Central to the Dual Master’s in Curating Art and Cultures are two shared core modules (18 ECTS) that explore the historical and theoretical aspects of museum collecting and display, as well as the theoretical and practical aspects of contemporary (museum) curating.

In addition, the specialisation Curating Art and Cultures comprises a further core module with excursions to cultural institutions in the Netherlands and abroad, designed to connect the practical aspects of the internship with academic reflection.

The aim of the additional core modules followed in Arts of the Netherlands is to provide students with a thorough understanding of the current research and debates on Early Netherlandish art, art of the Golden Age, and art of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In addition to these core courses, you will have the opportunity to delve deeper into your field of interest by following electives in a range of disciplines, including art history, history, cultural history, archaeology, anthropology, and cultural or media studies.

The internship forms the core of the Dual Master’s in Curating Art and Cultures.

Curating Art and Cultures

Starting in the second semester of the first year, you will commence a year-long work placement at one of the programme’s partner museums or cultural institutions. During this internship, unique among curatorial and museum studies programmes around the world, you will receive hands-on training in all aspects of professional museum practice, from research for publications to organising exhibitions. Under the supervision of curatorial professionals, you will gain first-hand experience of the roles and responsibilities of the curator today, including presentation and exhibition making, registration and documentation, art handling, restoration and conservation, research and communication, and acquisition policy.

Arts of the Netherlands

Starting in September of the second year, you will commence an internship of approximately seven to eight months in a museum or research institute. Together with your supervisor, you will formulate a research project that fits within the framework of the institution and your own disciplinary interests. Contact with original objects and reflection on research methods are seminal aspects of the internship. However, you will also gain insight into the day-to-day business of the museum or research institute, and may be asked to assist with other museum/research work.

Partner institutions

The Master's programme has strong connections with the professional field. Partner institutions where you can do your internship include:

• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
• Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
• Jewish Cultural Quarter, Amsterdam
• ING Huygens Instituut, Amsterdam (Arts of the Netherlands only)
• Wereldmuseum, Amsterdam/Leiden
• Amsterdam Museum
• Centraal Museum Utrecht
• Museum Het Catharijne Convent, Utrecht (Arts of the Netherlands only)
• Kunstmuseum Den Haag, The Hague
• Kunstmuseum Arnhem
• Mauritshuis, The Hague
• The Royal Library, The Hague (Arts of the Netherlands only)
• RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, The Hague (Arts of the Netherlands only)
• Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
• Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven
• Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem
• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
• Textielmuseum, Tilburg
• Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar

Allowance

Students taking a dual Master's programme may in some cases be eligible for a reimbursement. 

Arts of the Netherlands comprises a mandatory tutorial. In a tutorial, you have the freedom to explore your personal interest in or deepen your knowledge of specific topics under the supervision of a specialist. The topic will be determined on the basis of your interest.

The programme also includes excursions abroad, for example to Berlin or Florence, which will bring students into contact with museums, objects and curatorial and research practices outside of the Netherlands.

In order to complete the Dual Master’s in Curating Art and Cultures programme, you will devise a thesis project that demonstrates your ability to independently conduct, organise, present and defend your own academic research.

The Master's thesis reports on research carried out under the supervision of an academic staff member who is involved in the programme and who specialises in your disciplinary field of interest. The subject of the thesis must be mutually agreed upon by the student and the academic adviser. The subject of your thesis is a topic that pertains to one of the programme’s various disciplines and may correspond to a project from your curatorial or research internship.