Applications for 2025/26 study are now OPEN.
Please visit our Apply page for updates and full information on how to submit your application.
The MA Conservation course is suitable for applicants who can meet the entry requirements and who are highly motivated to continue developing the knowledge and skills needed to undertake the conservation of three dimensional cultural artefacts or books and paper.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
This course has up to 4 places available each year. Applicants for MA Conservation have to meet the minimum entry requirements, including the English Language Requirements (If you do not speak English as a first language), though there are three ways of doing so:
| 1. | Standard Educational |
| Applicants who have achieved a BA (Hons) in Conservation or a Conservation related subject. | |
| 2. | International Educational |
| Applicants who have achieved an international qualification equivalent to a BA (Hons) degree in Conservation or a related subject. | |
| 3. | Other experiential |
| Applicants who can demonstrate equivalent prior practice and experience, such as extensive work in administration; or perhaps minimal GCSE qualifications plus a number of years working in a Conservation context.
Using a process called Recognition /Accreditation of Prior Learning (R/APL), Art School Admissions Tutors consider how various work-life and (in)formal educational experiences meet the educational level of the entry requirements. Please see our Recognition/ Accreditation of Prior Learning Policy here. |
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
All applicants who do not speak English as a first language are required to provide evidence of their English language skills. The Art School cannot accept any applicant who scores lower than the equivalent of Level 6.5 on the standard English language tests (SELT) which can be taken with one of the recognised providers: with a minimum of 5.5 for listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
If you do not require a Student visa and wish to take The Cambridge English Exams, your score requires to be in the range of 176–184 or higher.
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR MA CONSERVATION
At interview we are seeking to determine the extent to which an applicant can:
| · demonstrate commitment and motivation for the course; |
| · evidence practical and theoretical knowledge of the subject; |
| · gather, research and synthesise information; |
| · critically evaluate their own achievements and recognise areas for development; |
| · evidence an interest in, and knowledge of, cultural objects and their historical context; |
| · demonstrate a range of hand skills and technical abilities; |
| · plan and prioritise their own time and set achievable goals; |
| · communicate ideas verbally and in writing; |
| · self-direct and evaluate their own work. |
We are also looking for evidence of:
| · manual dexterity; |
| · observational dexterity; |
| · an informed approach to problem solving and project management; |
| · an appetite to research objects, materials and their behaviour; |
| · patience and attention to detail. |
THE INTERVIEW
We interview all applicants who reach our minimum entrance requirements. For further details on the interview process please consult the Course page that you are interested in. All tutors involved are trained in the fair and equitable conduct of interviews and are fully conversant in the Art School’s Admissions Policy.
We encourage you to inform us in advance if the arrangements for your interview require adjustment due to an existing condition or disability. For example if you might require more time or specific access arrangements or other support. Our aim is to ensure that all eligible applicants are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their potential to study on the course.
INTERVIEW INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
The interview will be relatively informal and we want you to feel comfortable and confident. To ensure fairness and to help you prepare we have agreed upon a set of key questions that all applicants for their designated course will be asked at interview and these are set out below:
Please remember that the purpose of the interview is to enable you to demonstrate, and help us to see, your potential to study on the course. You should also use your interview visit as an opportunity to get a good idea about the Art School: our values and ethos, the course, and what studying here would be like and we encourage you to ask questions and see the interview as a two-way process.
PORTFOLIO
It is a requirement for you to submit a portfolio link in your application form.
For the digital portfolio, we recommend that you display 15-20 images. You should choose what you consider to be your strongest work undertaken within the last two years, representing the range of your interests and practice. We are not only interested in seeing finished work, so please include work in progress.
CONTACT US
If you’d like to find out more about Conservation at the Art School, you are advised to attend an Open Day – you can book your place here.
For more information and to discuss the application process with our Admissions Team, please email admissions@cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk or call us on 020 7091 1683.
Alternatively, you can send a WhatsApp or text message to +447379 678 596 and a member of our team will get back to you. Be sure to leave your name, contact number and email address and a brief outline of your query.