MS/MA Admission Requirements

Requirements for Admission

The study of art conservation requires a background in studio arts, art history, and laboratory science. Applicants need to provide evidence of having this experience, even if it falls outside their initial areas of study.

General Application Requirements

• Undergraduate B.A., B.F.A., or B.S. degree in any major. Students have come to the program with backgrounds in archaeology, art history, anthropology, classics, language studies, computer science, pre-med studies, studio arts, business, law, philosophy, etc.
• International students wishing to enter the conservation program must satisfy the same admission requirements as U.S. applicants.
• A reading knowledge of any one modern research language, other than English, to be tested once the student begins the program. International students focusing on a field of study in which their native language is relevant may be granted an exemption from the language requirement pending submission of an exemption form signed by their advisor and the Director of Masters Studies.
• Submission of a focused, 2-4 page, double-spaced Statement of Academic Purpose, a recent CV, and an optional personal statement (not required).
• One art history writing sample is required.
• The Institute requires at least three letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant's research and writing skills, and appropriateness to the art history and conservation fields.
• Courses taken in fulfillment of the admission requirements can be taken at any accredited institution, including community college, by enrolling as a non-degree matriculating student.
• Students who enroll in coursework at institutions that only provide pass/fail options, like the School of the Art Institute of Chicago or New College, should request instructor evaluations to be included with their application.
• It is optional for all applicants to declare a specialty, or remain undecided, when applying to the program.
• The GRE is not required for application to the conservation program.
• The Graduate School of Arts and Science requires applicants who are not native English speakers to submit official TOEFL or IELTS score results. The TOEFL/IELTS requirement is waived if the baccalaureate or master’s degree was (or will be) completed at an institution where the language of instruction is English.

Art History Requirements

• Minimum of four college-level courses in upper-level art history, not including introductory or survey-level courses. These art history courses should contain a strong writing and research component, where outcomes include substantially researched papers with proper citations and footnotes, following Chicago Manual of Style, or similar.
• Acceptable coursework could include studies of different time periods, an artist’s studio practice, artistic movements, and studies in archaeology.
• All prerequisite courses in art history must be completed at an accredited institution on a grade basis, not pass/fail, with grades of B or higher.
• Online coursework is not accepted.

Laboratory Science Requirements

• Minimum of four college-level laboratory science courses. These are courses with an integrated lab or separate lab sections. Combined labs for two-sequence courses are acceptable.
• Organic Chemistry I is required of all applicants. Organic Chemistry I must appear on the transcript either completed or in progress at time of application. Transcripts showing Organic Chemistry I in the spring semester following the application deadline will deem the application incomplete.
• Additional acceptable coursework can include: General/Inorganic Chemistry I & II, Organic Chemistry II, Physics, Biochemistry, Biology, or Material Science.
• Acceptable coursework for the TBM specialization, in addition to Organic Chemistry I, can include: Physical Computing, Computer Programming, Electronics, A/V Engineering, or Optics.
• Applied science courses, such as ecology, geology, environmental science, and astronomy are not permitted.
• Online hybrid coursework and high school advanced placement credits in laboratory science will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Laboratory sections should be taught in-person.
• All prerequisite courses in laboratory science must be completed at an accredited institution on a grade basis, not pass/fail, with grades of B or higher.

Studio Art Requirements

• Studio experience need not come from graded coursework.
• A five-piece studio art portfolio will be requested in the application and interview.
• Studio portfolios may contain examples of traditional artist techniques, e.g. watercolor, acrylics, oil paintings, photography, pen and ink drawings, etchings, screenprints, life drawings, pastels, charcoals, ceramics, etc., or more craft-based techniques, e.g. glassblowing, needlepoint, costuming, knitting, furniture making, jewelry making, crochet, weaving, or papermaking, as just some examples.
• At minimum, one piece should be representative of the intended specialization while also maintaining a broad portfolio offering.
• One studio entry must make use of color.
• Applicants who wish to study book conservation should be prepared to show examples of bookbinding as one of their areas of studio experience.
• Applicants to the TBM curriculum can show their experience with video editing, programming, circuit building, animation, app design, 3-D rendering/modeling, etc.

Prior Conservation Experience

• Pre-program conservation internship experience is not required for admission, and we actively discourage applicants from pursuing unpaid internships to gain treatment experience before graduate study at the Conservation Center. Instead, we are interested to learn about an applicant's in-depth engagement with conservation or associated fields such as collections care, registrar, curatorial, exhibition design, gallery management, their work as an artist’s assistant, or in professional framing shop, or materials analysis.

The Interview

• Select, qualified applicants are extended an invitation to a virtual interview with the Admissions Committee, composed of full- and part-time conservation faculty in March. At the interview, applicants must present evidence of their familiarity with, and knowledge of, a wide range of artists’ materials and techniques through the presentation of an object submitted in their studio art portfolio. An applicant will also be asked to prepare a short, five-minute presentation on a conservation topic of their choice.