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SOAS University of London

London , England ,United Kingdom

MA Curating Cultures

The MA Curating Cultures programme provides an unrivalled opportunity to explore methods and approaches taken to the curating of the arts of Asia and Africa. It is particularly suitable for those who wish to develop in the arts sector or cultural industries whether that be in the context of museums, galleries, festivals, online platforms, biennales, and other display contexts. It will also appeal to practicing professionals in these areas who are interested in strengthening their knowledge and critical outlook. Themes and issues addressed include but are not limited to: histories and ideologies of curating and exhibitions, theories of collecting, interpreting objects, contemporary issues and debates regarding postmodernism, postcolonialism, repatriation and decolonization, curating and writing of exhibition texts and interpretation.

Additionally, the MA Curating Cultures programme provides an excellent postgraduate foundation for students interested in pursuing PhD research in the fields of curating and/or Art History/Archaeology of Asia and Africa in general. The aims and objectives of this MA programme is for students to:

develop the ability to critically evaluate interpretative frameworks of museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, public art, online platforms/digital curating, and other display contexts.
critically analyse the role practices of collecting, display, and interpretation have in the production of meaning and value of objects.
study the methods, practices and key issues surrounding ways in which Asian and African cultures and objects have been presented from both within their own traditions and from the European perspective with a particular focus on decolonisation.
develop an understanding of both the theory and practice of curating.
acquire in-depth knowledge of the specific areas of Asian and African art and/or archaeology that the student chooses to study, as seen in their course selection.

Intakes

  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 40

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

We offer the following services to all full-time and part-time SOAS students on an on campus course:

  • Access to jobs, internships and volunteering opportunities through our careers management system, CareersZONE.
  • One-to-one careers advice on how to decide on a career path, as well as information and advice on the application process, including CVs, cover letters and application forms.
  • Practice Interviews to help students prepare their upcoming recruitment process, including assessment centres
  • A large selection of SOAS-specific events such as Careers Fairs, Alumni Workshops and Skills Sessions throughout the academic year
  • Assistance with navigating our virtual careers information resources on MySOAS Student
  • Provide information resources, including books, on further study, jobs, internships and volunteering.
  • Access to SOAS Connect, our eMentoring platform designed to help connect SOAS alumni and students around the world for peer-to-peer careers advice and guidance

PSW Opportunity

Psw 2 yrs

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should have a first or good second class honours bachelors degree from a UK university, or international equivalent, in a subject appropriate to that of the programme to be followed. If an applicant does not have a bachelors degree in an appropriate field they may be required to complete a qualifying year or a one year diploma before entering the masters programme.

Relevant work experience may also be taken into consideration. Individual courses may have specific entry requirements, so you are advised to consult the postgraduate prospectus for further information.

International students who are unable to meet the Academic or English requirements for post graduate studies at SOAS, should consider our specifically designed programmes at IFCELS which could help you achieve your goals.

Fluency in English language is recommended for SOAS Online Academic Summer Schools. As a guide, we recommend that non-native English speakers should meet the following scores:

IELTS, 6.5 overall or higher, with at least 6 in all sub scores.
TOEFL Paper based test we require a minimum of 583 with minimum 53 in all skills and for TOEFL Internet Based Test we require a minimum of 93 with minimum 20 in all skills. 
Pearson Test of English a score of 59-64
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Grade B