The MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme.

In order to be permitted to proceed to the MA programme in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism a candidate must hold either (a) a primary degree in the History of Art at 2H1 level or equivalent, or (b) Art School students should have a 2H1 minimum in their History of Art classes or equivalent, and (c) a one-page statement of purpose acceptable to History of Art Staff, detailing the student's interest in the programme, and their particular research interests and methodologies to date, and their future professional goals. In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the approval of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, candidates who hold a primary degree other than Second Class Honours, and who demonstrate a high level of significant and relevant experience, may also be eligible for entry to the programme. Final acceptance is subject to approval by the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC.

Students take 90 credits as follows:

Part I
HA6006 Theory for Art History (10 credits)
HA6007 Modern Art and Modernity (10 credits)
HA6009 Contemporary Art (10 credits)
HA6010 Literature Review (Directed Study/Supervised Research) (5 credits)
HA6021 Early Modernisms and the Experience of Modernity (10 credits)

Part II
HA6011 History of Art Dissertation (45 credits)

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2016 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules 2015/2016.

Postgraduate Certificate in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism
Students passing modules to the value of at least 30 credits and achieving an aggregate of 40 per cent across modules to the value of 45 credits in Part I may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in History of Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism.

Programme Learning Outcomes for MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Identify and cogently discuss key artists, movements and critical debates in modern and contemporary art;
• Engage in precise, sustained and lucid formal analysis of works of art, in both oral and written form;
• Formulate coherent proposals for original scholarly research according to postgraduate standards;
• Deliver creative and robust independent research, presented and referenced according to postgraduate standards;
• Write a variety of other critical texts, from seminar presentations to analytical literature reviews, at a high level of proficiency in both content and written form;
• Communicate creative independent ideas about the critical and theoretical literature of art history.

Programme Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Certificate in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate some familiarity with the most important art historical concepts and approaches;
• Recognise a range of theories relevant to visual arts;
• Apply art historical concepts and questions to a wide range of artworks in the modern period;
• Write critical essays to a professional standard;
• Interact and communicate with other students in an inter-disciplinary setting.