Curating & Cultural Leadership - 9318
Program Summary
Faculty: Faculty of Art & Design
Contact: www.artdesign.unsw.edu.au
Campus: Paddington
Career: Postgraduate
Typical Duration: 1-2 Years 
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
Min UOC Per Semester: 6
Max UOC Per Semester: 24
Min UOC For Award: 96
Award(s):
Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership
View program information for previous years
Program Description
The Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership [MCCL] is designed for graduates and professionals who aim to play a leading role in shaping the creative and cultural landscape of the future.
We see contemporary curating as a dynamic profession, which plays a key role in setting cultural agendas and discovering new ground. We foster a vision of leadership that is deeply diverse and non-hierarchical.
The MCCL builds connections between curating, audience engagement, policy, management, critical writing, promotion, production and the many new roles emerging in contemporary digital culture.
It also builds on over 20 years of experience at UNSW Art & Design in postgraduate education for arts and cultural professionals, many of whom are now prominent leaders in the Australian and international cultural field.
Based on extensive industry engagement and consultation, we deliver our curriculum in close collaboration with UNSW Galleries and with a broad range of Australian and International industry partners. Our graduates develop strong individual practices, underpinned by robust and flexible skills in a highly networked and professionally engaged environment.
We see contemporary curating as a dynamic profession, which plays a key role in setting cultural agendas and discovering new ground. We foster a vision of leadership that is deeply diverse and non-hierarchical.
The MCCL builds connections between curating, audience engagement, policy, management, critical writing, promotion, production and the many new roles emerging in contemporary digital culture.
It also builds on over 20 years of experience at UNSW Art & Design in postgraduate education for arts and cultural professionals, many of whom are now prominent leaders in the Australian and international cultural field.
Based on extensive industry engagement and consultation, we deliver our curriculum in close collaboration with UNSW Galleries and with a broad range of Australian and International industry partners. Our graduates develop strong individual practices, underpinned by robust and flexible skills in a highly networked and professionally engaged environment.
Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes
The Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership provides pathways for both those with backgrounds in museums, galleries, arts organisations, art history and art practice and those who wish to enter curating or cultural leadership from other professional backgrounds. Graduates of the Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership are prepared to be independent professionals, able to undertake leadership, research and innovation across a wide range of curating, exhibition, arts policy and management contexts.
Program Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this program, students should be able to:
At the conclusion of this program, students should be able to:
- take on creative and ethical leadership roles in the evolving cultural landscapes of Australia and overseas
- apply leadership in the context of major transformative forces, such as new technologies, the dynamic field of Asia-Pacific art and design, and the diverse and distinctive creativity of Australia
- demonstrate advanced knowledge of the histories and theories informing contemporary issues in curatorship or cultural leadership
- use diverse research methods, and higher order critical thinking in curatorial or cultural leadership contexts
- engage with the cultural and creative industries to develop a strong and resilient professional practice underpinned by a robust and flexible skill set
Program Structure
The Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership offers a customisable structure with flexible entry points, full time and part time options. A core curriculum of skills and knowledge guides progression through the three key stages of the degree. In the final year all Masters students undertake an internship tailored to develop their skills, build their professional network and open up future employment opportunities.
Students with an interest in and demonstrated capacity for high-level research can complete a supervised major research paper, allowing them to deeply investigate a pressing issue or topic. All students undertake a capstone project that enables them to employ and extend the skills and knowledge they have gained during the program through developing and delivering an independent or collaborative cultural initiative.
This core sequence is complemented by numerous options (see Studios and Areas of Study).
Students can also graduate with a Graduate Certificate (24UOC) or Graduate Diploma (48UOC).
Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership taken as a 96 UOC program [normally over 2 years full time or 4 years part time] will introduce students to the field in their first semester through a grounding in art and cultural history, theory and policy as well as writing skills.
Core
Students with an interest in and demonstrated capacity for high-level research can complete a supervised major research paper, allowing them to deeply investigate a pressing issue or topic. All students undertake a capstone project that enables them to employ and extend the skills and knowledge they have gained during the program through developing and delivering an independent or collaborative cultural initiative.
This core sequence is complemented by numerous options (see Studios and Areas of Study).
Students can also graduate with a Graduate Certificate (24UOC) or Graduate Diploma (48UOC).
Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership taken as a 96 UOC program [normally over 2 years full time or 4 years part time] will introduce students to the field in their first semester through a grounding in art and cultural history, theory and policy as well as writing skills.
Core
- ADAD9113 Communication Skills (6 UOC)
- ADAD9114 Research Foundations Art & Des (6 UOC)
- SAHT9110 Australian Arts Ecology (6 UOC)
- SAHT9112 Art Writing and Publishing (6 UOC)
- SAHT9113 Cultural Heritage Ethics & Law (6 UOC)
- SAHT9115 Internship (6 UOC)
- SAHT9118 Capstone Project (6 UOC)
- SAHT9138 Art in the 21st Century or SAHT9204 Contemporary Creative Practices: Methods
- SAHT9310 Exhibiting Cultures or SAHT9124 Arts and Cultural Policy
- ADAD9312 Leadership in the Cultural and Creative Industries or SAHT9117 Contemporary Curating: Histories, Theories, Practices
Core Options
- Four courses from those offered in the Curating and Cultural Leadership Specialisations.
Open Electives
- 12 UOC in electives from any postgraduate course
Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership taken as a 72 UOC program [normally over 1.5 years full time or 3 years part time] begins at the intermediate level, with a core focus on developing research skills and building a sophisticated knowledge of the forces shaping the Australian and international cultural landscape.
Core
Core
- ADAD9312 Leadership in the Cultural and Creative Industries or SAHT9117 Contemporary Curating: Histories, Theories, Practices
Core Options
- Four courses from those offered in the Curating and Cultural Leadership Specialisations.
Open Electives
- 6 UOC in electives from any postgraduate course
Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership taken as a 48 UOC program [normally over 1.0 years full time or 2 years part time] begins at the advanced level, with a core focus on high-level writing and research skills, ethics and legal considerations and advanced theory in curating and cultural leadership.
Core
Core
- SAHT9112 Art Writing and Publishing (6 UOC)
- SAHT9113 Cultural Heritage Ethics & Law (6 UOC)
- SAHT9115 Internship (6 UOC)
- SAHT9118 Capstone Project (6 UOC)
- ADAD9312 Leadership in the Cultural and Creative Industries or SAHT9117 Contemporary Curating: Histories, Theories, Practices
Core Options
- Two courses from those offered in the Curating and Cultural Leadership Specialisations.
Open Electives
- 6 UOC in electives from any postgraduate course
Academic Rules
The Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership requires completion of 96 UOC (normally 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time) including:
- 60 units of credit in Core courses
- 24 units of credit in approved Core Option courses
- 12 units of credit in postgraduate electives
Prior qualifications or prior learning allow entry with advanced standing, allowing completion of either 72 UOC or 48 UOC in total, made up of either 24 UOC in Core courses, 18 UOC in approved specialisation courses and 6 UOC in electives or 36 UOC in Core courses, 30 UOC in approved Core Option and 6 UOC in electives
Fees
For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website: UNSW Fee Website.
Core Options
The program offers a dynamic range of industry-engaged specialisation options that integrate theory and practice. All courses within the curriculum emphasise the transformative impact of new technologies, the dynamic field of Asia Pacific art and design and the diverse and distinctive creativity of Australia. Current core options include:
- ACCT5906 Financial Literacy Business (6 UOC)
- ACCT5949 Managing Agile Organisations (6 UOC)
- ADAD0208 Fashion 1980 - Now (6 UOC)
- ADAD9312 Leadership (6 UOC)
- SAHT6700 World Biennales: Field Trip (6 UOC)
- SAHT9111 Strategic Management (6 UOC)
- SAHT9116 Research Paper (6 UOC)
- SAHT9117 Contemporary Curating (6 UOC)
- SAHT9122 Audience Engagement (6 UOC)
- SAHT9123 Marketing and Promotion (6 UOC)
- SAHT9124 Arts and Cultural Policy (6 UOC)
- SAHT9128 Hist of Exhibition of Aust Art (6 UOC)
- SAHT9131 Visual and Museum Cultures of (6 UOC)
- SAHT9201 Conservation and Registration (6 UOC)
- SAHT9212 Aboriginal Art Issues (6 UOC)
- SAHT9310 Exhibiting Cultures (6 UOC)
- SDES9311 Interaction Design (6 UOC)
As part of the core options, a series of curatorial studios are delivered in collaboration with industry partners address key areas of contemporary curatorial theory and offer students practical engagement with real-world projects. Current courses include:
Schema
Career Opportunities
Our graduates play leadership roles across the cultural landscape, working in diverse positions across independent, institutional, private and public contexts. Our alumni include:
- Art Dealers, Advisors and Agents
- Art Educators
- Academics and Researchers
- Directors of Cultural Organisations
- Festival Directors and Producers
- Gallerists
- Magazine Editors
- Marketeers
- Policy Makers
- Senior Curators
Entry Requirements
Depending on the level and nature of prior qualifications, admission to the Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership makes provision for three entry points with different amounts of advanced standing.
- a Bachelor's degree (Level 7) with a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 65 or equivalent. The Bachelor's degree can be in any field. This provides admission into the foundational disciplinary course component of the program - requiring completion of 96 UOC (2.0 years).
- a Bachelor’s degree (Level 7) in a related field with a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 65 or equivalent. This provides direct admission into the disciplinary course component of the Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership - requiring completion of 72 UOC (1.5 years).
- an Honours Degree (Level 8) in a related field. This provides direct admission to the advanced disciplinary component - requiring completion of 48 UOC (1 year).
Related fields include Art History, Art Theory, Art Curating, Art Education, Museum and/or Heritage Studies, Cultural Heritage Materials Conservation, Design Education.
Applicants who apply with a bachelors degree completed more than 10 years ago can be admitted to the Graduate Certificate in Cultural Leadership where they have 5 or more years professional experience in a curatorial, gallery or arts administration field since graduation. They can articulate up to the MCCL if they hold a credit average in their courses taken under the Graduate Certificate.
Applicants without a Bachelors degree may be admitted to the Graduate Certificate on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director, on the basis of professional experience. The student may articulate up to the Graduate Diploma and Masters if they hold a credit average in their courses taken under the Graduate Certificate.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Consideration of RPL, including industry experience, will be relevant for:
a) entry into the program without a Bachelors degree; and
b) entry with a Bachelors degree awarded more than 10 years prior to proposed year of commencement.
Verified industry experience will include a written statement of service from an employer, client or commissioning agent verifying the position, role, responsibilities, duration and/or project outcomes of employment, service contract or other professional arts engagement.
Applicants who apply with a bachelors degree completed more than 10 years ago can be admitted to the Graduate Certificate in Cultural Leadership where they have 5 or more years professional experience in a curatorial, gallery or arts administration field since graduation. They can articulate up to the MCCL if they hold a credit average in their courses taken under the Graduate Certificate.
Applicants without a Bachelors degree may be admitted to the Graduate Certificate on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director, on the basis of professional experience. The student may articulate up to the Graduate Diploma and Masters if they hold a credit average in their courses taken under the Graduate Certificate.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Consideration of RPL, including industry experience, will be relevant for:
a) entry into the program without a Bachelors degree; and
b) entry with a Bachelors degree awarded more than 10 years prior to proposed year of commencement.
Verified industry experience will include a written statement of service from an employer, client or commissioning agent verifying the position, role, responsibilities, duration and/or project outcomes of employment, service contract or other professional arts engagement.
Articulation
Students who have completed the requirements for the Graduate Certificate or Diploma in Curating and Cultural Leadership with a credit average are eligible for admission to the Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership with full credit for courses already completed.
Students who wish to exit the Masters program early may nominate to transfer to and graduate from the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma provided the requirements for the program have been met.
Students who wish to exit the Masters program early may nominate to transfer to and graduate from the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma provided the requirements for the program have been met.
Pathways
Alumni are working in prominent curatorial, arts administration and policy positions in government, public and commercial galleries, the not-for-profit gallery and museum sector, and consultancies. Students may also consider applying for Masters by Research or PhD programs.
Area(s) of Specialisation
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