4-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate in Humanities - Continue to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Curating (Placement Year)

Program Description For students who've finished high school but don’t meet the entry requirements for university, a Foundation Certificate can help them gain entry to an undergraduate degree. After completing this pathway option students qualify for progression to the 1st year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Essex.

A student’s course length is determined mainly by their English language level (UKVI IELTS score). Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. Students taking a course longer than 2 terms, will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Curating

The BA Curating can provide students with the intellectual and practical skills they need to realize their career ambitions, combining classroom-based learning with hands-on experience in museums and galleries.

Within the classroom, students gain an overview of major developments in art history – something essential for any budding curator. They will also learn about the history and theory of exhibition design, with a particular emphasis on how curatorial choices shape the experiences while viewing artworks and the other objects on display in museums and galleries.

The Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA), Europe’s largest collection of Latin American art, will offer students a place to experiment with installing artworks. Besides getting their feet wet with the more tactical aspects of installing art, these experiences will open their eyes to how curatorial decisions transform the kinds of stories that artworks tell when displayed alongside others.

Frequent, staff-led visits to London museums and galleries will also expose students to the latest developments in curating, and they will be strongly encouraged to conduct a placement in order to gain exposure to the inner workings of a museum, auction house or gallery.

To ensure students are prepared to meet the challenges facing curators in the 21st century, opportunities to cultivate digital skills will be available throughout the course. For example, for the final project, they will curate an online exhibition, for which they will produce a virtual walk-through of the exhibition space and develop digitally-accessible interpretative material for all objects on display.

Essex is the ideal choice for a BA in curating. It is ranked 6th among Art History departments in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014). This is one of the few leading art history programs that offers an undergraduate course specializing in curating and students will be taught by the expert staff in their very first year—another rarity in UK art history courses.

* Please note that this delivery option of the course includes a placement year.

Students may decide to opt for a placement year, where they develop their professional skills and build a network of business contacts. A placement year can give students a career advantage by showing future employers that they are a dedicated and experienced professional.