June 2010 applicants should read these instructions: Instructions for Applicants and also refer to the departmental entrance requirements Curating Contemporary Art MA Entrance Requirements

The Royal College of Art’s Curating Contemporary Art Department has established a new MA pathway for aspiring curators from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. This development of Arts Council England’s Inspire initiative will offer a vocational and academic curriculum with a professional placement in a museum or gallery over two years. Inspire at the RCA will provide a unique course of postgraduate study for those aiming to train as curators of contemporary art.

To apply you need to be from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background and be normally resident in the UK or EU. You should have a good degree in a relevant subject or equivalent learning and experience. You should have a real passion for contemporary art, be an excellent communicator and have a commitment to education and learning in the widest sense.

Participants of the work-place based (Inspire) MA programme are required to produce a portfolio of their work including essays, project proposals, a learning log and details of exhibitions and work undertaken within their host museum or gallery. This portfolio is submitted for assessment in the first year as well as for the final examination.

A bursary of £12,000–£15,000 will be paid for each two-year studentship.

The studentship is exempt from the Race Relations Act 1976 under sections 35 and 37. These exemptions allow for discrimination on the grounds of race and are aimed at reducing the under-representation of certain ethnic groups.

Supported by Arts Council England.