules relating to visual culture.
Visual Culture modules include, but are not limited to: Aesthetics, Archaeology, Architecture, Art History, Curatorial/Museum Studies, Design Studies, Digital Imaging, Fashion, Fine Art, Film Studies, Film and Literature, Graphic Design, Advertising, Landscape Design, History, Media Studies, Photography.
A degree with an overall grade of between 50 to 55% OR 5.3 to 5.8/10 OR 2.12 to 2.32/4 depending on the degree institution
Official transcript(s), in English or a certified translation of your academic results to date, showing marks or grades, must be provided at the time you make your application. (Transcripts are not required from current or previous University of Essex students, or from students who have previously completed a degree at Colchester Institute awarded by the University of Essex).
If you are applying to one of our taught courses in the Essex Law School or Human Rights Centre, a Pre-Registration Masters course, our MA Social Work, or the Essex MBA, you will need to provide a copy of your CV with your application.

IELTS - 6.5 overall with minimum component scores: Listening: 5.5 Reading: 5.5 Writing: 6.0 Speaking: 5.5
TOEFL IBT - 88 overall with minimum component scores: Listening: 17 Reading: 18 Writing: 24 Speaking: 20