The international curriculum in Arts, Museology and Curatorship (AMaC) is aimed at exploring the arts and their histories in relation with the ongoing transformations of museums, exhibitions and the role of the curator, in an international and cross-cultural perspective.
Students acquire a deep historical, theoretical, and methodological knowledge of contemporary exhibitions and current museum studies. They develop research projects on curatorial practices, art systems—either institutional or bottom-up—, cultural think thanks, and digital technologies applied in museums and at different stages of the exhibition design process.
During their studies, students are encouraged to looking at artistic production and its material/immaterial infrastructures from interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives and methodologies. They can address fundamental questions related to the relationship between arts, museums, exhibitions, and historical and current processes of upheaval in society and environment within the framework of experimental workshops that allow various forms of collaborative reflection.
The aim of the curriculum AMaC is to train professionals who are able to develop research strategies on Arts, Museology and Curatorship that consider the current debate on the commons, the access to cultural heritage, and the impact of technologies and media.
Study Programme Structure
The Study Programme comprises 120 ECTS credit points. It consists of five Modules:
(1) eight core subjects (78 ECTS);
(2) one language exam (6 ECTS);
(3) internship or one workshop (6 ECTS);
(4) one or more transdisciplinary courses offered by various departments of the University of Bologna (12 ECTS);
(5) a final phase consisting of preparation and discussion of the master’s dissertation (18 ECTS).
The programme also encourages student and faculty collaboration in the creation of exchange platforms, understood as open spaces for collective action and discussion. These activities may involve various formats (lectures, conferences, study days, exhibitions, etc.). Particular emphasis is placed on cooperation with external guests (artists, architects, scholars, theorists, etc.) and museum institutions. These platforms are aimed at fostering exchange on subjects of concern within the framework of Arts, Museology and Curatorship; they are designed to encourage interconnection with issues of public debate and to ensure the integration of approaches of theoretical inquiry and those of actual practice.
(1) Core Subjects (78 ECTS):
compulsory or elective courses offered by the Department of the Arts and devoted to specific study topics:
Medieval and Early Modern Art (12 ECTS)
Contemporary Art (12 ECTS)
Architectural Heritage (6 ECTS)
Visual Culture (6 ECTS)
Art and Law (6 ECTS)
Artistic Strategies and Politics (6 ECTS)
Museum Studies (12 ECTS)
Museum Mediation (Interpretation) (6 ECTS)
Core subjects include Labs organised by the Department of the Arts or in cooperation with external partners:
First year: Curatorial Practices (6 ECTS) /or/ Dissemination of Art and Culture (6 ECTS)
Second year: Exhibition Design (6 ECTS) /or/ Politics of Display (6 ECTS)
(2) Language Proficiency (6 ECTS):
students must acquire a French proficiency of B2 level. Students already holding a B2 French level certificate (or higher) can ask for its recognition in order to obtain the credits foreseen for the B2 French level exam.
(3) Internship or Workshop (6 ECTS).
Students can choose between:
- an internship (6 ECTS) to be carried out with external partners and aimed at providing students with specific expertise on selected issues.
- a project-bound workshop (6 ECTS) – a format that combines the approaches of theoretical inquiry and project practice. A primary aim of these set-up is to promote teamwork.
(4) Free Electives (12 ECTS):
can be selected from courses offered at the University of Bologna. These courses can also be chosen from among the elective courses offered by the AMaC programme.
(5) Master’s Dissertation (18 ECTS):
students are to produce an academic master’s dissertation on a topic in the field of Art, Museology and Curatorship. The dissertation, which can also incorporate practical methods, must then be presented and defended during a board examination. For the preparation of the dissertation, students can choose between the following modalities:
Final Examination (18 ECTS);
Final Examination (6 ECTS) with Internship (12 ECTS);
Final Examination (6 ECTS) with Internship (6 ECTS) and Preparation for the Final Examination Abroad (6 ECTS);
Final Examination (6 ECTS) with Internship Abroad (12 ECTS);
Final Examination (6 ECTS) with Internship Abroad (6 ECTS) and Preparation for the Final Examination Abroad (6 ECTS);
Final Examination (6 ECTS) with Preparation for the Final Examination Abroad (12 ECTS).
