Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials

Overview

Students apply directly to the CAEM M.A. Degree Program. The Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials program of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) should not be confused with the research-focused Conservation of Material Culture (CMC) M.S./Ph.D. Program should not be confused with the practice-focused also offered by the Conservation IDP that trains professional conservators.

The two degrees share a scholarly approach to the discipline and strong commitment to the advancement of the conservation profession. In terms of curriculum, they will share 24 units of core coursework providing fundamental knowledge in the structure, properties deterioration and conservation of material culture, as well as, documentation methods and ethics and sets a common basis of understanding of the field and its developments for entering students from various backgrounds.

Degree Requirements

The CAEM M.A. degree however, requires an additional 32 units of conservation laboratory courses, a short practice application-oriented or research-based M.A. paper and an eleventh month internship (most commonly in a conservation department of a museum) enabling students to develop integrative and intense practice experiences and informed treatment skills, preparing them for professional conservation careers. The research design course, electives (subset research area courses), mentored-research experience and doctoral dissertation required in the CMC Ph.D. option on the other hand, builds research methodology skills, critical thinking, knowledge-generating research, entrepreneurial and leadership competencies.