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University of Glasgow: Textile Conservation

Institution University of Glasgow View institution profile
Department School of Culture & Creative Arts
Web www.glasgow.ac.uk/
Study type Taught

Summary

Textile Conservation is a multidisciplinary subject which combines academic knowledge with cultural awareness, aesthetic sensitivity and technical skill. This MPhil is both an academic programme and professional training; it will give you a framework of theoretical knowledge and a range of practical experience which will enable you to contribute to the understanding and preservation of culturally significant textile artefacts.

This is the only programme of its kind in the UK, and one of only a few specialist textile conservation programmes in the world.

You will be based in our specialist conservation laboratories.

This is the only programme of its kind in the UK, and one of only a few specialist textile conservation programmes in the world. You will be based in our specialist conservation laboratories. * You will benefit from our close links with Glasgow Museums, as well as the University’s own Hunterian Museum. Glasgow’s civic and university collections are some of the richest and most diverse in Europe and are of international standing. You will have the opportunity to draw on the museums’ rich and varied textile collections. * You will be taught by visiting specialists from local and national museums in Scotland and the wider UK. * You will take part in a project-based work placement, where you can explore a possible future career while meeting professional practitioners and developing your skills and experience.

The students develop a wide breath of academic, practical and professional skills. You will take core courses over two semesters in each year, with a work placement in the summer between the first and second years. You will write up your dissertation over the second summer and submit it at the end of August.

Year 1

  • PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE: CORE SKILLS
  • ETHICS IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION PRACTICE
  • UNDERSTANDING TEXTILES: TECHNOLOGY
  • PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE: DEVELOPING SKILLS
  • PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION
  • MATERIAL CULTURES
  • TEXTILE CONSERVATION PLACEMENT

Year 2

  • PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE: ADVANCED SKILLS
  • CONSERVATION IN PRACTICE
  • DECONSTRUCTING THE ARTEFACT
  • PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE: CONSERVATION PROJECTS
  • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  • RESEARCH MANAGEMENT
  • DISSERTATION

The great majority of graduates of this programme and of its predecessor, the Textile Conservation Centre’s MA Textile Conservation programme, now work in museums and other institutions. Graduates of the two programmes have an outstanding record of employment on graduation and of remaining in the sector. They now work in nearly 40 countries and are in senior positions worldwide. Our graduates have worked in museums and conservation institutions from San Francisco to Singapore and from Auckland, New Zealand, to Alaska.

Many of our graduates have been awarded fellowships and internships in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe including Historic Royal Palaces, The National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian, and the Abegg-Stiftung. In many cases these one-year internships, or short contracts, have resulted in graduates being permanently employed in their host institutions, such as the British Museum, National Museum Scotland. and Historic Royal Palaces.

However, it is worth noting that many graduates initially go on to short-term contract posts. It is easier to find employment as a textile conservator if you are able to be flexible in terms of location.

MPhil

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is one of the UK’s most prestigious seats of learning, and the fourth oldest university in the English speaking world. Established in 1451 and recognised for its world-changing research and teaching, the University has inspired thinkers from eminent scientist Lord Kelvin and the father of economics Adam Smith, to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. 

Rankings

The University:

  • is ranked 81st in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2023
  • is in the top 100 in the world: Times Higher World University Rankings 2023
  • 95.9% of students in employment or further study 6 months after graduation …
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