Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Master of Arts in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices
50, Singapore
MA
DURATION
12 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SGD 40,058
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
A new vision for curating, cultural heritage, and museum futures.
This unique Masters programme prepares graduates for future roles in the heritage and art sector embedded in the diverse cultural landscape of Southeast Asia.
The Master of Arts in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices (MA MSCP) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore offers an intensive, interdisciplinary programme designed to equip future curators, museum professionals, cultural producers, and educators with the critical, practical, and conceptual tools to engage with the complexities of today’s art and cultural landscapes.
The programme has been structured to organically integrate three critical frameworks - Curatorial Practices, Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage. Through this development, we cultivate a stronger interdisciplinary understanding for the cultural producers of the future. The programme prepares students on how exhibitions, archives, collections, and cultural narratives – past and present - are shaped, mediated, and mobilized in response to rapidly evolving social, political, and technological conditions - particularly within and beyond Southeast Asia.
Launched in 2018, the Master of Arts in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices is a pioneering programme and has been the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Developed with seed funding from the Economic Development Board and endorsed by the National Heritage Board of Singapore, the programme is residing under the care of the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA), a leading hub for critical thought in contemporary art and curatorial practices.
Why NTU?
The programme’s location in Singapore provides a unique vantage point to engage with one of the most dynamic cultural landscapes, connecting local cultural histories and regional ecologies with global discourses on art, cultural heritage, and change in institutional infrastructures.
Faculty
Students work closely with NTU’s distinguished faculty—curators and museum professionals, scholars, heritage specialists—while gaining hands-on experience through collaborative projects and internships. Our faculty has a wide network of partnerships with museums, archives, galleries, and cultural institutions across Southeast Asia and beyond.
The programme is chaired by Ute Meta Bauer, renowned curator, educator, and Founding Director of NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, and is co-directed by Dr Marc Glöde and Laura Miotto. Glöde is a film historian, curator, and theorist known for his work on experimental cinema, spatial politics, and exhibition histories. He has curated the Art Basel Film Programme and numerous international exhibitions. Miotto, an exhibition designer and architect, is Design Director at GSM Project and has shaped major museums projects including National Museum of Singapore, LKC Natural History Museum (Singapore) and Borneo Cultures Museum (Malaysia). The full-time teaching team also includes Dr. Franca Cole a museum and heritage specialist, with extensive global experience in archaeology, collection and conservation strategies.
Together, the faculty, coming from different backgrounds, brings world-class expertise and perspectives from across the curatorial, museum, and cultural heritage fields.
Special Facilities
NTU Centre of Contemporary Art Singapore and Library, Gillman Barracks; Lee Wee Nam Central Library, NTU Campus; Art, Design and Media Library, NTU Campus.
Graduates of the programme are well-equipped to pursue careers in the arts, culture, and heritage industries. Potential career paths include roles in the following sectors:
- Museums, galleries, and arts organisations – in the areas of curatorship, arts management, programming, research and publications, exhibition and collection management, curating residencies, designing exhibitions, education and outreach, and marketing.
- Private and public sector art commissioning – with roles in project management, outreach & education, conservation and maintenance, corporate and private collections.
- Art fairs, festivals, and biennales – in the field of curatorship, project management, outreach and marketing, publications, exhibition management and design, logistics.
- International auction houses – Including acquisitions, authentication, pricing, research, publications, and publicity.
- Academic and research institutions – Teaching and research positions, art criticism.
- Government ministries – including policy development, corporate communications, diplomatic support, funding, events and project management.
- Statutory boards – Management, funding administration, and event or project coordination.
- Publishing – Writing, and image editing, research, and copywriting.
- Media, broadcasting, and content production – ranging from journalism, writing, research, and production.
The MA in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices programme maintains strong connections with key art and cultural institutions and across the cultural ecosystem in Singapore, providing students with valuable professional exposure and networking opportunities.
Programme Structure & Duration
Course Structure
The one-year full-time or two-to four-year part-time curriculum combines academic rigour with professional experience. It is structured around three interconnected pillars:
Curatorial Practices: Explore new fields of curating from festivals, public, private and corporate organizations, as well as diverse formats such as art in non-art spaces and in the digital sphere encompassing the various audio-visual formats of artistic practices and the wide variety spaces of the curatorial today.
Museum Studies: Examine the expanding roles of museums in both public and private contexts. Their transformation—from traditional institutions to cross-disciplinary and digital spaces—reflects the evolving institutional frameworks across Southeast Asia.
Cultural Heritage: Engage with diverse approaches to studying, managing, and preserving local and regional cultural histories, with a focus on Southeast Asia—its material cultures and forms of presentation.
Students are required to pursue one specialisation within the programme. At the time of submission, prospective students must indicate the specialisation they wish to pursue and should also specify a second choice.
To graduate, students must complete a total of 30 Academic Units (AUs).
The requirements can be fulfilled through one of the following tracks:
10-Course Track
- Pass 1 Core Course (CC)
- Complete 4 Prescribed Electives (PE)
- Complete 5 additional Electives (E), chosen from either Electives or Prescribed Electives
Internship Track
- Pass 1 Core Course
- Complete 4 Prescribed Electives
- Complete 3 additional courses, chosen from either Electives or Prescribed Electives
- Complete a 10-week professional attachment at an approved art, museum, or heritage institution in Singapore or abroad. Submit a 5,000-word Internship Report upon completion of the attachment (6 AUs). A supervisor will be appointed to guide the student. Subject to availability.
Thesis Track
- Pass 1 Core Course
- Complete 4 Prescribed Electives
- Complete 3 additional courses, chosen from either Electives or Prescribed Electives
- Complete a 12,000–15,000-word Thesis on a subject approved by the MA Programme (6 AUs). The thesis may be based on primary source research or offer a reinterpretation of established aspects of a given subject. A supervisor with relevant expertise will be appointed to guide the student. Subject to approval.
Curriculum (for full-time students)
| Semester | From | To | Courses to Complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 13 weeks | August | November | 1 Cores 2 Prescribed Electives 1-3 Electives (or PE) |
| Semester 2 13 weeks | January | April | 2 Prescribed Electives 1-3 Electives (or PE) |
| Special Term 10 weeks | Mid April | June / July | Internship or Thesis Tracks |
Classes are taught in English and take place on the NTU Campus, at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore and other venues in town.
Curriculum
Curatorial Practices
Core Course
Introduction to Curatorial Practices
Prescribed Electives
- Spaces of the Curatorial
- Curating Time-based Art
- Curating Art in Public Space and Critical Spatial Practice
- Curating Residencies
- Curatorial Writing
- Education and Outreach
Museum Studies
Core Course
Introduction to Museum Studies
Prescribed Electives
- Collections, Care, Management
- Material vs Culture
- Exhibition Design in the Context of Museums
- Curatorship for Museums
- Cultural Histories of Southeast Asia
- Education and Outreach
Cultural Heritage
Core Course
Introduction to Cultural Heritage
Prescribed Electives
- Intangible Heritage
- Materialities in Tropical Climate
- Preservation Ethics and Decision Making
- Collections, Care, Management
- Visualisation of Cultural Heritage
- Planning and Designing for Heritage Sites
Electives
- Academic Skills, Research Methodologies, and Curatorial Writing
- A Critical Survey of Global Art Histories – From the Colonial to the Post-Colonial
- Art in Public Space and Critical Spatial Practice
- Southeast Asian Exhibition Histories and Curatorial Narratives
- Cultural Histories of Southeast Asia
- Global Art Histories – from the Colonial to the Post-Colonial
- Education and Outreach
Students may select additional Elective courses from the basket of Prescribed Electives offered under other pillars of this MA programme. Further Elective courses options may also be available from the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences’ graduate programmes. Both options are subject to the approval of the course instructor. All courses are to be confirmed by the beginning of the semester. Some courses might not be offered every semester.