MA Curating approaches curating as a method that cuts across different practices and spaces - physical, printed, virtual - and is not applied exclusively to the production of gallery or museum exhibitions. Its areas of specialist focus draw on specific areas of expertise represented by staff, research centres, public programmes, special collections and key external partners across the 3 Graduate School colleges, including the curating of:

• Events and public programmes
• Archives - including those of artists, exhibitions, institutions.
• Situated and socially engaged practices

Workshops, seminars and guest lectures introduce and explore changing definitions of curating in relation to a dynamic landscape of institutions, social policies, and technologies, and address the response and responsibility of curating in relation to both locally-situated and transnational contexts.

The course runs seminars and discussions at Chelsea College of Art and Design and also uses a range of learning resources across Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges; it provides opportunities for students to engage with the gallery spaces and public programmes located within these colleges - as well as those of Peckham Space, an arts organisation dedicated to commissioning and developing art practices that are locally-specific and socially-engaged.

As a graduate you will be well placed to work within the current art institutional sector - particularly those institutions for whom an interdisciplinary ethos is central, and those who are as interested in developing critical and engaged public programming, in generating, keeping and retrieving and reflecting upon their own institutional archives. You will acquire the knowledge, experience, confidence and contacts necessary to build up your own portfolio as an independent curator. MA Curating will provide critical, historical and contextual studies that will encourage and prepare some students to pursue a PhD, focused on exhibition history and curatorial practice.

During the MA Curating course, your practice, contextual knowledge and skills in critical analysis will develop through three main phases; these are set within a credit framework of three assessed units - culminating in a final project.

Phase 1: Analysis of Practice and Exploration of Methodologies

By the end of this phase you will have explored different curatorial forms and devised a suitable means to record contextual research and critical analysis.

Phase 2: Development and Consolidation

During this phase you will a) address the practical tasks involved in bringing a proposed curatorial project to fruition, and b) define the critical context of your own approach.

Phase 3: Resolution

By the end of this phase you will develop a final project - delivered in the form of a curated programme, screening, discussion or lecture; a web-space, artists book or other distributed form; a temporary gallery or off-site exhibition, or a proposal submitted for development with an external organisation.

As a graduate from MA Curating you will be well placed to work within the current art institutional sector - particularly those institutions for whom an interdisciplinary ethos is central, and those who are as interested in developing critical and engaged public programming, in generating, keeping and retrieving and reflecting upon their own institutional archives. You will acquire the knowledge, experience, confidence and contacts necessary to build up your own portfolio as an independent curator. MA Curating will provide critical, historical and contextual studies that will encourage and prepare some students to pursue a PhD, focused on exhibition history and curatorial practice.

• A good honours degree in a related subject or equivalent academic/professional qualifications.
• A 800 - 1000 word study proposal, describing your current creative or scholarly practice and your reasons for applying to the course.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must show proof of IELTS level 6.5 and a minimum of 5.5 in reading, listening, writing and speaking. The University also accepts other tests. Please see the University English tests page for the equivalent scores required in these tests.
• The Graduate School takes into consideration prior learning, alternative qualifications and experience.

How to Apply

Home/EU Applicants
You can download an application from below:

CCW Graduate School Application Form

Completed forms, including your study proposal, reference & portfolio (if required) can be returned by post to:

CCW Graduate School Admissions
16 John Islip Street
London
SW1P 4JU

Or you can submit your form electronically to ccwgraduateschool@arts.ac.uk

International students
Please visit the CCW International Apply page to download an application form or contact the CCW International Office.
T: +44 (0)20 7514 1852
E: ccwinternational@arts.ac.uk

Application Deadlines
UK & EU applicants: 1 July 2012
International: No official deadline, but you are advised to apply as soon as possible.

What happens next?
Applications will be reviewed against the entry requirements and selection criteria for the course. You may then be invited to attend an interview at the College on a set day, with your full portfolio if applicable.