Visual Cultures and Art History

The goal of this tuition fee-paid programme is to create a place of academic and practical training in the field of visual cultures and art history. The main ambition of the programme is: 1) to develop indepth knowledge of visual cultures from the Middle Ages to the present day, with a particular focus on the role of visual media in constructing and shaping societies and cultures; 2) to promote skills in independent and collaborative academic research, critical thinking and cultural mediation in both academic and non-academic institutions (i.e., museums, galleries, research institutes, publishing houses); 3) to promote an interdisciplinary approach to visual and material cultures and art history; 4) to create an international network of institutions involved in training Master students.

“Art history for the visual present”

Practical training

Special focus on practical skills, both academic and non-academic, will be an integral part of the master’s programme. As part of their curriculum, students undergo a semester long, mandatory traineeship in a cultural or academic institution. Traineeship roles take place in museums, international research institutes, cultural foundations, and publishing houses.

Further information

https://www.phil.muni.cz/en/studies/study-programmes-in-english

• Academic research
• Cultural management and heritage protection
• Art consulting and gallery assistance
• Tourism
• Journalism and media (press and publishing, radio, television, online services)
• Pedagogy (high schools, teaching to adults, university) and mediation of art
• Diplomacy

Only applicants holding a Bachelor´s diploma in arts history or related fields can be admitted to this Master's study programme after passing the entrance examination

Detailed info can be found here.

Criteria for evaluation

1st Round – Document Evaluation (max. 50 points, min. 25 to pass to the next round)

• Motivation letter – max. 10 points
• Completed courses – max. 25 points
• Bachelor’s thesis (or another academic text) – max. 15 points

2nd Round – Interview (max. 50 points, min. 25 to pass the exam)

• Knowledge of the history of visual culture from the Middle Ages to the present – max. 15 points
• Familiarity with research conducted at the Department of Art History – max. 15 points
• An idea of the applicant’s own research focus and direction, possibly including a concept for the master’s thesis – max. 20 points

How the interview is conducted and what will be assessed:

In the first part of the interview, the candidate briefly introduces themselves, describes their experience with the field, and outlines their areas of interest. This is followed by a discussion during which the committee verifies the candidate’s knowledge in the following areas:

1. The field of the history of visual culture
2. Research topics addressed at the Department of Art History
3. The area the candidate wishes to focus on in their own research (including the master’s thesis)

Students trained within the master’s programme will have a highly competitive profile for applying to a Ph.D. programme at a university in the Czech Republic or abroad. The training in independent research, in-depth knowledge of visual cultures, and in practical skills makes graduates competitive candidates for doctoral programmes. Students trained in this programme are also ideal candidates for postgraduate studies in the fields related to visual studies, media, and art history.a