Planning and Competencies
13/06/2024 2024-06-13 11:14Planning and Competencies
Curriculum and Credit Distribution
The Master’s program consists of 60 ECTS credits, divided into 45 ECTS of compulsory subjects, including 15 ECTS of optional subjects, 15 ECTS of external internships, with a focus on internships in Europe, and 15 ECTS for the Master’s Thesis (TFM). The student’s workload per ECTS credit is 25 hours.
Among the 30 ECTS credits to be completed during the first semester, 15 credits are from compulsory subjects, distributed according to the current edition’s offerings as follows:
- 5 to 7.5 ECTS credits from subjects in the “Cultural Heritage in Europe” category.
- 5 to 17.5 ECTS credits from subjects in the “Projects and Professional Organization in Europe” category.
- 5 to 7.5 ECTS credits from subjects in the “Documentation and Research of Cultural Heritage in Europe” category.
- 0 to 15 ECTS credits from optional subjects in the “Deepening in the Application to Restoration” module.
Each of these compulsory categories may include both mandatory and optional subjects. Depending on the selected subject configuration*, specialization lines can be established, although students can also opt for a customized configuration without the obligation to specialize.
The remaining 30 credits of the curriculum in the second semester consist of a minimum of 15 ECTS credits for External Internships and 15 ECTS credits for the Master’s Thesis. External internships may commence during the first semester.
In the VIII Edition (2024-25), the following specializations are offered:
- Projects and Professional Organization*
- Conservation and Restoration of Pictorial Works*
- No Specialization*
*More information on the specialization options available for this academic year.
Dates for the VIII Edition of the Master’s Program at ESCRBC (2024-25):
The 60 ECTS of the Master’s program are distributed between January 2024 and January 2025 over two periods:
- First Semester: Face-to-face classes will be held from January 11 to June 14, 2024 (30 ECTS). Extraordinary assessment will take place between September 9 and 13, 2024.
- Second Semester: From September 9, 2024, to January 2025, External Internships and the Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS) will be completed. It is possible to initiate the internship period from the first semester onwards.
Generic Teaching Plan
The subjects of the curriculum, as described in the attached table, are distributed across five modules based on a structure of compulsory and optional subjects, which may vary depending on the edition of the Master’s program.
The compulsory subjects, or basic training modules, consist of three content blocks that emphasize specialization and complementary refinement to the education of graduates in conservation and restoration, both in a European professional context and in research orientation (“Projects and Professional Organization in Europe,” “Cultural Heritage in Europe,” and “Documentation and Research of Cultural Heritage in Europe”). Each compulsory subject includes one or more subjects, optional or mandatory as necessary to ensure acquisition of the subject competencies.
The Module of optional subjects “Deepening in the application to restoration,” along with other offered optional subjects, provides the necessary flexibility for each student to tailor the Master’s contents to their own interests. With guidance from their academic advisor, this allows students to delve deeper into areas they find most compelling, thereby actively participating in their own education. Depending on the edition of the Master’s program, these subjects may include seminars, specialized courses in conservation-restoration practice, subjects from a different specialty than the one pursued originally, language-focused training, optional external internships, or other subjects offered by ESCRBC or another institution within the European Higher Education Area.
Given that the Master’s program combines research-oriented and professional aspects, a core set of optional subjects is essential for maintaining continuous adaptation to labor market needs and the evolving demands of graduates.
The optional subjects, both as a module and within each subject area, also allow for the inclusion of specific specializations, intensifications, or curriculum diversifications, responding to professional demands and student preferences.
External internships enable students to apply acquired competencies effectively in a specialized professional environment within the European conservation-restoration sphere. These internships are enhanced through international mobility opportunities.
The Master’s Thesis serves as a means for students to autonomously deepen their knowledge, establishing a connection between applied research and education. It allows students to put into practice all acquired knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to demonstrate mastery of the program’s competencies independently and to others.
| Official Postgraduate Title: ESCRBC MASTER’S DEGREE IN ARTISTIC EDUCATION IN CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN EUROPE | ||||
| Offered Places for New Admissions | 10 places, expandable to 20 depending on demand and available infrastructure. [10 places for the VIII Edition (2024-2025)] | |||
| Number of Credits | Full enrollment: 60 ECTS, developed during the academic year (36 weeks). Partial enrollment: minimum of 30 ECTS, including 15 ECTS from compulsory subjects. | |||
| Teaching Planning | ||||
| Module | Subject and Descriptor: Minimum Training Contents | Competencies | ECTS | Type |
| Historical-critical Resources needed for the contextual analysis (social, historical, anthropological, artistic…) of cultural assets within the European context, for their understanding as part of humanity’s heritage. | Cultural assets in Europe Study of European cultural heritage focusing on repertoires and the analysis of artistic and cultural objects, their function, their heritage significance, with special emphasis on knowledge applied to the conservation of cultural assets. | CG: 1,2,3,6,7 CE: 1,2,4,5,8,9,10 | 5-20 | FB |
| Professional management Knowledge related to professional organization, legislation, and management of conservation-restoration work, with special reference to the European context. Advanced knowledge for the development, management, direction, and economic and strategic assessment of conservation-restoration projects. | Projects and professional organization in Europe Advanced tools for the development, management, direction, and economic and strategic assessment of conservation-restoration projects. Transnational comparison of regulations and professional organizations in conservation-restoration (institutions, professional associations, and related groups in the field of conservators and restorers), with special reference to the European context. | CG: 1,2,3,6,7 CE: 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,12 | 5-20 | FB |
| Research methodology Techniques and methods of research and documentation applied to the study of cultural assets. Scientific, technological, and methodological procedures applied to conservation-restoration. | Documentation and research of cultural assets in Europe Documentation and advanced documentary techniques applied to conservation and restoration. In-depth knowledge of methods, resources, and research projects applied to the study of cultural assets, conservation-restoration treatments, materials, and their deterioration, with special reference to the European context. | CG: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 CE: 1,4,5,6,7,10 | 5-20 | FB |
| Advanced application in restoration Deepening, refining, and expanding the competencies acquired in the Conservation and Restoration degree (tools, procedures, and complementary skills; theoretical foundations, application, or practice of conservation-restoration at an advanced level). | electives | According to subjects | 0-15 | OP |
| Optional restoration practice courses | According to subjects | |||
| integration A synthesis of all aspects of the Master’s program, in both practical execution and research. It encompasses subjects that enable the comprehensive assessment of advanced competencies in the field of conservation and restoration profession. | External InternshipsPractical Application of the Knowledge and Competencies of the Master’s Degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in Europe in a Professional Environment: hands-on application in a multidisciplinary professional context of conservation-restoration through supervised practice and teamwork, engaging in tasks typical of a conservator-restorer in technical, managerial, or scientific domains (advanced conservation-restoration practices, preventive conservation, technical advisory and pedagogy, heritage management, or research). This enhances the development of professional values, reaffirms and expands knowledge, procedures, skills, and languages acquired during undergraduate studies and integrates Master’s level competencies. | CG: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 CE: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | 15-30 | PE |
| Master’s Thesis Supervised completion of an independent and advanced personal project in the field of conservation-restoration, where the main contents of the Master’s curriculum are put into practice. This project includes the preparation and defense of a report describing the methodology used and critically assessing the outcome. It may involve a descriptive, comparative, scientific, or technical study, always applied to the advanced level of conservation-restoration of cultural heritage (intervention project, advanced treatment execution, preventive conservation, criteria development, material or technique study, experimentation, scientific examination, historical study, documentation, museumization, management, etc.). The project should be integrative, allowing for the evaluation of key competencies of the Master’s degree. | CG: 1,3,4,5,6,7 CE: 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | 15 | TFM | |
skills
The main purpose of the Master’s in Artistic Education in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in Europe is to lead students to acquire advanced, specialized, and multidisciplinary training aimed at professional specialization, promoting initiation into research tasks in the area of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. To this end, the following general and specific competencies are developed:
1. General competencies of the Master’s degree
Upon completion of the Master’s program in Artistic Education in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in Europe, students should:
CG1) have acquired advanced knowledge and demonstrated a detailed and well-founded understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects, as well as the methodology of work, in a highly specialized professional and scientific-technological research context in the field of conservation-restoration;
CG2) be able to apply and integrate their knowledge, understanding, scientific foundation, and problem-solving skills in new and vaguely defined environments, including multidisciplinary contexts involving both highly specialized research and professional settings in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage;
CG3) be capable of evaluating and selecting appropriate theory and precise methodology in the field of conservation-restoration of cultural heritage to make judgments based on incomplete or limited information, including, when necessary and pertinent, reflecting on the social or ethical responsibility associated with the proposed solution in each case;
CG4) be capable of predicting and controlling the evolution of complex situations through the development of new and innovative work methodologies tailored to specific professional, technological, or scientific/research contexts, generally multidisciplinary, in which conservation-restoration of cultural heritage activities are carried out;
CG5) be able to clearly and accurately communicate to specialized or non-specialized audiences the results from scientific-technological research or the most advanced innovation in the field of conservation-restoration, as well as the most relevant foundations on which they are based;
CG6) have developed sufficient autonomy to participate in research projects and scientific-technological collaborations within the field of conservation-restoration, in interdisciplinary contexts, and where applicable, with a high component of knowledge transfer;
CG7) be capable of taking responsibility for their own professional development and specialization in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.
2. Specific competencies of the Master’s degree
Specific competencies of the Master’s in Artistic Education in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in Europe build upon those acquired at the Bachelor’s level (EQF Level 6) in conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. They involve deepening, critically analyzing, and interrelating knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values of the graduate. They also aim to initiate applied research in the practice of conservation-restoration. Upon completion of the Master’s program, students should be capable of:
Cognitive level (thinking processes):
CE1) Integrate and apply knowledge to establish the documentary and social values of cultural heritage as components of cultural heritage.
CE2) Understand different institutions and organizations involved in the preservation of European heritage, as well as the professional and employment scope in Europe.
CE3) Design and draft conservation and restoration intervention projects for cultural heritage autonomously and in a specialized manner.
CE4) Provide specialized technical advice on issues related to conservation-restoration of cultural heritage, effectively communicating conclusions or results to both experts and non-specialized audiences.
CE5) Integrate knowledge from various disciplines to assess the conservation status of cultural heritage in new or complex environments and determine appropriate treatments from a social responsibility standpoint, in a professional or research context.
CE6) Write reports, publications, and communications structured according to scientific standards and conventions.
CE7) Develop learning skills and resources for documentation and research, enabling autonomous study.
Subjective level (attitudes, values, and ethics):
CE8) Critically analyze, explain, and justify the ethical criteria of conservation-restoration to make value judgments in specific situations.
CE9) Apply professional ethics of conservation-restoration according to the specific characteristics and circumstances of cultural heritage, integrating knowledge and judgments to act with social and ethical responsibility.
CE10) Appreciate the need for research and continuous interdisciplinary learning in the field of conservation-restoration, aiming for constant improvement of one’s own knowledge and self-motivation.
Psychomotor level (physical and procedural skills):
CE11) Demonstrate mastery of technical skills to execute conservation-restoration treatments autonomously in complex situations.
CE12) Perform complex actions for the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage autonomously and in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.