Study course

Art Sciences

Master's study course in the Art Faculty

Teaching areas

The Master’s course in Art Sciences at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle combines the academic disciplines of Art History, Philosophy, and Art Education, focusing on the critical refinement of its concepts through specific art analysis. The programme's research areas encompass the reflection, exhibition, and mediation of art. Its placement at BURG, one of Germany's largest art universities with faculties in Art and Design, offers a unique proximity to artistic practice and its presentation platforms, allowing a continual examination of the academic approach in relation to its subject matter. A key focus of the programme is on the arts of the 20th and 21st centuries and their contextualisation.

This two-year programme within the Art faculity is intended for students who already hold a first degree in a field relevant to the scope of the Art Sciences Master’s course. The programme is research-oriented and provides advanced knowledge in art sciences as well as practical skills in areas such as curating, art criticism, and art education, applicable to both institutional and freelance career paths. Graduates of the Art Sciences programme are equipped to pursue doctoral research thereafter.

What do we offer?
 

The BURG is characterised by a stimulating culture of discussion, which is promoted by excursions that are part of the curriculum. The excursions in Germany and abroad, thematically prepared in seminars, lead to studios, studios, collections, specialist conferences, art fairs, biennials and public spaces as presentation venues for art. Interdisciplinary cooperation with the Master's degree course in Design Studies is also possible.

The BURG collection provides illustrative material and contains art and design objects, posters and photographs from over 100 years of university history. In conjunction with the extensive library and a growing collection of materials, it provides excellent conditions for in-depth study of your own research questions.

Exhibition spaces such as the Burg Galerie im Volkspark and student project spaces, which bring the art of the BURG to the public, become a testing ground for curatorial, reflective, judgemental and mediating practices.

There is also a close network with important cultural institutions in the city of Halle, such as museums and art associations, the Halle Opera House and the Francke Foundations. In addition, there are various partner institutions in Germany and abroad with which co-operation is possible and desired.
Due to the geographical location of Halle (Saale), day trips to interesting institutions or exhibitions, including Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Dessau, Magdeburg, Naumburg and Kassel, are possible at any time.

News

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Study schedule

A methodological preparatory course lays the foundation for independent academic work. The research approaches determined by the students themselves are continuously supervised by the teaching staff and supported by individual consultations and an interdisciplinary colloquium. Interdisciplinary work in small teams allows students to try out collaborative working processes.

As part of a project, students test the intermeshing of theory and practice as well as the practical representability of their research interests. In workshops with internationally renowned scientists and artists and through active involvement in conferences, the presentation and discussion of their own research results can be explored in a variety of ways.

Prerequisites

At least 6-semester BA, alternatively state examination or Diplom in a subject comparable to the focus of the Master's programme.

degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Selected courses

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Why should you apply for the Master's course in Art Sciences at the BURG? 

The study of the art and visual culture of the 20th and 21st centuries poses a particular challenge due to the permeable boundaries between genres and disciplines and the diversity of academic methods focussed on them. The interweaving of the three disciplines of Art History, Philosophy and Art Education provides a transdisciplinary, discursive and differentiated approach to a broad spectrum of phenomena. The Master's programme focuses on knowledge as a synthesis of aesthetic experiences and their analysis and thus promotes the development of reflective judgement. Curating, the mediation of art and art criticism are exemplary reference fields of art studies, which are placed on a solid historical and methodological basis here. Art and the sciences that reflect on it are recognised as potentials that have an impact on society and develop new, responsible ways of examining and presenting cultural foundations.

Requirements

The Master's course in Art Studies at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle is aimed both at graduates of Bachelor's or Diploma programs of at least six semesters' duration with a primarily creative-artistic emphasis and at graduates with a Bachelor's or State Examination in subjects such as art history, philosophy, art education or related fields. All applicants are subject to a course-specific entrance examination in which their academic qualifications are assessed. 

Documents

In addition to a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, diplomas and work samples (short texts such as an excerpt from the BA thesis), a letter of motivation must be submitted, which clearly shows the special interest in the contents of the study program and, if applicable, already indicates own research questions. The documents will be reviewed by an admissions committee consisting of the professors involved in the program.

After a comparative review of all application documents submitted by the deadline, the admissions committee invites suitable candidates to a selection interview, which will take place at the end of June.

Publications

Alle Publikationen
WOLFEN - BURG EDUCATION BOX 03
„WOLFEN“ ist eine Sammlung von Anregungen zum Nachdenken, spielerischen Impulsen und Ideen für Handlungen und Interaktionen zur Nutzung vor Ort im Rahmen des Festivals OSTEN.
ORTSBEGEGNUNG Bitterfeld
Die Publikation „ORTSBEGEGNUNG Bitterfeld" gibt Einblicke in die Ergebnisse eines zweijährigen fachbereichsübergreifenden Forschungsprojekts zu Transformationsprozessen im Mitteldeutschen Chemiedreieck.
SITZEN - BURG EDUCATION BOX 02
„SITZEN“ ist eine Sammlung von Fragen, Impulsen, Texten und Bildern. Diese fordern zum Beobachten, Handeln, Nachdenken und Kommunizieren über Sitzgelegenheiten, Gewohnheiten und Perspektivwechsel auf.