The Graduate Diploma Arts: Conservation is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on skills development and will give you the opportunity to gather the skills and experience necessary to complement your pre-existing skill-set, supporting you to access postgraduate level study on our MA Conservation course. The second part centres around developing your portfolio, enabling you to synthesise pre-existing and newly acquired skills, knowledge and understanding.
UNIT ONE – SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Working with our specialist tutors to analyse your existing skills and knowledge and identify areas that require development, you will form an agreed study plan. Your study plan will include a range of projects from our Conservation undergraduate programme combined with your specific tasks and goals. Tutorials will provide opportunities to reflect on and review your progress towards your goals. Throughout your learning programme you will maintain a Personal Development Archive, which will record and reflect upon your research findings and skills development. You will present your work as a project portfolio for assessment and your work will be assessed as equivalent to Level 6 or third year BA (Hons).
Your programme will be delivered by specialist tutors from our Conservation Department and you will learn alongside students studying on the BA(Hons) Conservation Studies course. You’ll learn through a range of methods including workshops, seminars, lectures, 1 to 1 tutorials, group critiques, self-directed study and work on live projects.
The standard assessment requirements for this unit will include a portfolio of project work, your Personal Development Archive and an illustrated self-evaluation report of 500-750 words.
UNIT TWO – PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT
Following feedback and discussion of the outcomes of the assessment of the Skills Development unit, you will propose the next phase of your study plan by selecting relevant taught sessions and projects from the BA (Hons) course. Whilst being supported by regular meetings with your tutor, this unit requires you to take increasing responsibility for the direction of your work.
The main focus of the unit is to enable you to develop a strong portfolio that evidences the range and depth of the knowledge and skills you have acquired and/or further developed through the course. Your project work should therefore be sufficiently ambitious to ensure that you can demonstrate the necessary depth of understanding and technical proficiency required to tackle the challenges of postgraduate study in the conservation of historic objects.
You will be allocated a space for the summer Degree Show to present selected work alongside the BA (Hons) Conservation Studies students, providing valuable professional practice opportunities for you and a fitting conclusion to your work during the year.
Full details can be found in the Course Handbook.