FACTSHEET
RESEARCH MASTER’SPROGRAMME ART HISTORY
Welcome to the Research Master’s Programme Art History at Utrecht University!
The aim of this factsheet is to provide in a systematical way practical information about the programme, the university, and inspiring extra-curricular activities
Dr. Patrick van Rossem
D R . P ATRICK VAN R OSSEM CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE
Programme coordinator RMA Art History
DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
The four RMA programmes of Arts and Culture have a common curriculum committee. It is an important committee, for it includes student members. We hope you will stand as a candidate and get involved! See the website for more information.
Many of your peers got involved in the Utrecht graduate journal of the humanities called Junctions (http://junctionsjournal.org/). This is a good opportunity to get some of your papers published.
MA Conference grants
Research Master students are encouraged to participate in international conferences. To stimulate this participation, the Graduate School of Humanities awards several Conference Grants over the year. Students who wish to be considered for such a grant are asked to submit a proposal.
Deadlines for applications are usually on 1 May and 1 December. Please contact the Graduate School of Humanities (GSHumanities@uu.nl) for more information.
CORE TEAM OF LECTURERS
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Programme Art History. Modern and contemporary art, particularly post 1960’s art.
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Arts of the 18th-19th centuries: the role of cultural transfers and dynamics of international circulation in the emergence of new forms of (national) historical representation in the arts.
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Late-medieval and early-modern visual culture, with an interest in digital methodologies
‘Technique in the Arts: Concepts, Practices, Expertise, 1500-1950’
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Early modern art, with a focus on the Dutch 17th century and the global connections that shaped it, as well as the opportunities that non-Western artworks provide to look back at the Netherlands.
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The interdependence of the history of art with the history of materials, techniques and science.
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Late Medieval and Renaissance art in Italy and the Low Countries
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West-European painting from the period 1800-1940, the history of art history and of art collecting, the social economic aspects of art, and digital art history. Director RKD, The Hague.
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Contemp. visual art, mapping the urban, and migration through its role within identity politics and multiple belongings.
DR P ATRICK VAN R OSSEM Coordinator
the RMA
P ROF . DR . S VEN D UPRÉ Art, Science and Technology, Scientific Director ARTECHNE project
P ROF DR T HIJS W ESTSTEIJN
D R . E VELINE D ENEER
D R . M ARJOLIJN B OL
P ROF . DR . C HRIS S TOLWIJK
D R L IA C OSTINER
D R V ICTOR S CHMIDT
DR . L ORA S ARIASLAN
STUDY ADVISORS
Facing issues with your studies? The study advisors are there to help and support you to successfully complete your degree. They can act as confidential counsellors, advise on issues regarding illness and special circumstances and, together with you, look at the possibility to cope with the studies while dealing with disabilities or chronic illnesses. They can also help with specific arrangements and procedures, such as complaints, objections and appeals. You can find more information on the study advisors on the university website, at https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/art-history/contact/study-advisor or click on their names below! Click on the name of the study advisor to see who to contact if you have questions about your programme.
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THIS PROGRAMME
This Research Master’s programme focuses on important new developments in art history and its methods, material culture, and museums. At the same time, the programme enables you to pursue and develop your personal interests and specializations.
On a general level, we will invite you to analyze and evaluate major theories and methods in art history, and to assess new trends in art historical research in our present age, including transcultural, or global, art history, technical art history, and digital art history.
At Utrecht University, the discipline of art history has a strong international focus. In your second year, you will undertake an internship (placement) at a major art museum or art research institution for a semester. You can do your internship in a Dutch museum (as non-Dutch students often do), or you can go abroad to, e.g., Belgium, Germany, or the UK
Alternatively, you may choose to study at a European or North American university for a semester. It will be important to discuss either option with the programme coordinator.
On the student website you will find more information about your programme, ranging from an overview of courses to policies and procedures. Visit https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/art-history/curriculum
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
In the programme you will be studying in direct contact with your teachers. Most of the teaching in the first year will be in the form of seminars, for which there are weekly assignments. Every course involves a substantial amount of writing that will be assessed and graded. In some courses, an oral presentation will be the basis for your essay.
If the circumstances allow it, there will be excursions to museums and related research institutions in the context of a course. Also, you will be expected to visit major exhibitions and collections yourself.
‘MASTER-APPRENTICE’ MODULES
The ‘master-apprentice’ modules are no regular courses, with weekly scheduled seminars or lectures. Essentially, they are tutorials. You need to approach a teacher with whom you want to work on a particular subject, period, or approach, and make arrangements with her/him.
There are various ways to design this module. Together with your teacher, you can compile a reading list and write a critical report (see below), to be discussed in a ‘conversation’. You can also actively engage, or participate, in the current research of your teacher. In the latter case, the amount of reading and writing should be similar to the other option.
Reading list
With your teacher, you compile a reading list, varying between 650 – 1300 pages, depending on the subject. The reading list should contain general introductions to the subject as well as specialized studies. There should also be a balance between books (monographs, scholarly exhibition catalogues), articles, and, when appropriate, primary sources. The reading list needs to be approved by your teacher
COURSE PLANNER: You will find more information on this programme’s courses in the Course
Planner:
https://cursusplanner.uu.nl
/english/study/AC-OKUM21
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this master’s programme:
✓ You will have specialized knowledge, insight and skills in the field of Art History from the Middle Ages to the present day, with special reference to technical, transcultural and digital approaches.
✓ You will be prepared for a PhD programme in the field of Art history or museum studies.
✓ You will be prepared for an alternative career demanding research and analytical skills in the field of art history, particularly in museums and art research heritage institutions
Essay
The essay should be about 3000-6000 words, and contain a critical reflection (that is, not just a summary) on the literature consulted (as to, e.g., content, methodology, use of primary and secondary sources) and the usefulness thereof (and that also includes aspects that were missing and suggestions for future research). The second part of the essay may be focused on a special subject.
Discussions
The essay will be the basis of a final discussion. When needed, you and your teacher can also plan intermediate sessions to discuss the literature from the reading list. The result of the discussion(s), will be reflected in the final version of the essay.
Additional information
One ‘master-apprentice’ module is obligatory, but you can also follow two. You can follow a ‘master-apprentice’ module with a specialist outside the university, in which case you need to discuss your choice with the programme coordinator. And the specialist needs to be prepared to accommodate you. For such a module you need to use GKRMV16060 - MasterApprentice_Art History (open). It might be possible to substitute a course offered by the Research School Art History (OSK) for an additional ‘master-apprentice’ module. In that case you need to discuss this first with the programme coordinator. Additionally, your choice needs to be approved by the Board of Examiners.
You can use only one course code per tutorial. In case you want to follow another module on a similar theme (e.g., Golden Age, with a focus on the Northern Netherlands, and Golden Age, with a focus on the Southern Netherlands), you need to use GKRMV16060 - Master-Apprentice_Art History (open) for the additional module.
INTERNSHIP (YEAR 2)
In the first semester of the second year you will do an internship (placement) in a major art museum, or an art history related research institution. As an alternative for the internship, you can go to a university abroad to study for one semester. The overview on the next page gives you an idea of internship institutions throughout the years.
You can find practical information on how to find and how to plan an internship, as well as links to the forms that should be used on the website: https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/art-history/curriculum/internships
Good to know: EU students can apply for an Erasmus+ grant: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/nl.
Please keep in mind that holders of a non-EU passport may need an additional visa when they go to another EU country for their internship. And there are, of course, other countries that require a visa. You will need to apply for a visa yourself; the internship institutions will not do this for you.
Finishing your internship report
The major component in the assessment of the internship will be an extensive report consisting of the following parts:
an introduction (which explains, among other things, the choice of the institution) an introduction to the institution and its mission statement a description of the assignment a survey of the activities carried out a critical reflection and a conclusion your three interim reports all the papers, texts, and other writings (‘deliverables’) done during the internship; please add the latter, as well as the interim reports, in appendices.
On https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/art-history/curriculum/internships you can find all information.
THIS MASTER’S PROGRAMME AND OUR SOCIETY
The study of art history includes the study of the roles and functions of the visual arts in society, and of the institutions that collect, preserve, exhibit, and study the visuals arts, and cultural heritage in general. These issues will be addressed to a greater or lesser degree in every course, also on a theoretical level. However, the lectures series Art History: Institutions and Current Research is specifically designed to respond to current topics.
The role of the visual arts in society, and their agencies, are of prime importance during your second year, when you will do internship in an art museum, or art related institution. Particularly then it will become clear why we always propagate that your future work field will be, generally speaking, dual: not only academia, but also the world of museums, and art and heritage institutions. In other words, you will be prepared to embark on an academic career, starting with a PhD, but you can also find a position in the broader museum world. Or do both, of course!
Examples from your peers – Internship institutions
To give you an impression of the possibilities: below is a list of the most important institutions that provided internships since the academic year 2010-2011.
Netherlands Belgium UK and Ireland Germany
• Centraal Museum, Utrecht (2018-2019; 2020-2021, 2022-2023)
• De Appel, Centre of Contemporary Art, Amsterdam (2023-2024)
• Framer Framed, Amsterdam (2022-2023)
• Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem (2018-2019)
• Kunstmuseum, the Hague (2022-2023)
• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2010-2011; 2012-2013; 2013-2014; 2017-2018)
• Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden (2014-2015)
• Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), The Hague (2017-2018; 2020-2021; 2021-2022)
• NL-Lab, Amsterdam (2020-2021)
• Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (20202021)
• Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (2016-2017; 2017-2018; 2022-2023)
• Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede (2017-2018)
• Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden (2021-2022)
• Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam (2020-2021; 2021-2022)
• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2016-2017; 2017-2018; 2021-2022)
• Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2017-2018)
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (2013-2014) Westfries Museum, Hoorn (2021-2022)
• Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp (2013-2014; 2016-2017; 20172018)
• Museum Hof van Busluyden, Mechelen (2019-2020; 20202021)
• Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp (2012-2013; 20172018; 2021-2022)
• Museum PlantinMoretus, Antwerp (2017-2018)
• Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Gent (20112012; 2013-2014)
• Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIKIRPA), Brussels (20182019; 2021-2022)
• Rubenianum, Antwerpen (20182019)
• Rubenshuis (20192020)
• Stedelijke Musea (Groeningemuseum), Bruges (2010-2011; 2013-2014; 20162017; 2017-2018; 2022-2023)
• Stedelijke Musea (Memlingmuseum), Bruges (2014-2015)
• Ashmolean Museum Oxford (2016-2017)
• Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham (2010-2011; 20112012; 2014-2015; 2015-2016)
• National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh (2011-2012; 20122013; 2013-2014; 2015-2016; 20172018; 2019-2020; 2022-2023)
• National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (20122013; 2014-2015; 2015-2016)
• Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden (2010-2011)
• Gemäldegalerie, Berlin (2014-2015; 2016-2017)
• Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg (2013-2014)
• Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (2022-2023)
• Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin (2020-2021)
• Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2017-2018)
• Neue Pinakothek, Munich (2011-2012; 2012-2013; 20142015; 2016-2017)
Elsewhere in Europe
• Dutch University Institute for Art History (NIKI), Florence (2017-2018)
• Moderna Galerija Ljubljana (2022-2023)
• Munchmuseet, Oslo (2021-2022)
• Muzeum Narodowe, Warsaw (2016-2017)
• Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Art, Bratislava (20212022)
• Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest (2012-2013; 20212022)
IMPORTANT FOR HUMANITIES STUDENTS
New students students.uu.nl/hum-new Practical information for new students at the Humanities faculty.
Academic calendar students.uu.nl/hum-calendar
Information about days off, course registrations and change-of-enrolment days.
UU online
Information about our online systems and how to log in: students.uu.nl/hum-online In need of a manual? IT manuals: https://manuals.uu.nl/en
REGISTRATION, PROCEDURES, INTERNSHIP INFO
Student Information Desk Humanities students.uu.nl/hum-contact
Programme related matters, such as
• course registration
• course schedules
• study results & study progress (Osiris)
• graduation
Student Services students.uu.nl/en/contact/student-services
Studying at Utrecht University in general:
• registration as a UU student
• tuition fees
• elite athletes
• disability or chronic illness
Internship coordinator students.uu.nl/hum-internshipcoordinator
Information about:
• guidelines and procedures
• internship placements
QUESTIONS ABOUT ENTERING THE JOB MARKET
Career Services students.uu.nl/hum-careerservices
Advice on getting a job after graduation through workshops, CV check-up, and coaching. Your programme coordinator will inform you about programme-specific events.
NEED EXTRA HELP?
Study advisor: students.uu.nl/hum-studyadvisor
Student psychologist: students.uu.nl/psychologist
Workshops: Skills Lab: students.uu.nl/en-skillslab
THINKING OF GOING ABROAD ?
International office Humanities: students.uu.nl/hum-io
OTHER FACILITIES
University Library: students.uu.nl/hum-library
Olympos sports centre: olympos.nl/en-us/home.aspx
Parnassos cultural centre: uu.nl/en/parnassos
FACT! You can find your grades, student card and timetable in the MyUU portal and the MyUU app: students.uu.nl/en/myuu and students.uu.nl/en/ myuu-app
FACT! In the second semester, you will have to register in Osiris for courses you wish to attend. If you want to switch courses, you can do so on the change-ofenrolment days before the start of the relevant block.
FACT! Deadlines are always listed in the course syllabus, which your lecturer will provide approximately 2 weeks prior to the course’s ’start.
FACT! If you need more information about specific aspects of your programme, e.g. internships or thesis, please see the Curriculum page on the programme website via students.uu.nl/hum.
FACT! Check students. uu.nl/hum-studentlife for information about living, jobs, sports and leisure in Utrecht!
© June 2023. Utrecht University, Faculty of Humanities. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented in this factsheet is correct and up to date Utrecht University cannot be held liable for any false, inaccurate, or incomplete information presented herein
