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If you wish to enrol in this Master’s programme, you apply for one of 10 specialisations: one of nine conservation and restoration specialisations, or the Technical Art History specialisation. Each year, five of our ten specialisations are open for application.

The specialisations that start in the academic year 2024-2025, are:

In 2025-2026 the other five specialisations are open for application:

The practical component for the nine conservation and restoration specialisations focuses on the understanding and preservation of artworks of cultural value, and related research. In the Technical Art History programme, you develop your insight into the composition and making of historical objects in their art historical context, and you develop technical skills in scientific analysis to support your research. Interdisciplinary projects are part of the programme in all specialisations. All students participate in presentations, lectures and symposia. The Master’s programme concludes with an individual thesis research.

The programme has a workload of 120 ECTS. For conservation specialisations the programme consist of: 36 ECTS of theory courses, 24 ECTS of courses in the development of conservation skills (lectures/workshops), 30 ECTS of object-based conservation practice training courses, and 18 ECTS thesis. The Technical Art History specialisation has a setup that differs from the schedule below.

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • Skill Building for Conservation 1: Imaging and documentation
    Period 1
    6
  • Conservation Principles and Practice 1 (per specialisation)
    Period 1
    6
  • Chemistry of Materials in Art
    Period 2
    6
  • Theory, Ethics and Approaches in Technical Art History/Conservation
    Period 2
    6
  • Art Technological Source Research
    Period 3
    6
  • Skill Building for Conservation 2: Approaches to cleaning
    Period 4
    6
  • Conservation Principles and Practice 2 (per specialisation)
    Period 4
    6
  • Skill Building for Conservation 3: Adhering, consolidation and (re-)attachment
    Period 5
    6
  • Conservation Principles and Practice 3 (per specialisation)
    Period 5
    6
  • Preventive Conservation: risk assessment
    Period 6
    6
Compulsory course
Elective
Find All Courses in the UvA Course Catalogue
Copyright: UvA
To choose a career in conservation means to embark upon a lifetime journey of discovery and learning. Prof Ella Hendriks
The curriculum in more detail
Restoration in practice

In this Dutch video UvA students of the Master’s in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage talk about their restoration work in the Westerkerk in Enkhuizen.

Master’s programme: made up of two parts

The entire programme for becoming a conservator consists of two parts, the two-year Master’s programme and the two-year Advanced Professional Programme. The programme for a technical art historian consists of the two-year Master’s programme only.

Advanced Professional Programme

With the exception of graduates from the Technical Art History specialisation, students who have completed the Master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration can apply for the Advanced Professional Programme (APP). APP-admitted students receive a modest grant to cover the tuition fees and living costs.

  • The APP is largely taught in a conservation studio, either in the Atelier Building, Humanities Labs or in external studios. It consists of conservation practice modules in which the trainee conservator-restorer takes part in conservation and research projects, studying with increasing independence.
  • In supportive modules during the first year of the APP, students further develop their academic skills and gain advanced knowledge on relevant topics (analytical techniques, specialist conservation skills, business management, conservation ethics). In the second year of the APP, a three-month independent research project is conducted, followed by an eight-month internship period.
  • Upon completion of the APP, you will have satisfied the international criteria for conservator-restorers and will be able to establish yourself as an independent conservator-restorer in the conservation discipline you chose during your studies at UvA.
  • Currently, only students who have completed the Master’s in Conservation and Restoration at the University of Amsterdam can be admitted to the APP.

Qualification

Completion of the Master’s degree qualifies you as an academic scholar in the field of Technical Art History or in Conservation and Restoration. It does not qualify you to be a conservator. You qualify as a conservator by successfully completing the subsequent Advanced Professional Programme.

Frequently Asked Questions