Study programme
Our programme comprises 60 EC and consists of two semesters, running from September until January and from February until June. A semester is divided into two study periods.
Curriculum
The programme consists of compulsory courses, an elective, an internship and a Master's thesis. Check the study schedule (PDF).
Semester 1 | Courses
- In Thinking Arts & Society, you build academic knowledge and explore concepts that will help you frame and analyse artistic projects.
- In Exploring Arts & Society, you explore various ways of mapping the cultural field and its dimensions, and engage in a series of exercises that will help you build your skills and knowledge as an arts-professional.
- In Curating Arts & Society, you participate in a hands-on project and learn curatorial skills, including researching, writing, and presenting, in a practical manner.
- The course Researching Arts & Society centers around mapping different research methodologies and methods that are relevant for the field of Arts & Society. Weekly meetings combine instruction on research methodology and theoretical, political and ethical issues related to research on subjects, issues and phenomena related to Arts and Society.
- In Thesis Research Lab, you will develop your individual research trajectory and prepare for the MA thesis.
- The elective offered by A&S (Arts & Society: fieldwork) focuses more exclusively on ethnographic research, exploring experimental forms of researching and reporting. You can also choose another elective offered by the Department of Media and Culture Studies.
Semester 2 | Internship and thesis
In the second semester, you will do your internship and work on your Master's thesis. It is highly recommended that the thesis be completed before students proceed to their internships. Examples of thesis titles:
Below, you can find an overview of courses from the current academic year of this Master's. Please note: The course offer is reviewed yearly. This overview is therefore subject to change.
Educational methods
- lecture (10%)
- seminar (20%)
- practical (20%)
- group work (10%)
- self-study (20%)
- internship (20%)
Students usually spend most of the time outside of contact hours reading and preparing for class.
Individual research is encouraged so as to develop your personal trajectory throughout the MA. We encourage students to think about their research interests and to lay the groundwork for thesis research from the very beginning of the programme.
Due to the workload, we encourage students who need to work alongside their studies to opt for a 2-year part-time trajectory.
Internships
Students in the Master’s programme in Arts and Society find internships in a variety of cultural organisations, some of which are cultural partners with active partnerships with faculty at our department. Here is a list of organisations our students have interned at in previous years:
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Keep in mind that most organisations in the Netherlands use Dutch as their working language. However, you can also do an internship abroad, at a research project at a university or at an international organisation.
Examinations
- oral and audiovisual presentations
- portfolio
- peer feedback and assessment
- essays, reports and final thesis
Extra opportunities
For students looking for an extra challenge in addition to their Master's, there are several options. Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ offers several honours programmes for students looking for an extra challenge. Honours education is followed on top of your regular Master's programme and goes beyond the regular curriculum. Honours programmes are available at interdisciplinary level and allow you to work on projects that transcend your own discipline.