Art History and Visual Culture Studies

MA seminar in Olustvere, 2025

The aim of the MA program in Art History and Visual Culture is to educate researchers of art, visual culture, design and architecture who will continue their studies in doctoral school and are primarily interested in academic research, or who want to find occupation in the fields where the main output is text (for example, as an editor or critic). The emphasis within this program is on in-depth study of theoretical and methodological approaches, finding and developing one’s own research field, and acquiring competences in independent research within a broader context of humanities.

The studies focus on art historical research in its various stages and outputs: identifying research problems, planning and conducting research, presenting and discussing its results. Among the more practically oriented subjects, the program includes a seminar on art criticism, where the students practice writing different types of text, editorial internship, and an internship introducing work at a university. Master classes that focus on specific research problems, their historiography, and contemporary approaches play an important role in the program, as do courses by guest lecturers that, among other things, introduce the international context of art historical research.

In addition to core subjects, it is also possible to participate in courses of Museology and Curatorial Studies programs to look into different stages of academic research (e.g. working with museum collections) and its outputs (e.g. curating an exhibition).