Master of Cultural Materials Conservation
Course code: MC-CULMC
2 years full time / 4 years part time
1 or 1.5 years full time (or part time equivalent) with relevant prior qualifications
February
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) available
Access Melbourne is available
February
AUD $48,992 (2026 indicative first year fee)
IELTS 6.5: with no band less than 6.0
Course structure
Overview
200 point program (2 years full-time or part-time equivalent)
This is our most popular program for those who have completed undergraduate study in any discipline.
- Seven compulsory subjects (100 points)
- Capstone subjects (25 to 87.5 points)
- Elective subjects (12.5 to 75 points).
150 point program (1.5 years full-time or part-time equivalent)
This is our most popular program for those who have completed undergraduate study in a relevant discipline.
- Four compulsory subjects (50 points)
- Capstone subjects (25 to 87.5 points)
- Elective subjects (12.5 to 75 points).
100 point program (1 year full-time or part-time equivalent)
This is for Cultural Materials Conservation honours graduates, or those who have completed at least two years professional work experience in a closely related field, in addition to relevant background study.
- Two compulsory subjects (25 points)
- Capstone subjects (25 to 62.5 points)
- Elective subjects (12.5 to 50 points).
Capstone requirement
Capstone subject options must be completed in the final hundred points of the program. All students are required to complete at least one of the Capstone Options for the program. Where space permits in the students' study plan, students can take up to three Capstone options. This requirement cannot be waived or replaced in any circumstances.
For more information on subjects, Capstone streams, and detailed information, please view the Handbook entry for this course.
Understanding credit points
A 2-year program typically consists of 200 credit points.
A standard full-time study load is four subjects per semester, across two semesters per year (eight subjects per year), which equals 100 credit points per year.
Most subjects are worth 12.5 credit points*.
* Some subjects carry a heavier workload and may be worth more points.
Please note: The thesis requires two consecutive semesters of enrolment.
Explore this course
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this degree.
200 point program
2 years full time / 4 years part time. All students must complete one capstone option.
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Industry Internship · 12.5 pts |
In this subject students arrange and undertake an industry placement in cultural heritage. They work under the guidance of a senior cultural heritage practitioner within the workplace. Students carry out a set program of cultural heritage research, conservation projects and/or conservation practice involving complex decision making and the application of high level skills. During the internship an academic supervisor is available for consultation and advice. |
| RESPECT · 12.5 pts |
In this subject, students explore issues relating to the preservation of culture that is held beyond large collecting institutions. Students will develop an understanding of how the epistemology of cultural maintenance manifests in a range of societal and cultural practices. Students engage with issues relating to context, disruption, authenticity, legal standing, development, reinvention, identity and minority status. Students will understand how a broad intellectual engagement and the promotion of ideas and interests operate to produce outcomes for people who may not be in a position to engage with large collecting institutions. |
| Sustainable Collections · 12.5 pts |
This subject lays a critical foundation for effective professional practice as a preventive conservation conservator and steward for sustainable collection care. In this subject, students critically evaluate current theories, international standards and processes for sustaining heritage collections, to create sustainable environments. Students engage with the environment, situated decision-making and values, technical processes, risk management strategies, the ten agents of deterioration, and stakeholder structures. Students examine continuity and change, and considers how these can be effectively communicated and mitigated in centralised and de-centralised collection contexts. Off campus site visits are a regular activity for this subject, which may include visits to collection and conservation facilities, museums, galleries, library, archives and art centres. |
| Conservation Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject builds on the current philosophical and ethical approaches and the materials and techniques used in conservation interventions of cultural collections. Students learn to document the condition and materials of collections, to examine the value-based frameworks for the development of decisions and apply these in conservation actions. Students develop and carry out minor conservation actions on selected collections that are ethical, sustainable and achievable. This unit may include laboratory or field work in situ as an individual or group projects. During the pre-teaching period, students are encouraged to participate in a 1-hour orientation forum, engage with the online lectures, complete the course readings and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. |
| Technical Examination and Documentation · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to a range of technical examination and documentation methods. Visual examination methods include the use of: visible light (reflected, transmitted, raking), ultraviolet and infrared radiation and x-radiography. More invasive examination methods include: microscopy, sampling and chemical spot tests. Documentation methods include: photography, 3-D imaging, condition reporting and scientific report writing. Students will apply these fundamental examination and documentation techniques to the study of:
During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the online lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the LMS, which will become available at the commencement of the pre-teaching dates. |
| Cultural Materials Conservation Science · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students, who have an assumed knowledge of chemistry, with an introductory understanding of the chemistry and science that influences the properties and behaviour of a range of original and added materials, associated with cultural heritage materials. Within a conservation intervention hierarchy framework, students will apply their fundamental understanding of the relationship between materials (organic, inorganic and metal), their bonds, chemical structure, solubility and other properties to an understanding of the:
Students who do not have a background in Chemistry, can obtain this by doing the Chemistry Bridging Course, which will be offered by the Grimwade Centre prior to the delivery of this subject. |
| Conservation in Theory and Practice · 25 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the theoretical constructs and the practical applications that inform the profession and discipline of conservation. This subject explores conservation ethical issues, cultural considerations, policy frameworks and the economic environment and locates these within practice-led, treatment focussed classwork. The subject locates conservation decision making in the laboratory within a range of situated theories and practices that include community, laboratory, and museum and GLAM institution-based contexts. This subject develops haptic skills and knowledge in the handling and identification of materials and documentation of cultural material by enabling students to reflect on the strengths of aligning theory and practice. |
Elective subjects are selected and approved depending on the student's area of interest and study program. Consult with the program coordinator, refer to the Handbook and attend briefing sessions prior to enrolment for information about elective subjects.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Architectural Conservation in Asia · 12.5 pts |
This subject offers an overview of architectural conservation in Asia from an international perspective. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the subject explores how heritage principles and policies play out across a range of cultural and geographic contexts, influenced by various Asian building traditions and cultural histories. The subject also interrogates how different cultural contexts have shaped heritage theory and practice across Asia. Using case studies from China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia this subject will explore:
|
| Issues and Techniques in Global Heritage · 12.5 pts |
An introduction to current issues and techniques in the field of cultural heritage globally. It will survey differing philosophies and challenges being faced in the documentation, interpretation, support and management of conservation and cultural heritage of buildings, landscapes, sites and cities across the world. The study will proceed via detailed case studies examining projects from a range of scales that may include individual buildings and structures, natural and designed landscapes, urban places and precincts, as well as sites of cultural and historical significance. It will include issues such as twentieth-century heritage, heritage during time of war, and the roles of sustainability and tourism as emerging challenges and opportunities for global heritage. Key to this study will be the development of a critical appreciation of the differences and relevance of international heritage-based charters and international heritage organisations. We will look at UNESCO World Heritage listings and terms of significance, and key national and international charters and regulations. |
| Issues in Art Conservation · 12.5 pts |
This subject examines the history and theory of the conservation of art objects and collections, with particular reference to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Students will gain a theoretical grounding in issues relating to conservation and an understanding of professional networks and policy developments in art conservation in Australia and internationally. Issues considered will include: the preventative care of art objects, the history of conservation, ethical and theoretical issues raised by cleaning, restoration, and authentication, conservation approaches to disaster preparation and management, conservation issues in the display of works of art, and legal issues in conservation. |
| Collection Management · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the theory and practice of collection management as applied to collections of visual cultural material, with emphasis on works of art. This can range from wider debates regarding significance, ‘canons’ of art history and the impact of new technologies to specific skills associated with accessioning and de-accessioning, cataloguing systems, and collection policies. The subject will be taught in collaboration with the staff of the University of Melbourne’s Ian Potter Museum of Art. |
| Conservation Intensive · 12.5 pts |
The topics covered in this intensively taught subject will reflect those identified by the conservation sector as necessary and relevant to contemporary professional practice. The subject provides students with the opportunity to acquire and develop specialised skills in a professional industry setting. Lectures, seminars, and practical sessions will be led by national and internationally recognised experts. This unit is taught intensively over one week. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the course LMS. The LMS will be available at the beginning of the pre-teaching period. |
| Digital Protocols · 12.5 pts |
Digital Protocols examines the maintenance of culture using digital materials and methods. Emerging practices are presented using a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and group work. Students engage with the social and technical issues underpinning digital heritage, and the evolving artistic and institutional practices reshaping conservation through the digital preservation of media libraries, and the time-based media conservation of contemporary artworks. A critical engagement with persistent preservation practices is prioritised to develop practical conservation plans for distinct physical, economic cultural settings. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the LMS. The LMS will become available at the commencement of the pre-teaching dates. |
| Content in the Field · 12.5 pts |
This field-based subject critically frames cross-cultural work currently taking place in the culture and heritage sector. It ethically and practically teaches students how to generate cultural conservation content through community and knowledge holder consultation, working in partnership with stakeholders and in multidisciplinary teams, to the technical needs of on-site documentation and cultural materials conservation practice. |
| Analytical Science in Conservation · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to the fundamental principles and practical applications of the major analytical techniques used in cultural materials conservation. The subject builds upon the students' knowledge gained in CUMC90032 Technical Examination and Documentation, and CUMC90033 Cultural Materials Conservation Science. It covers methods accessible in a conservation laboratory and instrumental methods based upon:
Students learn to devise appropriate testing regimes, acquire control samples, prepare samples (eg. cross section), undertake analysis and manage analytical data. Students will gain an understanding of the practical application of a range of analytical techniques (including their advantages and disadvantages, their sampling requirements, and whether the sample is destroyed) and the interpretation of results. Students will apply fundamental examination and analytical techniques to the study of:
|
| Ngarranggarni: Gija Art and Country · 12.5 pts |
This on-country subject takes place at Warmun Art Centre and on surrounding Gija land in the East Kimberley, Western Australia. It is taught by senior Gija knowledge holders as part of a collaborative two-way learning partnership with University of Melbourne cultural materials conservation staff. Gija lecturers will introduce students to the concept of Ngarranggarni; an expansive and complex one that defies simple definition or translation. The Ngarranggarni is also a framework that continues to encode, nourish and maintain Gija law and conceptions of social organisation, trade and exchange, kinship relations and family ties, custodianship of country and the practice of song, dance, spirituality, art, language and philosophy. These big concepts are explored through song, dance, language, mungari (food) and the preparation and use of artistic materials, such as ochre, garliwoony (tree sap) and wood for carving. In introducing Ngarranggarni the fundamental link between Gija culture, language, country and artistic expression is emphasised. Its specific relevance to ethical and technical decision making regarding the conservation, storage, exhibition and use of Gija cultural material is reinforced through discussion and practical sessions in which the source, location, physical characteristics and production methods of the ochres and binders used in Warmun artworks and their associated stories are studied. |
| Introduction to Archaeological Science · 12.5 pts |
Archaeological science is an intersection of natural sciences and cultural heritage that covers a wide range of examples of interdisciplinary scientific applications to archaeological and cultural heritage questions. This subject will introduce students to the key knowledge and theoretical frameworks essential for archaeological science studies and form the foundation for further studies in the area. Key geoscience-based areas to be discussed include dating and chronometry methods, compositional analysis, analytical approaches, provenance, isotopic analysis, and experimental archaeology. The cultural focus will be on Indigenous and Australian archaeology, as well as input from related studies from world archaeological science. The subject will also examine the relationship of past societies to current societies. |
Students taking this capstone stream must complete both minor thesis subjects and Research Methods. Note: the minor thesis requires enrolment over two consecutive semesters.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Thesis Part 1 · 12.5 pts |
The student proposes an original research topic that contributes to existing bodies of conservation knowledge and is approved by the coordinator. The student then initiates and conducts an involved program of primary research requiring interdisciplinary skills and knowledge. The student conducts the independent research under the guidance of an academic supervisor, and produces a critical research report. The thesis is undertaken across two consecutive semesters and in some cases, access to cultural collections in the field maybe required. |
| Conservation Thesis Part 2 · 12.5 pts |
Refer to CUMC90035 Conservation Thesis Part 1 for details. |
| Research Methods · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces vital research skills for minor thesis planning and execution. Encompassing traditional and contemporary methods, it delves into key principles and introduces different practices to support the development of well-designed conservation research projects. Ethical considerations in cross-cultural contexts including intellectual property and responsible research conduct, constitute a focal point. In class, students will analyse the methodological and ethical approach taken in specific conservation projects and work with peers on the design of minor thesis research projects. The exploration of interdisciplinary methodological approaches equips student researchers studying the conservation of cultural materials with both practical tools and critical perspectives essential for advanced scholarly inquiry. |
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Advanced Conservation Practice · 25 pts |
Students undertake more complex assessment, documentation and conservation actions across different material and media types within an ethical and sustainable decision making framework. Content, processes and actions will depend on the values and functionality of the cultural and heritage collections but will include examination, documentation, digital and physical interventions. This subject will be offered twice: one intensive for paper and painting specialties, and the other intensive for object-based specialties. It includes individual or group projects in either the conservation laboratory at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation with in the field, or off campus conservation treatments. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to participate in a 1-hour online orientation forum, engage with the online lectures, complete the course readings, quizzes and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. |
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Industry Project · 25 pts |
This subject offers students the opportunity to undertake a conservation group project working with a partner organisation in the cultural heritage industry. It will involve a mixed delivery of on-campus teaching, student-led project work, and fieldwork. This subject aims to build students’ capacity in delivering conservation projects as part of a team in ways that:
|
150 point program
1.5 years full time / 3 years part time. All students must complete one capstone option.
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Industry Internship · 12.5 pts |
In this subject students arrange and undertake an industry placement in cultural heritage. They work under the guidance of a senior cultural heritage practitioner within the workplace. Students carry out a set program of cultural heritage research, conservation projects and/or conservation practice involving complex decision making and the application of high level skills. During the internship an academic supervisor is available for consultation and advice. |
| Conservation Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject builds on the current philosophical and ethical approaches and the materials and techniques used in conservation interventions of cultural collections. Students learn to document the condition and materials of collections, to examine the value-based frameworks for the development of decisions and apply these in conservation actions. Students develop and carry out minor conservation actions on selected collections that are ethical, sustainable and achievable. This unit may include laboratory or field work in situ as an individual or group projects. During the pre-teaching period, students are encouraged to participate in a 1-hour orientation forum, engage with the online lectures, complete the course readings and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. |
| Technical Examination and Documentation · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to a range of technical examination and documentation methods. Visual examination methods include the use of: visible light (reflected, transmitted, raking), ultraviolet and infrared radiation and x-radiography. More invasive examination methods include: microscopy, sampling and chemical spot tests. Documentation methods include: photography, 3-D imaging, condition reporting and scientific report writing. Students will apply these fundamental examination and documentation techniques to the study of:
During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the online lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the LMS, which will become available at the commencement of the pre-teaching dates. |
| Cultural Materials Conservation Science · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students, who have an assumed knowledge of chemistry, with an introductory understanding of the chemistry and science that influences the properties and behaviour of a range of original and added materials, associated with cultural heritage materials. Within a conservation intervention hierarchy framework, students will apply their fundamental understanding of the relationship between materials (organic, inorganic and metal), their bonds, chemical structure, solubility and other properties to an understanding of the:
Students who do not have a background in Chemistry, can obtain this by doing the Chemistry Bridging Course, which will be offered by the Grimwade Centre prior to the delivery of this subject. |
Elective subjects are selected and approved depending on the student's area of interest and study program. Consult with the program coordinator, refer to the Handbook and attend briefing sessions prior to enrolment for information about elective subjects.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Architectural Conservation in Asia · 12.5 pts |
This subject offers an overview of architectural conservation in Asia from an international perspective. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the subject explores how heritage principles and policies play out across a range of cultural and geographic contexts, influenced by various Asian building traditions and cultural histories. The subject also interrogates how different cultural contexts have shaped heritage theory and practice across Asia. Using case studies from China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia this subject will explore:
|
| Issues and Techniques in Global Heritage · 12.5 pts |
An introduction to current issues and techniques in the field of cultural heritage globally. It will survey differing philosophies and challenges being faced in the documentation, interpretation, support and management of conservation and cultural heritage of buildings, landscapes, sites and cities across the world. The study will proceed via detailed case studies examining projects from a range of scales that may include individual buildings and structures, natural and designed landscapes, urban places and precincts, as well as sites of cultural and historical significance. It will include issues such as twentieth-century heritage, heritage during time of war, and the roles of sustainability and tourism as emerging challenges and opportunities for global heritage. Key to this study will be the development of a critical appreciation of the differences and relevance of international heritage-based charters and international heritage organisations. We will look at UNESCO World Heritage listings and terms of significance, and key national and international charters and regulations. |
| Issues in Art Conservation · 12.5 pts |
This subject examines the history and theory of the conservation of art objects and collections, with particular reference to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Students will gain a theoretical grounding in issues relating to conservation and an understanding of professional networks and policy developments in art conservation in Australia and internationally. Issues considered will include: the preventative care of art objects, the history of conservation, ethical and theoretical issues raised by cleaning, restoration, and authentication, conservation approaches to disaster preparation and management, conservation issues in the display of works of art, and legal issues in conservation. |
| Collection Management · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the theory and practice of collection management as applied to collections of visual cultural material, with emphasis on works of art. This can range from wider debates regarding significance, ‘canons’ of art history and the impact of new technologies to specific skills associated with accessioning and de-accessioning, cataloguing systems, and collection policies. The subject will be taught in collaboration with the staff of the University of Melbourne’s Ian Potter Museum of Art. |
| Conservation Intensive · 12.5 pts |
The topics covered in this intensively taught subject will reflect those identified by the conservation sector as necessary and relevant to contemporary professional practice. The subject provides students with the opportunity to acquire and develop specialised skills in a professional industry setting. Lectures, seminars, and practical sessions will be led by national and internationally recognised experts. This unit is taught intensively over one week. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the course LMS. The LMS will be available at the beginning of the pre-teaching period. |
| Digital Protocols · 12.5 pts |
Digital Protocols examines the maintenance of culture using digital materials and methods. Emerging practices are presented using a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and group work. Students engage with the social and technical issues underpinning digital heritage, and the evolving artistic and institutional practices reshaping conservation through the digital preservation of media libraries, and the time-based media conservation of contemporary artworks. A critical engagement with persistent preservation practices is prioritised to develop practical conservation plans for distinct physical, economic cultural settings. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the LMS. The LMS will become available at the commencement of the pre-teaching dates. |
| Content in the Field · 12.5 pts |
This field-based subject critically frames cross-cultural work currently taking place in the culture and heritage sector. It ethically and practically teaches students how to generate cultural conservation content through community and knowledge holder consultation, working in partnership with stakeholders and in multidisciplinary teams, to the technical needs of on-site documentation and cultural materials conservation practice. |
| RESPECT · 12.5 pts |
In this subject, students explore issues relating to the preservation of culture that is held beyond large collecting institutions. Students will develop an understanding of how the epistemology of cultural maintenance manifests in a range of societal and cultural practices. Students engage with issues relating to context, disruption, authenticity, legal standing, development, reinvention, identity and minority status. Students will understand how a broad intellectual engagement and the promotion of ideas and interests operate to produce outcomes for people who may not be in a position to engage with large collecting institutions. |
| Sustainable Collections · 12.5 pts |
This subject lays a critical foundation for effective professional practice as a preventive conservation conservator and steward for sustainable collection care. In this subject, students critically evaluate current theories, international standards and processes for sustaining heritage collections, to create sustainable environments. Students engage with the environment, situated decision-making and values, technical processes, risk management strategies, the ten agents of deterioration, and stakeholder structures. Students examine continuity and change, and considers how these can be effectively communicated and mitigated in centralised and de-centralised collection contexts. Off campus site visits are a regular activity for this subject, which may include visits to collection and conservation facilities, museums, galleries, library, archives and art centres. |
| Analytical Science in Conservation · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to the fundamental principles and practical applications of the major analytical techniques used in cultural materials conservation. The subject builds upon the students' knowledge gained in CUMC90032 Technical Examination and Documentation, and CUMC90033 Cultural Materials Conservation Science. It covers methods accessible in a conservation laboratory and instrumental methods based upon:
Students learn to devise appropriate testing regimes, acquire control samples, prepare samples (eg. cross section), undertake analysis and manage analytical data. Students will gain an understanding of the practical application of a range of analytical techniques (including their advantages and disadvantages, their sampling requirements, and whether the sample is destroyed) and the interpretation of results. Students will apply fundamental examination and analytical techniques to the study of:
|
| Ngarranggarni: Gija Art and Country · 12.5 pts |
This on-country subject takes place at Warmun Art Centre and on surrounding Gija land in the East Kimberley, Western Australia. It is taught by senior Gija knowledge holders as part of a collaborative two-way learning partnership with University of Melbourne cultural materials conservation staff. Gija lecturers will introduce students to the concept of Ngarranggarni; an expansive and complex one that defies simple definition or translation. The Ngarranggarni is also a framework that continues to encode, nourish and maintain Gija law and conceptions of social organisation, trade and exchange, kinship relations and family ties, custodianship of country and the practice of song, dance, spirituality, art, language and philosophy. These big concepts are explored through song, dance, language, mungari (food) and the preparation and use of artistic materials, such as ochre, garliwoony (tree sap) and wood for carving. In introducing Ngarranggarni the fundamental link between Gija culture, language, country and artistic expression is emphasised. Its specific relevance to ethical and technical decision making regarding the conservation, storage, exhibition and use of Gija cultural material is reinforced through discussion and practical sessions in which the source, location, physical characteristics and production methods of the ochres and binders used in Warmun artworks and their associated stories are studied. |
| Conservation in Theory and Practice · 25 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the theoretical constructs and the practical applications that inform the profession and discipline of conservation. This subject explores conservation ethical issues, cultural considerations, policy frameworks and the economic environment and locates these within practice-led, treatment focussed classwork. The subject locates conservation decision making in the laboratory within a range of situated theories and practices that include community, laboratory, and museum and GLAM institution-based contexts. This subject develops haptic skills and knowledge in the handling and identification of materials and documentation of cultural material by enabling students to reflect on the strengths of aligning theory and practice. |
| Introduction to Archaeological Science · 12.5 pts |
Archaeological science is an intersection of natural sciences and cultural heritage that covers a wide range of examples of interdisciplinary scientific applications to archaeological and cultural heritage questions. This subject will introduce students to the key knowledge and theoretical frameworks essential for archaeological science studies and form the foundation for further studies in the area. Key geoscience-based areas to be discussed include dating and chronometry methods, compositional analysis, analytical approaches, provenance, isotopic analysis, and experimental archaeology. The cultural focus will be on Indigenous and Australian archaeology, as well as input from related studies from world archaeological science. The subject will also examine the relationship of past societies to current societies. |
Students taking this capstone stream must complete both minor thesis subjects and Research Methods. Note: the minor thesis requires enrolment over two consecutive semesters.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Thesis Part 1 · 12.5 pts |
The student proposes an original research topic that contributes to existing bodies of conservation knowledge and is approved by the coordinator. The student then initiates and conducts an involved program of primary research requiring interdisciplinary skills and knowledge. The student conducts the independent research under the guidance of an academic supervisor, and produces a critical research report. The thesis is undertaken across two consecutive semesters and in some cases, access to cultural collections in the field maybe required. |
| Conservation Thesis Part 2 · 12.5 pts |
Refer to CUMC90035 Conservation Thesis Part 1 for details. |
| Research Methods · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces vital research skills for minor thesis planning and execution. Encompassing traditional and contemporary methods, it delves into key principles and introduces different practices to support the development of well-designed conservation research projects. Ethical considerations in cross-cultural contexts including intellectual property and responsible research conduct, constitute a focal point. In class, students will analyse the methodological and ethical approach taken in specific conservation projects and work with peers on the design of minor thesis research projects. The exploration of interdisciplinary methodological approaches equips student researchers studying the conservation of cultural materials with both practical tools and critical perspectives essential for advanced scholarly inquiry. |
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Advanced Conservation Practice · 25 pts |
Students undertake more complex assessment, documentation and conservation actions across different material and media types within an ethical and sustainable decision making framework. Content, processes and actions will depend on the values and functionality of the cultural and heritage collections but will include examination, documentation, digital and physical interventions. This subject will be offered twice: one intensive for paper and painting specialties, and the other intensive for object-based specialties. It includes individual or group projects in either the conservation laboratory at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation with in the field, or off campus conservation treatments. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to participate in a 1-hour online orientation forum, engage with the online lectures, complete the course readings, quizzes and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. |
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Industry Project · 25 pts |
This subject offers students the opportunity to undertake a conservation group project working with a partner organisation in the cultural heritage industry. It will involve a mixed delivery of on-campus teaching, student-led project work, and fieldwork. This subject aims to build students’ capacity in delivering conservation projects as part of a team in ways that:
|
100 point program
1.5 years full time / 3 years part time. All students must complete one capstone option.
-
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Industry Internship · 12.5 pts |
In this subject students arrange and undertake an industry placement in cultural heritage. They work under the guidance of a senior cultural heritage practitioner within the workplace. Students carry out a set program of cultural heritage research, conservation projects and/or conservation practice involving complex decision making and the application of high level skills. During the internship an academic supervisor is available for consultation and advice. |
| Conservation Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject builds on the current philosophical and ethical approaches and the materials and techniques used in conservation interventions of cultural collections. Students learn to document the condition and materials of collections, to examine the value-based frameworks for the development of decisions and apply these in conservation actions. Students develop and carry out minor conservation actions on selected collections that are ethical, sustainable and achievable. This unit may include laboratory or field work in situ as an individual or group projects. During the pre-teaching period, students are encouraged to participate in a 1-hour orientation forum, engage with the online lectures, complete the course readings and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. |
Elective subjects are selected and approved depending on the student's area of interest and study program. Consult with the program coordinator, refer to the Handbook and attend briefing sessions prior to enrolment for information about elective subjects.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Architectural Conservation in Asia · 12.5 pts |
This subject offers an overview of architectural conservation in Asia from an international perspective. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the subject explores how heritage principles and policies play out across a range of cultural and geographic contexts, influenced by various Asian building traditions and cultural histories. The subject also interrogates how different cultural contexts have shaped heritage theory and practice across Asia. Using case studies from China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia this subject will explore:
|
| Issues and Techniques in Global Heritage · 12.5 pts |
An introduction to current issues and techniques in the field of cultural heritage globally. It will survey differing philosophies and challenges being faced in the documentation, interpretation, support and management of conservation and cultural heritage of buildings, landscapes, sites and cities across the world. The study will proceed via detailed case studies examining projects from a range of scales that may include individual buildings and structures, natural and designed landscapes, urban places and precincts, as well as sites of cultural and historical significance. It will include issues such as twentieth-century heritage, heritage during time of war, and the roles of sustainability and tourism as emerging challenges and opportunities for global heritage. Key to this study will be the development of a critical appreciation of the differences and relevance of international heritage-based charters and international heritage organisations. We will look at UNESCO World Heritage listings and terms of significance, and key national and international charters and regulations. |
| Issues in Art Conservation · 12.5 pts |
This subject examines the history and theory of the conservation of art objects and collections, with particular reference to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Students will gain a theoretical grounding in issues relating to conservation and an understanding of professional networks and policy developments in art conservation in Australia and internationally. Issues considered will include: the preventative care of art objects, the history of conservation, ethical and theoretical issues raised by cleaning, restoration, and authentication, conservation approaches to disaster preparation and management, conservation issues in the display of works of art, and legal issues in conservation. |
| Collection Management · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the theory and practice of collection management as applied to collections of visual cultural material, with emphasis on works of art. This can range from wider debates regarding significance, ‘canons’ of art history and the impact of new technologies to specific skills associated with accessioning and de-accessioning, cataloguing systems, and collection policies. The subject will be taught in collaboration with the staff of the University of Melbourne’s Ian Potter Museum of Art. |
| Conservation Intensive · 12.5 pts |
The topics covered in this intensively taught subject will reflect those identified by the conservation sector as necessary and relevant to contemporary professional practice. The subject provides students with the opportunity to acquire and develop specialised skills in a professional industry setting. Lectures, seminars, and practical sessions will be led by national and internationally recognised experts. This unit is taught intensively over one week. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the course LMS. The LMS will be available at the beginning of the pre-teaching period. |
| Digital Protocols · 12.5 pts |
Digital Protocols examines the maintenance of culture using digital materials and methods. Emerging practices are presented using a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and group work. Students engage with the social and technical issues underpinning digital heritage, and the evolving artistic and institutional practices reshaping conservation through the digital preservation of media libraries, and the time-based media conservation of contemporary artworks. A critical engagement with persistent preservation practices is prioritised to develop practical conservation plans for distinct physical, economic cultural settings. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the LMS. The LMS will become available at the commencement of the pre-teaching dates. |
| Content in the Field · 12.5 pts |
This field-based subject critically frames cross-cultural work currently taking place in the culture and heritage sector. It ethically and practically teaches students how to generate cultural conservation content through community and knowledge holder consultation, working in partnership with stakeholders and in multidisciplinary teams, to the technical needs of on-site documentation and cultural materials conservation practice. |
| RESPECT · 12.5 pts |
In this subject, students explore issues relating to the preservation of culture that is held beyond large collecting institutions. Students will develop an understanding of how the epistemology of cultural maintenance manifests in a range of societal and cultural practices. Students engage with issues relating to context, disruption, authenticity, legal standing, development, reinvention, identity and minority status. Students will understand how a broad intellectual engagement and the promotion of ideas and interests operate to produce outcomes for people who may not be in a position to engage with large collecting institutions. |
| Sustainable Collections · 12.5 pts |
This subject lays a critical foundation for effective professional practice as a preventive conservation conservator and steward for sustainable collection care. In this subject, students critically evaluate current theories, international standards and processes for sustaining heritage collections, to create sustainable environments. Students engage with the environment, situated decision-making and values, technical processes, risk management strategies, the ten agents of deterioration, and stakeholder structures. Students examine continuity and change, and considers how these can be effectively communicated and mitigated in centralised and de-centralised collection contexts. Off campus site visits are a regular activity for this subject, which may include visits to collection and conservation facilities, museums, galleries, library, archives and art centres. |
| Analytical Science in Conservation · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to the fundamental principles and practical applications of the major analytical techniques used in cultural materials conservation. The subject builds upon the students' knowledge gained in CUMC90032 Technical Examination and Documentation, and CUMC90033 Cultural Materials Conservation Science. It covers methods accessible in a conservation laboratory and instrumental methods based upon:
Students learn to devise appropriate testing regimes, acquire control samples, prepare samples (eg. cross section), undertake analysis and manage analytical data. Students will gain an understanding of the practical application of a range of analytical techniques (including their advantages and disadvantages, their sampling requirements, and whether the sample is destroyed) and the interpretation of results. Students will apply fundamental examination and analytical techniques to the study of:
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| Technical Examination and Documentation · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to a range of technical examination and documentation methods. Visual examination methods include the use of: visible light (reflected, transmitted, raking), ultraviolet and infrared radiation and x-radiography. More invasive examination methods include: microscopy, sampling and chemical spot tests. Documentation methods include: photography, 3-D imaging, condition reporting and scientific report writing. Students will apply these fundamental examination and documentation techniques to the study of:
During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the online lectures and any other course preparation as outlined on the LMS, which will become available at the commencement of the pre-teaching dates. |
| Cultural Materials Conservation Science · 12.5 pts |
This subject aims to provide students, who have an assumed knowledge of chemistry, with an introductory understanding of the chemistry and science that influences the properties and behaviour of a range of original and added materials, associated with cultural heritage materials. Within a conservation intervention hierarchy framework, students will apply their fundamental understanding of the relationship between materials (organic, inorganic and metal), their bonds, chemical structure, solubility and other properties to an understanding of the:
Students who do not have a background in Chemistry, can obtain this by doing the Chemistry Bridging Course, which will be offered by the Grimwade Centre prior to the delivery of this subject. |
| Ngarranggarni: Gija Art and Country · 12.5 pts |
This on-country subject takes place at Warmun Art Centre and on surrounding Gija land in the East Kimberley, Western Australia. It is taught by senior Gija knowledge holders as part of a collaborative two-way learning partnership with University of Melbourne cultural materials conservation staff. Gija lecturers will introduce students to the concept of Ngarranggarni; an expansive and complex one that defies simple definition or translation. The Ngarranggarni is also a framework that continues to encode, nourish and maintain Gija law and conceptions of social organisation, trade and exchange, kinship relations and family ties, custodianship of country and the practice of song, dance, spirituality, art, language and philosophy. These big concepts are explored through song, dance, language, mungari (food) and the preparation and use of artistic materials, such as ochre, garliwoony (tree sap) and wood for carving. In introducing Ngarranggarni the fundamental link between Gija culture, language, country and artistic expression is emphasised. Its specific relevance to ethical and technical decision making regarding the conservation, storage, exhibition and use of Gija cultural material is reinforced through discussion and practical sessions in which the source, location, physical characteristics and production methods of the ochres and binders used in Warmun artworks and their associated stories are studied. |
| Conservation in Theory and Practice · 25 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the theoretical constructs and the practical applications that inform the profession and discipline of conservation. This subject explores conservation ethical issues, cultural considerations, policy frameworks and the economic environment and locates these within practice-led, treatment focussed classwork. The subject locates conservation decision making in the laboratory within a range of situated theories and practices that include community, laboratory, and museum and GLAM institution-based contexts. This subject develops haptic skills and knowledge in the handling and identification of materials and documentation of cultural material by enabling students to reflect on the strengths of aligning theory and practice. |
| Introduction to Archaeological Science · 12.5 pts |
Archaeological science is an intersection of natural sciences and cultural heritage that covers a wide range of examples of interdisciplinary scientific applications to archaeological and cultural heritage questions. This subject will introduce students to the key knowledge and theoretical frameworks essential for archaeological science studies and form the foundation for further studies in the area. Key geoscience-based areas to be discussed include dating and chronometry methods, compositional analysis, analytical approaches, provenance, isotopic analysis, and experimental archaeology. The cultural focus will be on Indigenous and Australian archaeology, as well as input from related studies from world archaeological science. The subject will also examine the relationship of past societies to current societies. |
Students taking this capstone stream must complete both minor thesis subjects and Research Methods. Note: the minor thesis requires enrolment over two consecutive semesters.
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| Conservation Thesis Part 1 · 12.5 pts |
The student proposes an original research topic that contributes to existing bodies of conservation knowledge and is approved by the coordinator. The student then initiates and conducts an involved program of primary research requiring interdisciplinary skills and knowledge. The student conducts the independent research under the guidance of an academic supervisor, and produces a critical research report. The thesis is undertaken across two consecutive semesters and in some cases, access to cultural collections in the field maybe required. |
| Conservation Thesis Part 2 · 12.5 pts |
Refer to CUMC90035 Conservation Thesis Part 1 for details. |
| Research Methods · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces vital research skills for minor thesis planning and execution. Encompassing traditional and contemporary methods, it delves into key principles and introduces different practices to support the development of well-designed conservation research projects. Ethical considerations in cross-cultural contexts including intellectual property and responsible research conduct, constitute a focal point. In class, students will analyse the methodological and ethical approach taken in specific conservation projects and work with peers on the design of minor thesis research projects. The exploration of interdisciplinary methodological approaches equips student researchers studying the conservation of cultural materials with both practical tools and critical perspectives essential for advanced scholarly inquiry. |
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| Advanced Conservation Practice · 25 pts |
Students undertake more complex assessment, documentation and conservation actions across different material and media types within an ethical and sustainable decision making framework. Content, processes and actions will depend on the values and functionality of the cultural and heritage collections but will include examination, documentation, digital and physical interventions. This subject will be offered twice: one intensive for paper and painting specialties, and the other intensive for object-based specialties. It includes individual or group projects in either the conservation laboratory at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation with in the field, or off campus conservation treatments. During the pre-teaching period students are expected to participate in a 1-hour online orientation forum, engage with the online lectures, complete the course readings, quizzes and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. |
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| Conservation Industry Project · 25 pts |
This subject offers students the opportunity to undertake a conservation group project working with a partner organisation in the cultural heritage industry. It will involve a mixed delivery of on-campus teaching, student-led project work, and fieldwork. This subject aims to build students’ capacity in delivering conservation projects as part of a team in ways that:
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