Department of Art Conservation

Art Conservation (MS)

Telephone: (302) 831-3489
http://www.artcons.udel.edu/
Faculty Listing: http://www.artcons.udel.edu/faculty/about-the-faculty

The Department of Art Conservation offers the Master of Science in Art Conservation and the Preservation Studies PhD.

The Winterthur/University Of Delaware MS Program In Art Conservation

Program Overview

The program offers a three-year interdisciplinary curriculum leading to a degree of Master of Science in Art Conservation. The program was established in the spring of 1974, as a cooperative effort between Winterthur and the University. The program is designed to educate and train conservation professionals who can carry out the examination, stabilization, and treatment of art and artifacts, are versed in general principles of collection care, and have a broad academic background in science and the humanities to assure enlightened decision making. The following subjects are to be studied: materials science, history of art, archaeology, art and artifact technology, craft skills, cultural context, preventive maintenance, art care treatment techniques and conservation history, ethics, and philosophy. Major conservation specialty areas include: preventive conservation and textiles, wood, paper, photographs, library materials, paintings, natural science collections, and anthropological, historical, decorative, and art objects of all materials.

Requirements For Admission

Only applicants who are accepted as Fellows in Conservation are admitted to the program. Positions will be awarded to college graduates who have completed coursework in art history, archaeology, studio art, and chemistry; the minimum of 400 hours of pre-program experience in conservation; and who can demonstrate academic and independent work in manual and studio skills. Specific course requirements are available online at http://www.artcons.udel.edu/masters/admissions-requirements.

Applications to the program must be filed by January 15. Admission is selective and competitive based on the number of well qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission.

Financial Aid

The fellowships are awarded annually. A full grant covers tuition for each semester and carries an annual stipend. Funding for professional development and research travel is also available by application.

Preservation Studies (PhD)

Telephone: (302) 831-3489
http://www.artcons.udel.edu/doctorate/about-the-doctoral-program
Faculty Listing: http://www.artcons.udel.edu/doctorate/faculty
Contact PSP Director, Joyce Hill Stoner jhstoner@udel.edu for additional information.

Program Overview

The Preservation Studies PhD in the department of Art Conservation is an interdisciplinary doctoral course of study that teaches the philosophies, research methodologies, and policies informing preservation efforts focused on art, architecture, landscapes, and material culture. It is distinct from other discipline-based courses of graduate study in that it provides a mechanism to combine cross-field expertise toward doctoral study in preservation. The Preservation Studies Program prepares students to address questions regarding individual objects and works of art, collections, buildings and structures, and sites and landscapes. More specifically, it trains its PhD candidates to 1) assess the significance and cultural contexts for the production, function, reception, and preservation of all aspects of visual and material culture; 2) identify, evaluate, and implement preservation practice and policy; and 3) integrate ideas and methods from the full range of preservation-related disciplines.

The Preservation Studies doctoral program builds on unique and distinguished programs at the University of Delaware. The Preservation Studies Program may involve collaboration with faculty and physical resources in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Engineering, Human Services, Education, and Public Policy, Marine and Earth Studies, and the Winterthur Museum. Applicants apply to a specific area of concentration within Preservation Studies, and acceptance is contingent upon compatibility with existing University of Delaware resources.

Requirements for Admission

Successful applicants to the Preservation Studies Program must hold a Master’s Degree in a discipline relevant to one of the program concentrations. All college and university transcripts should be submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education; these must come directly from the institution. The application must also include the following: a paragraph summary of intended dissertation research and the relation of this topic to existing UD expertise and resources and a personal statement discussing areas of interest, intellectual goals, and how this program would be seen to meet these goals. Applicants must demonstrate prior background work that will enable them to successfully complete graduate-level courses and conduct graduate-level research on the proposed dissertation topic. A professional and academic resume is required as is a writing sample to help the admissions committee assess the applicant’s ability to design and conduct a research project and to communicate findings to the scholarly community. Graduate Record Examination scores are required. Applicants for whom English is not a native language should submit TOEFL scores in order to demonstrate satisfactory proficiency in the English language. Applications must include three letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant’s ability to conduct research in the chosen area of concentration. The deadline for submission of an official application form to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education is February 1. The committee may request additional materials. An on-campus interview is strongly encouraged.

The Preservation Studies Program will convene a committee of at least three faculty members in the chosen area of expertise to process and consider the application after all materials listed above are received. Admission to the program will be selective and competitive based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities for each concentration and dissertation topic area. Applicants who meet stated minimum requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet all of those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

Financial Aid

Funding is competitive and may take the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. Please refer to Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships for further information.

Programs

• Art Conservation (MS)

• Preservation Studies (PhD)