Arts and Culture: Contemporary Art History at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Are you fascinated by the world of art and culture? Then follow the master's programme in Arts and Culture.

You will learn about the developments in art, architecture, media, heritage, creative industry and design. The programme has five specialisations. Some specialisations place current affairs in a historical perspective, while others deal with the contemporary context of art, culture and media. Amsterdam offers a rich environment for connecting your academic development to the expertise of professionals.

Specialisations:

• Comparative Arts and Media Studies (English)
• Contemporary Art History (English)
• Design Cultures (English)

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Arts and Culture: Contemporary Art History

The master's programme in Arts and Culture offers high-quality education by nationally and internationally renowned professors and lecturers. You will take courses related to developments in art, architecture, media, heritage, creative industry and design.

The programme has five specialisations. Some specialisations place current affairs in a historical perspective, while others deal with the contemporary context of art, culture and media.

Three of the specialisations are taught entirely in English. The other two are taught in Dutch, with some lectures given in English.

Each specialisation is 60 EC, of which you have room to customise 6 to 12 EC. A number of courses are compulsory, but you will be given the opportunity to develop your own specialisation. You will do this through your choice of electives, the topics of your papers and, of course, the topic of your master’s thesis.

You will follow the course 'Trending Topics' together with the students of the other specialisations.

Facts and Figures

Summary

Study the art of the present

As part of the master's programme in Arts and Culture, the specialisation in Contemporary Art History focuses on visual, process-based and digital art from the 1960s until today. This specialisation trains you as an art historian who is equipped to tackle this complex but fascinating field. Not only will you develop thorough knowledge of today’s visual, process-based, and digital art, but you will also develop the skills to research, present and write about today's art. You will be well-equipped for a career in the cultural sector (museums, festivals, art galleries, archives), as an art critic or as a freelance cultural entrepreneur.

Today’s art includes installation art and site-specific projects, digital or new media art (interactive installations, locative media works, software art, networked art, electronic art and video art), and performative and activist projects.

What unites these art forms is that they directly address the complexity of today’s society, in which information technologies and globalisation play an ever-increasing role, leading to networked forms of artistic practice that transgress national and cultural borders. At the same time, artists are very aware of the heritage they build upon, deconstruct, commenting on, or appropriating art history, leading to various attempts to describe contemporary art with terms such as post-modern, post-conceptual, post-medium, and more recently even post-internet and post-digital – and post-contemporary.

The programme is built around five core courses (30EC), a study trip (6 EC) and a master’s thesis (18EC). You will also choose two elective courses (12 EC).

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Arts and Culture: Contemporary Art History

When you graduate from this master’s programme, you will be well-qualified for a variety of jobs. Many of our alumni have ended up in prestigious positions in the world of art and culture, or have gone on to complete the research master’s programme.

You will develop specific skills within in your specialisation, but there are also general research skills that you will learn. This combination of skills is a strong asset when entering the job market.

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Arts and Culture: Contemporary Art History

I have an international degree

Admission is based on a strict selection procedure. The Faculty’s Admissions Board will decide on your admission after evaluating your complete online application. In order to gain admission to any specialisation of the Arts and Culture Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university. Your degree should include at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or the equivalent.

Comparative Arts and Media Studies

The Master’s programme in Arts and Culture with a specialisation in Comparative Arts and Media Studies is designed for students with an academic Bachelor’s degree in either art, film, TV, digital media, or (visual) cultural studies. You may also be accepted if you have an academic Bachelor’s degree in another discipline within the Humanities (history, journalism, communication studies, comparative literature), if you have completed a major or specialisation in art, film, television, digital media, or visual culture that is equivalent to a minimum of 30 ECTS.

Design Cultures

The Master’s programme in Arts and Culture with a specialisation in Design Cultures is designed for students with an academic Bachelor’s degree in design, fashion, art or (visual) cultural studies. You may also be accepted if you have an academic Bachelor’s degree in other disciplines of the Humanities (history, journalism, communication studies) or in anthropology or sociology, with a major or specialisation in design, fashion, art or visual culture (equal to a minimum of 30 ECTS). Students with a historical and theoretical interest in the broad field of design are particularly welcome.

Contemporary Art History

Direct admission to the Master's programme in Arts and Culture, with a specialisation in Contemporary Art History, is possible with an academic Bachelor's degree (WO) in MKDA, art history or an equivalent degree. If you have an academic Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities (history, media studies, philosophy, cultural studies), you must have completed a minimum of 60 ECTS in art history/theory. You must also submit a complete application for review by the Admissions Board. 

Due to a lack of distinction between applied and academic universities abroad, the level of academic theory that you have studied will be determined based on your course descriptions, literature lists and sample of academic writing.

English language requirements

You must always present official test results proving your proficiency in English. You can apply online without having the test results, but in case you haven’t taken a test yet we advise you to plan a test date as soon as possible. The qualification or test result must have been awarded no more than two years prior to the proposed date of enrolment. Below you will find the minimum English test scores for the English taught programmes at the Faculty of Humanities:

• TOEFL score 600 paper based with a minimum of 55 in each of the subtests plus 4.0 in TWE, score 250 computer based or score 100 internet based with a minimum of 20-23 in each of the subtests).
• IELTS score of 7.0 overall band score (with none of the separate section scores dropping below a minimum score of 6.5).
• Cambridge English: Cambridge Proficiency Exam with score A, B, or C; or Cambridge Advanced Exam with score A, B, or C.

Exemptions from providing the English test scores are applicable to students, who:

• have completed an English-taught secondary or higher education degree in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia; or
• have earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an English-taught programme accredited by NVAO in the Netherlands, or
• have earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an accredited English-taught programme in another member state of the European Union

The required evidence should, if possible, be included with the complete application. If either unsatisfactory or no evidence of English language proficiency has been provided with the application, admission will be conditional upon the provision of such evidence. This condition will be clearly indicated on the offer letter and must be fulfilled before enrolment at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

See the Admission and language requirements page for further information on the general requirements.

I have a Bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university (Bachelor's degree from VU Amsterdam, VU pre-master’s certificate or a Bachelor’s degree from another university)

Comparative Arts and Media Studies

Admission to the master's programme in Arts & Culture, with a specialisation in Comparative Arts and Media Studies, is possible with a bachelor's degree in art, film, television, digital media or (visual) cultural studies.

If you have an academic bachelor’s degree in the Humanities (history, journalism, communication studies, comparative literature), you need to have a minimum of 30 ECTS in either art, film, television, digital media or (visual) cultural studies. Students with a theoretical interest are particularly welcome.

If you have an academic bachelor’s degree in the Humanities but have not obtained the required 30 ECTS in art, etc., you can apply for a premaster’s programme.

Design Cultures
Direct admission to the master’s programme in Arts and Culture, with a specialisation in Design Cultures, is possible with an academic bachelor’s degree (WO) in MKDA, art history, art, industrial design, graphic design, architectural design or fashion.

If you have an academic bachelor’s degree in history, (visual) cultural studies, anthropology or sociology, you must have completed a minimum of 30 ECTS in the history and/or theory of the decorative arts, dress, design or fashion. Students with an interest in history and theory are particularly welcome.

Contemporary Art History
Direct admission to the master's programme in Arts and Culture, with a specialisation in Contemporary Art History, is possible with an academic bachelor's degree (WO) in MKDA, art history or an equivalent degree.

If you have an academic bachelor’s degree in the Humanities (history, media studies, philosophy, cultural studies), you must have completed a minimum of 60 ECTS in art history/theory. You must submit application to the Admissions Board, who will decide if you are directly admissible or if you qualify for a premaster's programme. 

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