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Conservation Center

Admission

Successful applicants to the Conservation Center have completed the following requirements:

Candidates for the Master's Degree in art history at the Institute may apply for transfer to the conservation training program after completing the requisite science and studio preparation.

The maximum number of students admitted per year is eight.

Visiting Students
One or two self-supported students from abroad may be accepted each year as visiting students. Students wishing to spend an academic year in residence at the Center must complete the Graduate School of Arts and Science application for admission, stipulating that they wish to come as a non-degree student. Visiting students are required to enroll in twelve points of tuition per semester.

For further information please contact Graduate Enrollment Services.

Application Information

Candidates wishing to be considered for academic year 2008-2009 admission to the Conservation Center must submit their applications by December 18, 2007. Application forms and information about tuition, fees, subsidized loans, and housing are only available from the GSAS, Office of Admissions.

For your application call (212) 998-8050, email , or download it at http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/Admissions/ObtainApp.html.

All application materials, including letters of recommendation, GRE scores, transcripts, and application fees should be sent to:

Graduate School of Arts and Science
Graduate Enrollment Services
New York University
P.O. Box 907
New York, NY 10276-0907

Do not send any application materials to the Conservation Center - this will only delay the application process.

For more information about the program call, fax or e-mail the Conservation Center.
Phone (212)992-5848
Fax (212)992-5851
e-mail:

Degree Requirements

General Course of Study:
Sixty-nine (69) points are required for the combined Master’s Degree in Art History and Advanced Certificate in the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

Fifteen conservation courses (45 points), non-credited courses in photodocumentation and polarized light microscopy, and a year-long Internship are required for the Advanced Certificate.

For the Master’s Degree, students enroll in six art history courses (24 points) in three major areas, including at least two seminars in two distribution areas.

First and Second Years:
Students follow the mandatory two-year cycle of introductory courses in conservation: Materials of Art and Archaeology I-IV and Technology and Structure of Works of Art I-IV. These courses are designed to complement one another and include lecture as well as laboratory instruction, with first- and second-year students working together.

In the four-semester cycle of Materials of Art and Archaeology I-IV, students are introduced to the chemical composition and identification of the materials used in the construction and conservation of works of art. In a two-year period, all major organic and inorganic materials are included, such as stone, glass, ceramics, paper, textiles, metals, and leather. Also included are the environmental factors and the risk management/preventive approach to the conservation of cultural property.

Technology and Structure of Works of Art I-IV, serves as a general introduction to the procedures historically followed by the artist in the fabrication of works of art, and the alterations resulting from mechanical and chemical forces as art objects age. The course is sub-divided into units focusing on paintings, ceramics, stone, textiles, paper, fresco, mosaics, and sculpture.

   

As prerequisite conservation courses are completed, students select advanced conservation seminars in specialized areas. Concurrently, students work on requirements for the M.A. in art history: six courses including two seminars, the First-Term Paper, language examinations in French and German, and two Qualifying Papers, one of which may be supervised by a member of the conservation faculty.

Third and Fourth Years:
During the first term of the third year, students take advanced courses in specialized areas of conservation and fulfill any remaining requirements for the Master’s degree. The advanced courses can be either those offered at the Conservation Center, or special projects in conservation facilities in the New York City area. This can involve training in museums or private laboratories or conducting specialized research under the supervision of the faculty and outside consultants. Simultaneously, students work with the Chairman of the Center to make arrangements for the full-time Internship, which normally follows completion of the M.A.

   

Program Outline

Two (2) additional art history courses and one (1) science elective must be completed at anytime during the second and third years of study.

For more information on all academic requirements, please see the Degree Requirements.