In establishing the programme Expanded Museum Studies, the
University of Applied Arts is instituting a field of study and research that aims to examine, expand and redefine the notion
of museum. A fundamental aspect of the programme is its emphasis on the interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary practical
intertwining of various approaches adopted in the areas of museology, art and cultural studies, conservation, and art-research
methodology.
Expanded Museum Studies focuses on the museum in continuous becoming. ‘Expanded’ means placing
this in a historical, transdisciplinary as well as global relation. Since its inception, the museum as an institution has
been in a state of constant change and full of contradictions. On the one hand it is an educational and research institution,
and on the other hand a place for encounters and entertainment. Objects from the past and present are to be preserved for
their historical significance, while at the same time it is important for the museum to be relevant within continuously changing
circumstances within society, work and the environment. Past, present, and future meet here directly in many different ways.
The
4-semester MA programme at the University of Applied Arts Vienna provides critical competency regarding history and processes
in the context of museums as well as the expertise to actively shape institutional practice and discourse. Across the various
museum sectors, a differentiated understanding of the museum and museal concepts in a global context will be provided. Students
are introduced to transdisciplinary and cross-media working methods as well as research via academic and practice-oriented
courses and projects.
