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Master in History of Art and Archaeology : General

Master in History of Art and Archaeology : General

The 2024-2025 programme is subject to change. It is provided for information purposes only.

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    • Programme title
      Master in History of Art and Archaeology : General
    • Programme mnemonic
      MA-HHAAR
    • Programme organised by
      • Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences
    • Degree type
      Master 120 credits
    • Tier
      2nd cycle
    • Field and branch of study
      Human and social sciences/History, history of art, and archaeology
    • Schedule type
      Daytime
    • Languages of instruction
      french
    • Theoretical programme duration
      2 years
    • Campus
      Solbosch
    • Category / Topic
      Human and social sciences - History, history of art, and archaeology
    • Jury President
      Laurent BAVAY
    • Jury Secretary
      Olivier GOSSELAIN

    Presentation

    Details

    General information

    Degree type

    Master 120 credits

    Theoretical programme duration

    2 years

    Learning language(s)

    french

    Schedule type

    Daytime

    Campus

    Solbosch

    Category(ies) - Topic(s)

    Human and social sciences - History, history of art, and archaeology

    Organising faculty(s) and university(ies)
    Infor-études

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    Choose

    The information and guidance counsellors at the InfOR-études service will help you choose your studies throughout the year.

    Succeed

    Take part in preparatory courses or get help to succeed, before or during your studies.

    Get help

    Apply for financial aid, look for accommodation or a student job, get support for your specific needs.

    Presentation

    This programme helps students understand, explain, interpret, and put to use the major artistic trends and the many different facets of tangible culture produced by the human race. With a strong grounding in practice (visits, work placements in museums, excavation sites, conservation and restoration of works of art, etc.), direct contact with objects, images, and buildings, and through individual work, the programme develops the students' independence and expertise. Another goal of the Master in Archaeology and Art History is to provide students with advanced knowledge in a specific field of study, covering all periods and a large part of the world: Prehistory / Protohistory; Antiquity; the Middle Ages / Renaissance / Modern Times; Contemporary Art; Ancient America and Asia; Africa.

    Students will gain more specific skills in choosing one of the four specialisations offered:

    • The didactic specialisation prepares students for teaching in general and art in particular. It also aims at developing skills in reasoning and communicating knowledge, sought in many other sectors;

    • The Applied Archaeology specialisation prepares students for professional practice through work placements in museums, galleries and excavation sites;

    • The Visual Arts and Image Analysis specialisation deepens students’ training in interpreting images, taking into account their historical context;

    • The Museums and Conservation of Movable Heritage specialisation gives students a deep insight into the theoretical, ethical and practical issues associated with the conservation of a country’s movable heritage and its management in museums.

    With contributions from other fields of human sciences and pure sciences, it provides graduates with a qualification demonstrating their ability to tackle the many tasks arising from the need to update, analyse and interpret mankind’s heritage.

       

    This Master is the only one of its kind in the French-speaking region of Belgium. This is due to a number of factors:

    • the diverse range of periods and geographical areas studied;

    • the adaptable and in-depth nature of the skills developed in the fields of art and archaeology;

    • the wide range and high renown of the archaeological sites managed by the department’s archaeologists, and to which students are directly associated;

    • the active collaboration between ULB and major museums in Brussels, in the French-speaking community of Belgium, and in Europe, enabling students to familiarise themselves with the challenges related to conserving a country’s heritage.

    The practical aspects of the course are emphasized, both in archaeology or in “museumology”, and in terms of expertise and conservation-restoration of works of art. In Belgium and in several foreign countries, the ULB is conducting archaeological excavations (Spain, Italy, Greece, Syria, Egypt and Peru) and ethno-archaeological research (Niger). These missions provide students with work placement opportunities of great interest. The staff also maintain close contacts with several museums and research laboratories in Belgium and abroad.

    The ULB is also ideally located in a town packed full of libraries, museums, cinemas, cultural centres, and exhibition and conference halls.

    Access conditions

    Programme

    Much of the curriculum is devoted to personal projects (seminars, work placements, dissertation) and direct contacts with objects, images, or constructions, building on the skills acquired during the Bachelor.

    Five focuses are available for the Master in Archaeology and Art History:

    • the teaching focus prepares students to work as teachers—including as art teachers—, developing skills that promote teaching such as argumentation and knowledge sharing;

    • the practical focus on archaeology prepares students to work in a professional setting, with work placements in museums, art galleries, and excavation sites;

    • the focus on art and visual culture develops the students' ability to interpret images and take into account the historical context in which they were created;

    • the focus on museums and movable heritage conservation trains students on theoretical, ethical, and practical issues related to the conservation of movable heritage and its management in museums. It teaches students to fulfil the various tasks involved in updating, analysing, and conserving tangible heritage;

    • the European focus on archaeology and pre-Colombian art completes the curriculum of students who chose the elective on American studies, with a six-month exchange period (see ‘International’ section).

    What's next ?

    Prospects

    As a multi-purpose and practical programme, this Master can lead to a number of careers, whether in fields directly related to art and architecture or in other industries, such as museums, heritage restoration and conservation, art galleries, excavation sites, cultural departments within companies or ministries, secondary or post-secondary teaching, associations, and socio-cultural organisations.