Ready for a professional blend of Art History, Museum and Curatorial studies? Do you love research? Fancy a 5-month internship? Our research Master's programme immerses you in innovative approaches to the history of art and related digital methods, curatorial and conservation questions and ecological and transcultural challenges. We work in close connection with art and heritage institutes and museums. You will become part of an international community of students and teachers, committed and passionate about art.

A broad range for you to explore

Art History in Utrecht focuses on art, architecture and cultural heritage from the Middle Ages to the present by way of close engagement with artworks as well as dialogue with artists, curators and other cultural makers.

Together, we will focus on conservation issues, curating, transcultural dialogue, heritage and ecological challenges and (inter)disciplinary research. You will discuss art, exhibitions with artists, experts and other art professionals. You will learn about digital preservation, art and virtual reality and get to work in our Artlab. In Brussels, we visit artists' museums. Learn about diversity in the museum world, the materials of both older and contemporary art and the challenges they pose as well as the post-colonial realities of art and exhibition making.

Go to study programme

Am I eligible?

Art History is a selective Master’s programme, with motivation and a passion for object-based research being the key criteria for selection. Do you want to know if you are eligible for this Master?

Check the entry requirements

Why this programme in Utrecht?

Maia Kenney did a curatorial internship at Centraal Museum external link in Utrecht

Your interest, your career

You are invited to develop and pursue your own interests in scholarly work, long-term internships, tutorials, thesis, electives… We have students doing internships in Canada, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and many more countries. We guide and help you in your first steps to an art, curatorial or museum career, a  PhD research or other professional commitments in the cultural, research or educational sector.

Be part of our Artlab

Our Artlab is a hub where students, researchers and scholars from the humanities and the sciences come together to research, teach, discover and engage with art, cultural heritage, and its historical techniques and materials. Special attention goes to the practical and theoretical expertise of artists, artisans, conservators and architects. Link: https://artlab.sites.uu.nl/

Our academic staff

Carlo Scarpa Exhibition design, Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam, picture: Patrick Van Rossem
Carlo Scarpa Exhibition design, Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam, picture: Patrick Van Rossem

Utrecht allows you to benefit from the expertise of teachers and researchers across a wide spatial and historical range of material and visual culture, including the Heritage Lab, the Descartes Centre for the History of Science and the Humanitiesthe Institute for Cultural Enquiry, the Centre for Early Modern Studies and Centre for Medieval Studies. Teaching is frequently hands-on and on-site: courses connect to ongoing academic projects and curatorial projects. 

Meet our academic staff

After graduation

You will gain expertise in regard to objects of art and material culture that prepares you for a career in academia, museums, and other heritage institutions. This includes the practicalities of research design and fundraising.

More on career prospects

The skills I obtained in Utrecht, such as setting up your own research projects, investigating primary and secondary sources, and conveying your findings in a comprehensive way, are all skills I still profit from daily.

Key facts

Degree: 
Arts & Culture (research)
Language of instruction: 
English
Mode of study: 
Full-time
Study duration: 
2 years
Start: 
September
Tuition fees: 
Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2024-2025: € 2,530

Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) 2024-2025: € 20,043

More information about fees
Croho code: 
60829
Accreditation: 
Accredited by the NVAO
Faculty: 
Humanities
Graduate school: 
Humanities