MA Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage

Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

Affiliated with the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at The Courtauld, the MA is focused on the study and preservation of cultural heritage created and connected to the beliefs, practices, and diverse traditions of Buddhism. Unique in its concept and content, this interdisciplinary programme-which harnesses the combined perspective of both art history and conservation-aims to expand the ways in which Buddhist material culture is researched, engaged with, and preserved, in order to build knowledge and critical thinking abilities in the next generation of heritage and museum professionals.

In this programme, you will gain an understanding of Buddhist heritage through the study of diverse objects and sites from the Buddhist world, in collections and in situ, spanning wide geographies, cultures, and temporal landscapes. Students will learn about current topics in the research, preservation, and protection of Buddhist heritage and the economic, socio-political, and environmental contexts in which they exist. You will also be introduced to the ethical and sustainable challenges of these pursuits from both a theoretical and practical vantage point.

The degree is taught by leading specialists in Conservation and Buddhist Art. Teaching in the first semester begins with foundational courses in Buddhist art history and conservation in the second term, a jointly taught class integrates these disciplines through case studies and key themes and finally, an independent research project is undertaken with the writing of a dissertation. Experiential learning is an important component of this program that exposes students to a rich body of Buddhist material culture through site visits to UK-based collections as well as a study trip abroad to develop appreciation for and to provide first-hand experience of conservation and management challenges.

Careers and employability

The degree will provide you with the ability to integrate, present and contextualise research related to the history of Buddhist Heritage and its conservation and effectively summarise research and use it to support an argument made in a small-group or team setting. The course is designed to allow you to pursue further specialist conservation education, or related fields such as art-historical research, curating, or site-management. Graduates of the course have gone on to study Wall Painting Conservation, and have leading roles in collections and museums.