Overview | Summary of Courses

Offered By:	Research School of Humanities
Academic Contact:	Kylie Message

From 2009 new enrolments will no longer be accepted into this program. For new and extended program changes see Graduate Coursework programs in Liberal Arts (Museums and Collections).

The information below is for continuing students.

The Master of Arts specialising in Museums and Collections is designed to train the candidate in Museums and Collections at a graduate level, to engage in advanced level research and to introduce the candidate to museum practices. It is a recognised degree in applied vocational training and for further study.

Prerequisites

Admission to the Master of Arts program is available by two means:

• Applicants for direct entry to the Master of Arts program should have obtained a Bachelor degree from an approved tertiary education institution, with passes at least at credit level in six courses other than first year courses; or
• Admission to Part B is available to students who have completed the coursework courses (36 units), or equivalent, for a Graduate Diploma of Arts, specialising in Museums and Collections with an overall average mark of 70%. In the case of students transferring from Graduate Diploma enrolment, the completed Graduate Diploma coursework will count as status for Part A of the MA degree.

In the case of students who enrol initially for the MA but who fail to achieve the required 70% average mark for coursework, they will have the option of reverting to Graduate Diploma enrolment and having that credential awarded on the basis of the level of coursework completed.

STATUS
Status may be granted for previous study at graduate level relevant to the degree.

Requirements

The degree is in two parts. In Part A, candidates are required normally to complete courses to the value of 36 units taught in the area of their specialization. Students must complete:

• at least three courses, other than Internship courses, from the Museums and Collections Specialisation
• electives from a nominated list, including courses in Anthropology, Art History and Curatorship, and History. Students may apply for permission to take courses that are not included in the nominated list.

Normally Internships are not available in the first semester of a student’s enrolment in the program: prospective candidates should contact the program convenor.

In order to proceed from Part A to Part B, a candidate must pass each course at their first attempt and achieve an overall 70% average or better.

Part B comprises an additional 36 units, normally comprising:

• A thesis of 30,000 words. The topic of the thesis has to be approved by the Dean on the recommendation of the Museums and Collections Program Convenor; OR
• A research project and supporting 15,000 word thesis. The research project may be undertaken in association with a placement in a museum or other cultural institution in Australia or overseas.

For a candidate to meet the requirements for admission to the degree, he or she must achieve a result of at least 70% (H2A) in the sub-thesis (Part B) component.  A candidate's degree performance will be determined as a fail where this result is not achieved.

The information published on the Study at ANU 2009 website applies to the 2009 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2008 website.