Unique features

• West Dean has a large and diverse collection comprising objects from all disciplines. The collections are used by students to apply their knowledge to real-life problems
• The immersive environment encourages joint learning and interdisciplinary practice
• Regular visiting lecturers and part time tutors from public and private institutions
• Field trips to conservation studios, historic sites and exhibitions
• The programme has a high staff to student ratio
• The 36 week programme has workshop access 8.30am – 9pm, seven days a week which is exceptional in a higher education environment

Contextual and professional studies

The social life of objects, places and practices starts well before they come into the sphere of conservation and, in most cases, will extend far beyond that point. Why do some things become our responsibility whilst others are discarded, and how do we decide what the right thing to do while they are in our care is? Learning how to formulate answers to questions like these is the aim of the Contextual and Professional Studies unit. These and other key questions driving conservation practice are explored by analysing how people currently suggest conservation should/should not be done, how these approaches have developed and the key concepts underpinning these approaches. Carrying out this analysis allows us to start to recognise the inherently social nature of conservation and the complex web of factors that influence the choices we make as conservators – and the influence we, in turn, can have on society/ies.

One of the challenges posed by acknowledging the socially constructed nature of conservation is working out how to justify our decisions in relation to objects. We take this as our starting point to understand why some objects matter (have value) to people and why some objects do not. We then assess to what extent the current rules agreed upon by the majority of conservators (codes of ethics and professional guidelines) help us in deciding how best to preserve or enhance the values of the objects that are our responsibility. Covering select topical themes in conservation helps us to understand the evolving nature of the issues with which we are presented, and how, in turn, conservation practice adjusts over time and contexts to deal with these. Content is delivered through a mix of lectures, recommended reading, seminars and visits.

Teaching

On the Graduate Diploma, you typically have around 24 contact hours per week, typically consisting of:

• 6 hours of lectures or demonstrations
• 1 hour of seminars and peer to peer presentations
• 14 hours of supervised workshop practicals
• 1 hour of one-to-one meetings/tutorials

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars, workshops or other timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study for approximately 13-14 hours per week. Typically, this will involve:

• Reading journal articles and books
• Working on individual and group projects
• Undertaking research in the library
• Preparing coursework assignments and presentations

Overall workload

Graduate Diploma: 60% of your time is spent in scheduled teaching and learning activity
Scheduled teaching and learning: 720 hours
Independent learning: 480 hours

International study trips

The College continues to monitor travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with regards to any international travel. At this time, all international travel which includes study trips will be subject to agreement by the College.

Assignments give students the opportunity to enhance and deepen their knowledge and cover the three broad programme aims: practical, theoretical and professional.  Practical and professional practice assignments usually involve the conservation of objects and require evidence of critical evaluation and application of theory to object analysis, treatment option evaluation, the application of treatments, appropriate documentation and subsequent reflection to feed into future practice.

Theoretical assignments include written academic work such as essays, reports, self-assessments and reflective practice related to practical, science and professional and contextual units.  Other assignments include blog, poster and presentations.

Assessments provide evidence that students have achieved the learning outcomes of the course units. All assessment is formalised in the form of grades, as set out in the Student Assessment Policy. Assessment in each specialism is reviewed and moderated by an external examiner.

Practical work is assessed on a continuous basis by specialism specific staff and comments are fed to students informally on an on-going basis through discussion, one-to-one bench tutorials and private tutorials.

Students on the Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies choose one of the following pathways to specialise in when they apply: 

• Books & Library Materials
• Ceramics
• Clocks
• Furniture
• Metalwork

If you are interested in a broader studies, please consider Graduate Diploma in Conservation Care and Management for Collections course.

Accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) will be considered. In these cases, applicants would need to demonstrate their capacity for degree-level work through a portfolio of work, prior learning and an interest or experience in object conservation and cultural heritage. 

When putting together your portfolio for the Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies in any discipline, we recommend including:  

• Evidence of manual dexterity, focus and enjoyment of practical work
• Some familiarity of working with the materials in your area of interest
• Any conservation related activities
• Any visits to conservation studios and specialist craft workshops

As part of the application process, you will also be set some practical tasks.  

You are asked to complete some practical tasks in your own time, which are sent in prior to the interview and will be discussed with you at the interview. You will be asked to take some video clips recording your working through these tasks. This is so we can see that you have the right level of mental agility and manual dexterity to undertake the practical elements of the course.