Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
Education Master's and PhD degree programmes Arts and Culture
Header image Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture

What do art forms like painting, film, music or theatre contribute to societies? Why have humans in every culture and throughout history engaged in activities we categorize as art?

The Master programme Arts and Culture provides you with the skills needed to investigate the function of the arts in society. It combines in-depth knowledge in a range of specific disciplines with professional and social engagement as well as critical and creative thinking.

The programme’s seven tracks are devised to reflect the multifaceted forms of the art-world and the cultural sector – from the fine arts and architecture to music, theatre and film, including an emphasis on policy-making, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage. The track of your choice prepares you for a professional position in the art-world and the cultural sector in your area of expertise.

You can choose from the following seven tracks:

Facts & Figures
Degree
MA in Arts & Culture
Course type
Master
Duration
12 months (60 ECTS)
Croho code
60087
Language of instruction
Dutch, English
Start
September
Faculty
Arts
Why study this programme in Groningen?
  • top-rated programme in the Netherlands;
  • stimulating international student environment with a lively art scene;
  • theoretically strong department working on the latest developments in the arts-world and cultural sector;
  • wide range of courses and methods;
  • team of motivated international staff members collaborating across national and disciplinary boundaries.
Programme
Programme options
Art History (track)

Do you want to be well prepared for a career in the world of the Visual Arts? The Master's Programme in Art History offers all the knowledge and expertise that you need.

More information about this option

Curatorial Studies (specialization)

In addition to offering courses in curatorial practice and theory, Curatorial Studies in Art History provides excellent students with an internship in a museum in the Netherlands or abroad.

Curatorial Studies is a specialisation within the Art History track

More information about this option

Arts, Cognition and Criticism (track)

This track studies the role of the arts in culture from a multi-disciplinary perspective, drawing on cognitive sciences, hermeneutics, narrative & critical theory, discourse analysis & arts sociology.

More information about this option

Arts, Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship (track)

Art is inherently public. In this programme, you will study and reflect upon how public arts policy, arts management, arts marketing and education affect the realisation of artistic values in society.

More information about this option

Film and Contemporary Audiovisual Media (track)

Film and Contemporary Audiovisual Media focuses on the study of the aesthetic, perceptual, cognitive and cultural effects of film, television, and other forms of audiovisual media.

More information about this option

History of Architecture and Town Planning (track)

The Master's track History of Architecture and Town Planning explores the evolution of cities, villages and park- and landscape design in Europe within the changing global setting.

More information about this option

Landschapsgeschiedenis (in Dutch) (track)

Geïnteresseerd in de geschiedenis en ontwikkeling van landschappen? Dit is de enige master in Nederland gericht op het verleden, heden en toekomst van het Nederlandse en Europese cultuurlandschap.

More information about this option

Music, Theatre and Performance Studies (track)

This Master's programme offers a rich field of study which encompasses both emergent and historically established practices in music and the performing arts.

More information about this option

Entry requirements

Admission requirements

Specific requirementsMore information
previous education

For more information on the specific entry requirements for the Master's track of your choice, visit the separate webpages.

language test

Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 180.

Registration procedure

Please use this step-by-step guide for more information regarding your eligibility and your specific application procedure.

After you complete your application, the Admissions Board will assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, and will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies.

The Admissions Board will then determine whether:

  • direct admission is possible
  • a student has to complete a pre-Master's programme first
  • a student cannot be admitted

Application deadlines

Type of studentDeadlineStart course
Dutch students15 August 202401 September 2024
15 August 202501 September 2025
EU/EEA students01 May 202401 September 2024
01 May 202501 September 2025
non-EU/EEA students01 May 202401 September 2024
01 May 202501 September 2025

Admission requirements

Specific requirementsMore information
previous education

For more information on the specific entry requirements for the Master's track of your choice, visit the separate webpage.

language test

Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 180.

Registration procedure

Please use this step-by-step guide for more information regarding your eligibility and your specific application procedure.

After you complete your application, the Admissions Board will assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, and will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies.

The Admissions Board will then determine whether:

  • direct admission is possible
  • a student has to complete a pre-Master's programme first
  • a student cannot be admitted

Application deadlines

Type of studentDeadlineStart course
Dutch students15 August 202401 September 2024
15 August 202501 September 2025
EU/EEA students01 May 202401 September 2024
01 May 202501 September 2025
non-EU/EEA students01 May 202401 September 2024
01 May 202501 September 2025
Tuition fees
NationalityYearFeeProgramme form
EU/EEA2023-2024€ 2314full-time
non-EU/EEA2023-2024€ 16000full-time
EU/EEA2024-2025€ 2530full-time
non-EU/EEA2024-2025€ 18700full-time

Practical information for:

After your studies

Job prospects

The programme prepares students for programming and curatorial functions, journalistic and publishing positions, educational positions in schools, universities and policy functions, management of art institutions and heritage foundations, and as founders of art-related companies and cultural entrepreneurs.

During their internship students were working for institutions and companies such as Kunst & Cultuur (Groningen and Drenthe), the Curaçao Ministry of Culture, the cultural departments of various embassies, UNESCO, theatre and dance companies, national and international film festivals such as IDFA or the Montréal film festivals, local authorities, many large and small museums in the Netherlands as well as museums abroad (i.e Groeninge Museum Brugge, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna), the Dutch Council for Culture, Fund for the Performing Arts, EYE Filmmuseum, Sound and Vision, IDTV, the Fund Cultural Participation and local authorities in the North of the Netherlands.

Research

The Research Centre Arts in Society (AiS) brings together research on the arts and their societal engagement and impact, both past and present. It hosts a multitude of disciplines including literature studies, art history, architecture and landscape, film studies, musicology, and theatre and performance studies. Research within AiS is focused at the transformative, changing nature of the arts in society throughout history until present day. It does so both in fundamental and applied, empirical and theoretical research. Apart from their work as academic researchers, members of the AiS are involved in cultural life on local, national and international level in for example museums or cultural and educational institutions.

The Research Centre Arts in Society currently hosts seven theme groups:

The AiS theme groups reflect ongoing, innovative, and sustainable research-interests by the academic staff, PhDs and postdocs. Theme groups can be disciplinary or interdisciplinary and are all open to all PhDs throughout the faculty and beyond to enable academic exchange and support for specific research questions.

Apply nowBrochureEventsContact

Contact

  • Ask Your Question Here (please fill in this contact form, we will answer you as soon as possible.)
  • Drs. Lucia van Heteren (Study Advisor)
    Email: l.d.m.e.van.heteren rug.nl
  • Judie Bogers MA (Study advisor)
    Email: studyadvice.ac rug.nl
  • Admission Office (Contact form)
    Telephone: +31-(0)50 363 8976

Je krijgt veel handvatten aangereikt om zelf fundamenteel of toegepast onderzoek te doen

Na mijn bachelor Natuur- en Landschapstechniek wilde ik mij meer verdiepen in het landschap van Nederland. Je komt dan al snel uit bij de mastertrack Landschapsgeschiedenis. Hier krijg je naast de theorie over het Nederlandse landschap, veel handvatten aangereikt om zelf fundamenteel of toegepast onderzoek te doen.

De theoretische kennis komt onder andere terug in het vak Landschappen van Nederland, waar je uitgebreid leert hoe alle landschappen in ons land zijn opgebouwd en ontstaan. Eén van de onderzoeksmethodes die je leert is paleografie: het leren lezen van oude handschriften. Daarnaast krijg je uitgebreide kennis van historische cartografie en GIS-software.

Al deze vakken gebruik in mijn dagelijkse werk nog steeds erg veel. Want mijn werk bestaat voor een groot deel uit toegepast onderzoek. Eerst als zzp'er, tegenwoordig als Projectleider Cultuurhistorie bij Cultuurland Advies. Bij dit adviesbureau ben ik verantwoordelijk voor de cultuurhistorische tak. Wij zetten het toegepast onderzoek om in een kansrijk product. Je moet dan denken aan een cultuurhistorische waardenkaart voor een gemeente, een kansencatalogus voor een landschapsontwerper of een visie voor een lokale vereniging.

Het leuke daaraan is dat ik niet alleen bezig ben met het daadwerkelijke onderzoek, maar ook intensief bezig ben met het proces. Van het bedenken van het product tot het analyseren van beleid en van het leiden van een discussie tot het geven van een presentatie. Dat maakt dat niet alleen het Nederlandse landschap veel variatie in mijn werk biedt, maar zeker ook alle zaken daaromheen.

Read more

Kunsthistoricus bij Studio Haas

Na mijn studie werd ik gedwongen om creatief te zijn, want binnen de kunstsector is het hard werken om een baan te vinden. Toch ben ik blij dat ik kunsthistoricus ben geworden, want het is een waardevolle studie.

Binnen de mastertrack Kunstgeschiedenis koos ik voor de specialisatie Oude Kunst. Ik vind het namelijk zeer interessant dat al die kunstwerken, vele eeuwen oud, vandaag de dag nog in de spotlights staan. Deze kunstwerken hebben ons nog steeds veel te vertellen en daar wilde ik meer van weten!

Eén van de vakken die ik binnen voor deze richting heb gevolgd is Toepassing en Overdracht. Tijdens dit vak ontwikkelde ik de vaardigheden om de intenties van kunstenaar en opdrachtgevers te achterhalen met behulp van technieken zoals visuele analyse en literatuuronderzoek. Met het bestuderen van een kunstwerk komt heel verrassend de tijd waarin het is ontstaan weer tot leven.

Op dit moment werk ik samen met een kunsthistorica Moderne Kunst aan een project waarbij we de kunst in de openbare ruimte in vele gemeenten onder de aandacht willen brengen. Wij willen kunstliefhebbers en toevallige voorbijgangers ter plekke aanknopingspunten geven bij het bekijken van een kunstwerk. In weer en wind naar kunst kijken is anders dan in een museum. Buiten worden meer zintuigen aangesproken dan alleen de ogen en daar leer je als kijker veel van.

Het heeft veel pluspunten om ondernemer te zijn, ik bepaal zelf wat ik interessant vind en waar ik me mee bezig houd. En wat is er nou leuker dan kunst!?

Read more

Project Officer at Platform GRAS

I am fascinated by cities and urban development. During a city trip to Paris, I made the decision to actually do something with my fascination. The links between people, buildings and the complexity of infrastructure like the city's metro network intrigued me enormously. That's really why I started a Master's track in History of Architecture and Town Planning at the University of Groningen.

During my studies I did a placement at AIR architecture centre in Rotterdam. I worked on a project in which I used timelines to chart a number of locations in the centre of Rotterdam. With the help of archives I searched for stories and illustrations, and one of the things I was able to show was why there are still empty spaces in the middle of Rotterdam without any plans for them.

I completed my degree in Prague, where I wrote my Master's thesis on 'The development and preservation of nineteenth-century neighbourhoods in post-Communist Prague'. I researched how actors such as property developers, designers, architects, officials and citizens influence the preservation of the historical fabric of the city, the city's typology and the importance of historical buildings and monuments during the design and construction of new complexes in and around the nineteenth-century neighbourhoods of Prague.

I am currently working as a volunteer for Platform GRAS, the architecture and urban planning platform here in Groningen. I am organizing events such as the Architecture Day and Open Monument Day. I also write texts for the Big Groningen Building Questionnaire. I'm really enjoying it and would love to keep working here. I would also like to do something with urban development or architecture with a municipality or province.

Read more

Metadata Coordinator at Paramount Pictures

If you're looking to study Film from a multidisciplinary perspective aided by expert teachers challenging you to develop your own ideas, I can highly recommend the Film and Media Studies specialisation in Groningen. I highly valued the interaction between students and staff. In my experience, the staff was most approachable and helped me to develop my own ideas, elevating them to a level I had previously not thought possible.
As with any Art degree, finding a job in your field of expertise is very challenging. Luckily, the Film and Media Studies specialisation in Groningen encourages students to pursue an internship. I would highly recommend future students to complete an internship as it will complement your theoretical knowledge with some indispensable practical skills you will need when you start your job hunt. And of course, getting your foot in the door is half the battle!

Read more

Trainee bij het Groninger Museum

Na mijn bachelor Kunstgeschiedenis heb ik gekozen voor de mastertrack Conservatorenopleiding. Inmiddels werk ik bij het Groninger Museum als Stichting Beringer Hazewinkel conservator in opleiding en word ik de komende twee jaar klaargestoomd voor het vak

Ik maak deel uit van het conservatorenteam van het Groninger Museum en werk van concept tot realisatie aan tentoonstellingen, doe onderzoek naar de collectie en schrijf mee aan publicaties. Zo heb ik bijvoorbeeld in de afgelopen maanden meegewerkt met de tentoonstelling H.N. Werkman (1882-1945): Leven & Werk. Hiervoor heb ik in samenwerking met de gastconservator van deze tentoonstelling het concept verder uitgewerkt, bruiklenen aangevraagd en alles rondom de logistiek en opbouw van de tentoonstelling geregeld. Ik waardeer met name de veelzijdigheid in mijn werk. De ene dag ben je op zaal bezig met de opbouw van een tentoonstelling, de volgende dag ben je bezig met onderzoek naar de collectie.’

Read more

Ik ga zo vaak mogelijk naar musea, galeries, kunsthallen, biënnales en beurzen

Read more

This programme is unique in the Netherlands

Why Arts, Culture and Media ?

Since I have always been interested in film, arts in general, culture, and history, the choice to study film at the Arts, Culture and Media department at the University of Groningen was an easy one to make. This track is unique in The Netherlands because it provides a multi- and interdisciplinary perspective on the study of arts and its contexts. The Film and Media Studies specialization within the Arts, Culture and Media track offers the opportunity to broaden and deepen your knowledge of film acquired during the Bachelor, and to study it within a specific professional framework – either Arts Analysis and Criticism, Arts Policy and Marketing, or Arts Education.

A chance to go abroad

If you didn’t go on an exchange in the third year of your Bachelor, then you will get another chance to do so in your Master. In the second semester of my Master, I went on an Erasmus exchange with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne for six months. I can highly recommend taking part in an exchange programme because it is an extremely valuable experience and gives you the possibility to study your art form or discipline in another country.

Read more

University of Groningen Orange Tulip Scholarship/Talent Grant Faculty of Arts

Are you a non-EU/EEA student from Russia, India or Indonesia, starting a Master's programme at the Faculty of Arts? If so, you could qualify for the University of Groningen OTS/Talent Grant, Faculty of Arts, a partial scholarship which helps you to finance your studies.

Read more about the OTS/Talent Grant Faculty of Arts.

Research Master

Are you interested in a research oriented career? Please also check our Research Master's Programme of Arts & Culture.

Read more

Study associations

Meander

Meander is the study association of Arts and Architectural History at the University of Groningen. The aim of this study association is to unite its members and to offer additional activities in which both social and educational aspects play a role. The activities organized by Meander range from interesting lectures to excursions abroad.
During these activities, the academic background of the lecturer is also being addressed in order to establish a link with the future career of students of Arts and Architectural History.
https://www.studieverenigingmeander.nl/

IK

IK is the study association of Arts, Culture and Media at the University of Groningen. IK organizes various study-related activities and aims to create an atmosphere in which students can study successfully. Activities organized by IK include an introduction camp, a careers week and a trip abroad.
https://studyassociationik.com/
Read more
Study support

Each Master's degree programme has a study advisor whom you can contact if you have questions or need advice about your degree programme and other study-related matters. Everything you discuss will be treated confidentially. If you have a more complex problem, for example study delay, a performance disability or if you are ill for a long time, you should contact a student counsellor.

In addition, you can also follow various courses at the Study Support section of the Student Service Centre (SSC), for example on study stress and holding presentations.