The Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship bridges the gap between art history as an academic discipline and the practicalities of curating collections and exhibitions.

The degree locates the study of art in a range of historical, social, cultural and political contexts. You can focus on Australian, Asian and International art, both historical and contemporary, and participate in intensive art history courses taught overseas. You will be able to deepen your understanding of art practice through courses drawn from the School of Art & Design and be exposed to the museum environment through tutorials and internships at national cultural institutions.

Archaeology unlocks the mysteries of humanity’s past. Archaeologists discover and excavate archaeological sites and interpret the material recovered from them.

Our well-regarded degree is specifically designed to prepare you for a successful career in archaeology, either as a researcher or heritage consultant.

You will be trained in methods of archaeological investigation and develop both skills, experience and knowledge of fieldwork, museums and heritage and community engagement. Unique to Australia, this degree takes a global outlook on the practice of archaeology and the production of knowledge about past societies.

Throughout the ANU Bachelor of Archaeological Practice you will have exciting opportunities to participate in local or international fieldwork experiences.

Employment Opportunities

Art history and curatorship has a strong career orientation. Many of our graduates have taken up key positions in art galleries, museums and other cultural institutions. Some are in teaching positions relating to their specialisations, while others have entered the commercial world of culture and art. With a strong emphasis on critical analysis, research, problem solving and communicating with audiences in diverse ways, this degree provides valuable training for future managers in the arts, heritage and collections sectors, and more broadly across the public service and private enterprise.

Art history and curatorship has a strong career orientation. Many of our graduates have taken up key positions in art galleries, museums and other cultural institutions. Some are in teaching positions relating to their specialisations, while others have entered the commercial world of culture and art. With a strong emphasis on critical analysis, research, problem solving and communicating with audiences in diverse ways, this degree provides valuable training for future managers in the arts, heritage and collections sectors, and more broadly across the public service and private enterprise.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

1. Identify and critique the historical, social, cultural and political contexts of art.
2. Understand the relationship between art history, art theory and curatorial practices.
3. Evaluate and investigate the structures and practices of public cultural institutions through active engagement with museums and galleries.
4. Demonstrate practical knowledge of the processes associated with caring for collections and developing exhibitions.

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Archaeological Practice, graduates will be able to:

1. Undertake archaeological fieldwork using different techniques and approaches to locate, map, record, collect and excavate archaeological materials by determining the conditions in which those techniques and approaches are optimal.
2. Critically analyse archaeological materials. This includes the examination of human remains, artefacts, archaeo-fauna and archaeo-flora, archaeological sediments and other materials.
3. Apply interpretative approaches and skills including archaeological theory and quantitative analysis.
4. Design research frameworks and practise their application.
5. Reconstruct archaeological sequences and culture histories, and environmental archaeology.
6. Identify aspects of archaeological interpretations of human evolution and culture change.

Admission Requirements

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to undergraduate degrees is based on meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR
• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate or international equivalent; OR
• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution or international equivalent; OR
• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Click HERE for further information about domestic admission.

More information about ATAR requirements for individual programs can be found HERE.

The National Register of higher education providers is an authoritative source of information that will help you confirm your institution of choice is registered to deliver higher education in Australia.

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website is HERE. Based on surveys done by thousands of students across Australia you can find out about universities that interest you, doing side-by-side comparisons.

The table below is a guide to the entry level required for domestic applicants. Exact entry level will be set at time of offer.

Domestic applicant entry requirements

Queensland Band equivalents are a guide only - selection is made on an ATAR equivalent that is not available to students.

International applicant entry requirements

International applicants may view further information on admissions requirements at Entry Requirements for International Undergraduate Applicants

The University reserves the right to alter or discontinue its programs as required.

Adjustment Factors

ANU offers rank adjustments for a number of adjustment factors, including for high achievement in nationally strategic senior secondary subjects and for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. Rank adjustments are applied to Bachelor degree applicants with an ATAR at or above 70. Points are awarded in accordance with the approved schedules, and no more than 15 points (maximum 5 subject/performance-based adjustments, maximum 10 equity-based adjustments and maximum 5 Elite Athlete adjustments) will be awarded. Subject and performance-based adjustments do not apply to programs with a minimum selection rank of 98 or higher. Visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

24 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

ARTH1006 Art and Design Histories: Form and Space 
ARTH1007 Art and Design Histories: Making and Meaning 
ARTH3001 Art History and Curatorship Internship

12 units from completion of curatorship courses from the following list:

ARTH2044 Art and Its Context: Materials, Techniques, Display 
ARTH2045 Curatorship Theory and Practice 
ARTH3057 Art and Politics of Collecting 

36 units from completion of art history and theory courses from the following list:

ARTH2043 Modernism and Postmodernism in Art and Design: 1850-2000
ARTH2044 Art and Its Context: Materials, Techniques, Display
ARTH2045 Curatorship Theory and Practice
ARTH2050 Photography and Art
ARTH2052 Art of the Modern Print
ARTH2056 Art and Architecture of Southeast Asia: Tradition and Transformation
ARTH2059 Art and Architecture of Asia: Histories and Traditions
ARTH2061 Postmodern Sublime
ARTH2080 Art and Visual Culture of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1660-1815
ARTH2081 Art of the European Courts, 1500-1815
ARTH2082 Art, War and Conflict
ARTH2093 Post-Colonial Discourses in Australian Art
ARTH2097 Victorian and Edwardian Art: Australia and Europe 1837-1914
ARTH2098 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
ARTH2104 Asian Art In-Country
ARTH2160 Cartographies: Art Exploration and Knowledge
ARTH2161 Contemporary Australian Art
ARTH2162 Cyberculture
ARTH2163 Memory
ARTH2164 Theories of the Object
ARTH2165 Theories of the Image
ARTH2166 Individual Research Unit
ARTH2167 Issues in Contemporary Craft and Design
ARTH2168 Renaissance and Baroque Art
ARTH2169 Introducing Asian Modernisms
ARTH2171 Australian Art: The Modern Period
ARTH2172 Costume, Fashion and Visual Culture
ARTH2170 Contemporary Asian Art 
ARTH3057 Art and Politics of Collecting 
ARTH3004 City Sites: studies in art and urbanity
FILM2005 Moving Pictures: Cinema and the Visual Arts

Either:

24 units from completion of one of the following language minors:

Advanced Ancient Greek
Advanced English Language
Advanced French Studies
Advanced German Studies
Advanced Hispanic Culture
Advanced Hispanic Linguistics
Advanced Italian Studies
Advanced Japanese Language
Advanced Korean Language 
Advanced Latin
Advanced Chinese Language
Advanced Sanskrit Language
Advanced Spanish Studies
Ancient Greek
Arabic
Burmese Language
Classical Chinese
French Language and Culture
German Language and Culture
Hindi Language
Indonesian Language
Italian Language and Culture
Japanese Language
Japanese Linguistics
Korean Language
Latin
Mongolian Language
Russian
Persian
Sanskrit Language
Spanish
Tetum Language
Thai Language
Vietnamese Language

Or:

24 units from completion of courses listed in the following majors and minors:

Ancient History Major
Anthropology Major
Archaeology Major
Asian Art History Minor
English Major
Film Minor
History Major
Visual Arts Practice Minor

The Bachelor of Archaeological Practice flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:The Bachelor of Archaeological Practice flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

ARCH1111 Archaeology Uncovered

ARCH1112 From Origins to Civilizations

A maximum of 30 units from completion of courses from the following list:

ARCH2004 Australian Archaeology

ARCH2041 Introduction to Environmental Archaeology

ARCH2052 Archaeology in Film and Fiction

ARCH2060 International Archaeological Field School Extension

ARCH2061 Archaeological Field Methods

BIAN2015 Human Skeletal Analysis

HUMN2000 Introduction to Heritage and Museum Studies

HUMN2051 Introduction to Cultural Heritage Management

A maximum of 12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

ARCH2055 Archaeological Fieldschool

ARCH2059 International Archaeological Field School

A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:

ARCH3000 Research Design and Analysis in Archaeology

ARCH3023 Thinking through the past: archaeological theory from 1950

ARCH3025 World Rock Art

ARCH3026 History of Archaeology: Discovering the Past

ARCH3028 Archaeology of Death and Mortuary Practices

ARCH3029 Making-Taking-Using-Breaking: Material Culture Studies and Technology in Archaeology

ARCH3108 Animals, Plants and People

BIAN3010 Scientific Dating in Archaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Studies

48 units from completion of two of the following minors:

Advanced Forensic and Evolutionary Archaeology Minor

Advanced Global Archaeology Minor

Advanced Environmental Archaeology Minor

Majors

Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship Majors

Minors

Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship Minors

Bachelor of Archaeological Practice Minors

Study Options

Honours

For information about honours, please see Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship (Honours)

For information about honours, please Bachelor of Archaeological Practice (Honours)