Types of graduate degrees in the Arts

First, it is important to note that many schools offer graduate certificates (sometimes called "no credit"), which are less extensive than masters, but they offer some experience focused in one area. With the exception perhaps of the history of art, most of the titles listed below are available as a graduate certificate or master. Certification programs are ideal for arts professionals who do not have time to commit to a complete mastery. University of New York, for example, offers non-credit professional certificate in arts administration is separate from the New York University Masters in Visual Arts Administration.

It is also worth mentioning that some programs offer different types of masters: for example, Boston University awarded an MS in arts administration - not a master and not confuse my readers, but some programs call your title a masters graduate even thought it is not a program of study of art. These distinctions may be superficial, but it's worth paying attention.

History of Art: MA in art history degree is a very useful and flexible to the arts. Courses for degrees in art history tend to focus exclusively on academic subjects, which includes a fairly comprehensive art curriculum in the world - that is, there is probably little or no "real world" courses, such as the right of art or financial management or related classes. This does not mean that the art history classes are not practical: If you are interested in becoming a specialist in art of any kind - a conservative, appraiser or auction house, for example - need a firm foundation and Solid style art history in order to make creative judgments, or fix a price on an object. This title is highly recommended for anyone considering a career in fine arts curator. And remember, there are also more specialized graduate degrees in art history, as the title of the movie studios.

Arts Administration / Management: Arts Management degrees of focus, as one might assume on the next administration and the arts. This kind of flexibility in offering degrees that you can apply the techniques learned from managing the visual arts, performing arts, music, art and other public and private sectors. Courses for degrees in arts administration vary from program to program, but usually there is a strong emphasis on "practical" real classes related to administration, finance and business aspects of the arts, while Elective courses may give you an opportunity to take an art history or a course of study to complement his career. With these credentials, he is well qualified especially for the development, grant writing, and other administrative departments. And curriculum requirements vary from program to program, so I encourage you to do the necessary research to find one that best suits your needs. The degree of arts administration is an option for anyone who has an eye direction of the museum someday.

Museum Studies: This grade is similar to the extent the administration of the arts, but, of course, is specifically for students seeking a career in museums, and to a lesser extent in galleries, auction houses or other institutions. A museum studies degree offers flexibility in the type of museum can work: anthropology and natural history, science museums, children's museums and art galleries. With a degree in museum studies, may also be able to work in the departments of several museums, such as a register office or in the Museum's program. Depending on the curriculum of the program, you can acquire the credentials to open the door to more possibilities of curatorial or exhibition design for lack of fine art museums, but again, if you are looking for a curator of fine arts, teachers in art history is the way forward.

Curatorial Studies: As the name suggests, this title focuses on the history and curatorial practice. Along with the museum studies, this degree offers flexibility which can cure or exhibition design of various types of museums. In the curricula of conservation, it is possible that the curriculum to have more of a balance of academic orientation courses (in art history, theory, criticism, etc.) and workshops on curatorial practice that would a master's degree in arts administration. For example, the rigorous Curatorial Studies at Bard College, which is well seen, is a good example of an application program that balances academics and art professionals. The Institute of Fine Arts, the PhD program at the University of New York, curiously has a doctorate program in conservation studies, which is unusual. I stress again, however, that for someone interested in working with a fine arts institution, specializing in art history or style will be more valuable, and therefore the degree in art history recommended.

Arts Education: If you know you are interested in arts education, an MA in art education could be a political maneuver. This degree can get a job as a museum educator, we sometimes forget that museums are educational institutions and work in the education department of a museum can be fun and rewarding. You can also teach art in schools or community centers. Although it is geared more for an artist, the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston, in collaboration with Tufts University, offers an MAT - Masters of Arts in Teaching in Art Education.

Art Business: For someone who sees the art market as just that - a market - an MBA will give you the art of business acumen needed to compete in the international business of buying and selling art. These grades are quite new, based on a new sensitivity to globalization and the commodification of art, although I think the most versatile an MA in cultural management opens up like a master's degree in art business. A degree in the business of art that someone is well prepared for a career in commercial art - that is, an auction house or gallery. No wonder, then, that Sotheby's Art Institute offers an MBA of art. Sotheby 's, and Christie, and offers some specialized graduate degrees (in the contemporary art design, or the arts of China, to name a few), and as expected, the programs are very object-oriented and oriented for professional development. Ergo a degree of Christie or Sotheby's, of course, can set someone well for a career in their own institutions, despite their website they boast of having students in museums and galleries.

Art Therapy: Interested in the psychology of art? It is an indisputable fact that the creation of art and performance art are powerful methods of self-expression and recovery. With a combined approach in the visual arts (and sometimes music) and psychotherapy, art therapy programs that can be trained to help people use art to express themselves, or to use as a tool for recovering medical procedures or trauma. Patients range from children, the mentally ill disabed, the elderly in nursing care facilities or assisted living homes.

Combined degrees: It is becoming increasingly popular for arts administrators to obtain joint degrees higher - More and MBA - so they can become true leaders full of cultural institutions and nonprofit. The University of Cincinnati and Southern Methodist University, for example, both offer an MA / MBA in cultural management. For someone interested in becoming an assistant principal or director of an art institution, this may be the type of degree you want.

There are dozens of graduate degrees can be followed in the arts - these, I would say are probably the most common and popular. But you can also get a master's degree in "Modern Art, knowledgeable and history of the art market," Christie. My point is that there are other specialized titles out there, so that research is necessary in order to find the program that best suits your interests. Good luck!