MA in Curatorial Practice

About the program
The master of arts degree in Curatorial Practice at the School of Visual Arts in New York City is an immersive two-year program with an intense focus on professional training in every aspect of curatorial work, while addressing the crucial issues of our times. Studying with our renowned faculty and experts in small case-study seminars, writing workshops, and professional practice workshops held at major museums, along with visits to artist residencies to introduce our students to artists from across the globe, the depth of preparation is truly encompassing to ensure that you’re ready to work professionally.

Our hands-on training, along with the study of relevant history, theory, and philosophy, is joined with international fieldwork and internships. You’ll have the opportunity to spend time during the summer between the two years of the program training at institutions around the world with leading curators carefully selected to work with you as mentors. As well, during four semesters in our space in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, close to hundreds of art galleries and museums, more than fifty international curators will join you to talk about their work, giving you the chance to interact with them and build a global network of connections toward your own professional practice. Our students go on to curatorial jobs at museums and institutions in the US, Europe, Asia, and South America, sometimes with the curators who mentored them during their internship.

Along with the depth of practical, historical, and theoretical studies, our students get to produce several exhibitions and curatorial projects, all subsidized by us, working in our innovative gallery space here at the School of Visual Arts and elsewhere in New York. We consider curating another form of making within the context of an art school, and our students can meet and work with artists across every creative field here at SVA, along with the vast number of cultural producers in the city, as well as attending the city’s immense cultural offerings. Find out more about the program here.

Financial aid
We give our students the place and time to expand their thinking and skills as curators, and we offer merit-based scholarships to support them. Social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are central to our program and to all of the School of Visual Arts.

Information session and visiting
Visit with us online for a special information session on November 16 at 10am by registering here. You are always welcome to come see us in person by appointment. Please contact us at macp@sva.edu. Or apply now for Fall 2024. Applications are due January 15, 2024.