Curating Contemporary Design MA (in partnership with the Design Museum)

This collaborative degree, between Kingston School of Art and The Design Museum, has grown into one of the world's foremost programs for design curators.

Taught by leading curators and designers, the course engages critically and creatively with our fast-changing, complex world. You will have the opportunity to curate live projects and build your professional profile, through The Design Museum and with institutions such as the Architectural Association, British Council, Gallery Fumi, and the Royal Academy of Arts. Led by both research and practice, this course has taught aspiring curators for more than fifteen years.

You will develop creative and practical skills for curating design exhibitions, public programs, and alternative curatorial formats. You will learn to critically reflect on curatorial practice, work trans-disciplinary and speak and write about contemporary design and curatorial practice.

Reasons to choose Kingston University

• The course is run jointly with The Design Museum; you will have access to inspiring curators, collections, archives, the library, exhibitions, and events.
• A strong focus of the course is on project work with briefs set by leading curators, designers, and critics, which address real-world issues and ask for critical responses. The projects are designed to develop skills in research, analysis, experimentation, communication, and presentation to peers, tutors, industry and collaborative partners, but most importantly the wider public.
• You will build your professional profile by curating live projects at the Design Museum and with institutions such as the British Council, the Royal Academy, and the Architecture Association.
• The partnership with The Design Museum offers access to inspiring curators and experienced museum staff, and also to The Design Museum's collections, library, archives, and a changing program of exhibitions and events.

• A 2:2 or above honours degree or equivalent qualification in an academic subject or creative practice field.

• IELTS of 6.5 overall, with no element below 5.5.

Our graduates have successful careers in prestigious roles in museums, galleries, universities and cultural organisations around the world.

Through our alumni, the course has developed an extensive international network of curators that include:

• Keinton Butler:

   

  Senior Curator of Design and Architecture, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), Sydney.
• Nina Due:

   

  Director, the Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg.
• Raphael Chikukwa:

   

  Chief Curator, National Gallery, Zimbabwe.
• Catherine Ince:

   

  Chief Curator, V&A East, London.
• Ning Li:

   

  Deputy Director of the Collection department, the China Art Museum, Shanghai.