Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

This course will primarily appeal to applicants with an undergraduate experience of art history, or a cognate discipline, and who wish to be introduced to the challenges and rewards of the subject at a more ambitious, research-intensive level. Our aim is to equip students with the knowledge and skill to develop their own individual enthusiasms as art historians and to extend, question, and reflect upon the critical approaches which shape the subject. The MA comprises a supervised research thesis on a subject of the student’s choice, and a series of small-group taught courses which offers advanced postgraduate academic training in the history of art, with a special focus on collections and curatorial practice. Via a stimulating mixture of thematically-linked lectures, seminars and site visits, including an international study trip to a major European city, the course is designed to make the best use of the rich art collections and research resources in Dublin and elsewhere, and to encourage an adventurous, first-hand engagement with works of art - whether in painting, sculpture, architecture, the decorative arts, photography or other visual media. 

The School of Art History and Cultural Policy is committed to creating a supportive, collegial atmosphere, where MA students can be directly inspired by the excellence and diversity of its research activity (which strongly engages with, but also extends well beyond Irish art). While the course therefore provides a first-rate platform for students to go on to research at MLitt/PhD level, many of our MA graduates have pursued their art historical development in a more immediately vocational context as curators, guides, writers, educators and administrators. The School is also very keen to promote interdisciplinary approaches and instil in our MA students the kind of transferable, critically-aware skills which are sought after in a variety of scholarly and professional contexts, and which naturally arise within a discipline that is so uniquely and intellectually engaged in the act of looking. 

• A specialised understanding of art historical styles, subjects and schools - both in terms of a general familiarity with visual culture, and with regard to a connoisseurial ability to recognise the forms, techniques, functionality and authorship of works of art throughout history.
• An understanding of the theory and practice of curating, including the social, political and cultural functions of museums and galleries.
• Students should be conversant with the extensive range of methodological and interdisciplinary approaches embraced by art history, including current research trends, and how these inform and can be applied to the candidate's own research thesis and assignments.
• Students should have developed the skills relevant to a well-written, analytically rigorous and original research-based thesis on an art historical subject.  While this should be a discrete, self-contained project, we encourage theses that offer scope for further development beyond the MA.
• The ability to give concise, visually aware and engaging oral presentations on specific works of art/ art historical sites, and to articulate a personal and individually critical response to the subject in question.
• Students should be familiar with, and have made use of, a wide range of research resources and art collections and sites in Dublin, and in other locations relevant to the course's field trips and the student's own individual research.
• A clear understanding of the value and integrity of original, independent thinking, and the type of research questions which can expand and shape an understanding of art historical topics and themes.
• A range of transferable skills - including the ability to think analyticallyand imaginatively - which would facilitate not only advancement in the field of art history and its cognate disciplines, but also within a wide range of professional contexts.

View All Modules Here

MA Art History, Collections & Curating (Z344) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 9100
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MA Art History, Collections & Curating (Z345) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 4550
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website.  Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme.  For further information please see International Scholarships.

The programme is directed at postgraduate students of art history and of cognate academic subjects such as history,archaeology,classics, and visual and material culture. It is also intended for those with experience in the art world and in the cultural heritage sector looking for an opportunity to hone their skills in the interpretation, critique, and analysis of works of art and design, developing the knowledge and capacity to pursue careers in academia, research, writing, and curatorship.

Rachel Owens 
MA 2018

Studying an MA in Art History, I developed excellent research and writing skills as well as high attention to detail. I also acquired polished presentation skills which is an essential skill for an Art Historian. The MA is made up of several core modules along with a dissertation. With a range of lecturers specializing in a wide variety of topics, the MA attracts students interested in a large array of areas. Since graduating from UCD I have undertaken an internship at the Irish Georgian Society, where the skills I developed from completing the MA have been crucial.

Class time is divided between the modern classrooms of the Belfield campus, and the Georgian stuccoed splendour of Newman House in the heart of Dublin. The School has its own designated reference libraries and study spaces, including the Françoise Henry Reading Room and the Rosemarie Mulcahy Seminar Room, which houses a specialist library devoted to Spanish art. 

The following entry routes are available:

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised

The programme is directed at postgraduate students of art history and of cognate subjects such as art, architecture and geography. It is also intended for those with experience in the art world and in the cultural heritage sector looking for an opportunity to hone their skills in the interpretation, critique, and analysis of works of art and architecture, developing the knowledge and capacity to pursue careers in academia, research, writing, and curatorship.