Master of Arts Program
Program Code: MA-AS
Major Code: CAH

Master of Science Program
Program Code: MS-AS
Major Code: CSV

Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department
Patrick Ravines, Director & Professor
Rockwell Hall 230, (716) 878-5025
artconservation.buffalostate.edu/

The Buffalo State University dual M.A./M.S. degree program in Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage, and Conservation Science and Imaging prepares students for careers as professional conservators caring for works of artistic, historical, and cultural significance. The three-year graduate program is inter- and cross-disciplinary with an educational balance between theory and practice. The instruction provides students with a broad background in conservation treatment, examination and analysis of artwork and cultural heritage, photo-documentation and technical imaging, and the implementation of scientific instrumentation for conservation in their first year. In the second year, students continue taking advanced imaging and science courses and choose their specialization in objects, paintings, or paper conservation (or its subspecialties, book or photograph conservation). The third year is a 12-month internship at a museum, library, archive or other cultural heritage institution under the mentorship of a professional conservator, where students  apply the information, knowledge and skills acquired on campus and continue learning in a professional setting.

Educational and career objectives

The M.A./M.S. in Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage, and Conservation Science and Imaging  combines the multi-disciplinary nature of scientific and imaging analysis with that of conservation theory and practice. The degree focuses on conservation treatment practice, decision-making, and ethics; as well as  the science (chemistry, physics, and materials science) and imaging (optics, industrial photography, and computational photography) required for the examination, characterization, documentation, long term preservation, and display/storage of cultural materials.

The educational goals and career objectives of the Department are to provide the arts, humanities, and cultural heritage fields with well-educated, highly qualified, and responsible conservators. Graduates are prepared for positions as conservation professionals in museums, galleries, libraries, archives, historical societies, private practices, and regional conservation centers.

Admission Requirements

The Garman Art Conservation Department practices a holistic admissions process that relies on multiple criteria to identify the most promising candidates. We do not require submission of GRE scores. We are committed to equity in the admissions process and our requirements and criteria for assessment are explained below. Please note: these requirements were updated in February 2022.

1.) Applicants must have an undergraduate degree with a GPA of at least 2.8, as evidenced by official transcripts from accredited institutions of higher education.

2.) Applicants must have satisfactorily completed course work in the three areas below. Please note that the required course credits are given in semester credit hours. To translate quarter hours to semester hour equivalents, multiply by 2/3. For example, 6 quarter hours are equal to 4 semester hours.

A grade for each class must appear, except for some qualifying studio art and craft courses (see 2c. below). We may request catalog descriptions or syllabi to determine if a course meets the requirements. For courses taken Spring 2020 and later, pass/fail grades will be accepted. For courses in progress at the time of application, please provide evidence of enrollment with your application.

2a.) Art History, Cultural Heritage & Archaeology: 18 Semester Credit Hours including 9 credits of Art History coursework. Course distribution: Qualifying courses include art history, archaeology, classics, library or information studies and physical anthropology courses. These courses should focus on art and artifacts.

This requirement ensures exposure to and understanding of a wide array of artistic, cultural, and historic works, as well as critical thinking and writing skills.

2b.) Chemistry: 16 Semester Credit Hours

Course distribution: Must include two semesters of introductory/general chemistry with labs and two semesters of organic chemistry with labs. Courses for non-science majors will not be accepted. This requirement ensures applicants have the necessary chemistry background including familiarity with laboratory skills, equipment and techniques, and the scientific grounding for advanced content in each conservation specialty.

Note: In-person laboratory courses are required, however, if your education was affected by the pandemic (Spring 2020 through Spring 2022), online courses will be accepted.

2c.) Studio Art and Craft:  12 Semester Credit Hours or equivalent (see below) 

Course distribution: Hands-on courses in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional arts and crafts, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, printmaking, bookbinding, jewelry and metalwork, textiles, ceramics, calligraphy, woodworking, glass blowing, papermaking, etc. 

 Currently, non-credit studio art courses taught at museums and community centers can be counted toward this requirement at the rate of approximately 25 hours of studio time for one semester credit. Please submit documentation including institution name, course description, and course duration; no grade submission is required. 

 The intent of this requirement is for the applicant to demonstrate familiarity with a range of materials and techniques, fine hand/motor skills, and manual dexterity. 

3.) Portfolio of studio art and craft: Please submit a total of 7-10 works in both two and three dimensions. Works submitted do not have to be the result of formal studio courses.

 Include a cover sheet detailing the following information for each work:

3a.) Title (if any), media and support (include all materials and techniques employed), year created

3b.) A brief description of the context under which the artwork was created (academic course, independent project, etc.)

3c.) How the work shows your skill or proficiency with the particular materials and/or techniques. Include detailed images where appropriate.  Please do not submit computer graphics, photography, abstract or expressionist artworks they do not  demonstrate the manual skills we need to evaluate. 

This requirement demonstrates the applicant’s hand skills and communicates mastery of materials and techniques to the selection committee. A high level of manual proficiency is necessary to learn and perform refined conservation treatments and scientific analyses.

4.) Curriculum Vitae (C.V.): Please follow the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) Guidelines available here. https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Resume_and_Curriculum_Vitae

5.) Personal Statement: Please provide a 1,000-word statement explaining why you are pursuing art conservation as a career, your strengths, your interest in the graduate-level education provided by the Garman Art Conservation Department, and how such training relates to your personal objectives. 

6.) Conservation experience: Hands-on experience working under the guidance of a professional conservator at a museum, library, archive, regional center, and/or in a private conservation practice is highly recommended. This experience is helpful in developing hand skills and gaining familiarity with the field before committing to a graduate program. In addition, preventive conservation, object handling, and other museum/library/archives tasks are also beneficial experiences.

7.) Letters of Recommendation: Please submit (only) three letters of recommendation. Two letters must be from conservators and/or allied professionals who can indicate your level of experience and likelihood of future success in the field of conservation. One must be from a professor or other academic reference who can speak to your academic ability and likelihood of success in an intensive graduate program. We recognize that some applicants may have difficulty obtaining an academic reference and in such cases a reference from a professional or supervisor will be accepted.

8.) Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit a score of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Duolingo English Test as documentation of English language proficiency. Applicants with a minimum TOEFL score of 550 or higher on the paper exam or 79 on the Internet exam, an IELTS score of 6.0 or higher, or a Duolingo score of 100 or higher may be considered for admission.

For further information, please refer to the Graduate Studies Office for information regarding International Applicants,https://https://suny.buffalostate.edu/graduate/international

In addition, all applicants should review the Admission to a Graduate Program section in this catalog.

Application Deadline

Completed admission applications must be uploaded to SLATE no later than January 7 of the year in which admission is sought.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Total Required M.A. Courses (46 credit hours)
Required M.A. Courses (41 credit hours)
Paintings
CNS 620	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS I	2
CNS 621	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS 1 (LAB)	1
CNS 622	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS II	2
CNS 623	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS II LABORATORY	1
CNS 625	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTING III LABORATORY	1
Paper
CNS 630	TECHNOLOGY & CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER I	2
CNS 631	TECHNOLOGY & CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER I LABORATORY	1
CNS 632	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER II	2
CNS 633	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER II LABORATORY	1
CNS 635	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER III LABORATORY	1
Objects
CNS 640	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS I	2
CNS 641	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS I LABORATORY	1
CNS 642	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS II	2
CNS 643	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS II LABORATORY	1
CNS 645	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS III LAB	1
Professionalism
CNS 685	SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONSERVATION I	1
CNS 686	SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONSERVATION II	1
CNS 694	MASTER'S PROJECT I	1
CNS 695	MASTER'S PROJECT II	3
CNS 699	INTERNSHIP	12
CNS 698	INTERNSHIP SUSTAINING (Grade recorded as NR-not required.)	0
Electives (5 credit hours, select one pair)
CNS 624 & CNS 626	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS III SEMINAR and TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS IV (5)
CNS 634 & CNS 636	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER III SEMINAR and TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPER IV (5)
CNS 644 & CNS 646	TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS III and TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS IV (5)
Total Required M.S. Courses
Required M.S. Courses (31 credit hours)
Imaging
CNS 600	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION I	2
CNS 601	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION LAB I	1
CNS 602	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION II	2
CNS 603	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION LAB II	1
CNS 604	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION III	2
CNS 605	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION LAB III	1
CNS 606	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION IV	2
CNS 607	CONSERVATION IMAGING: TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND DOCUMENTATION LAB IV	1
Conservation Science (CS)
CNS 610	POLYMERS IN ART & CONSERVATION	3
CNS 611	POLYMERS IN ART & CONSERVATION (LAB)	1
CNS 612	CONSERVATION SCIENCE: POLARIZED LIGHT MICROSCOPY, LIGHT & MATTER	2
CNS 613	CONSERVATION SCIENCE: POLARIZED LIGHT MICROSCOPY, LIGHT & MATTER LABORATORY	1
CNS 614	CONSERVATION SCIENCE: INORGANIC MATERIALS IN ART AND CONSERVATION	3
CNS 615	CONSERVATION SCIENCE: INORGANIC MATERIALS IN ART & CONSERVATION LABORATORY	1
CNS 616	TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF PREVENTATIVE CONSERVATION	3
CNS 617	TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF PREVENTATIVE CONSERVATION (LAB)	1
Professionalism
CNS 685	SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONSERVATION I 1	1
CNS 686	SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONSERVATION II 1 (1)
Total Credit Hours M.A./M.S. Program		77

¹

CNS 685 and CNS 686 are taken twice for 1 credit hour each for a total of 4 credit hours that are applied to both the M.A. degree and the M.S. degree. 

1. Historical Perspective & Cultural Context: Have a judicious understanding of the inextricable relevance of history, art history, cultural context with the contemporary perspectives of the object’s medium/media, aesthetic value, production methods and place of origin, and its relationship to the object’s ‘life time journey’, including previous conservation and restoration treatments and current condition.
2. Critical thinking & Problem Solving: To have the competency of integrating and synthesizing data and information from a multitude of sources of an historic or artistic work or collection of cultural objects to creatively plan sound conservation and restoration approaches. To adapt to work situations and conditions, and to innovate when necessary to successfully plan and execute conservation and restoration treatments.
3. Critical thinking & Problem Solving: To have the competency of integrating and synthesizing data and information from a multitude of sources of an historic or artistic work or collection of cultural objects to creatively plan sound conservation and restoration approaches. To adapt to work situations and conditions, and to innovate when necessary to successfully plan and execute conservation and restoration treatments.
4. Scientific Analysis: To master scientific instrumentation to examine and analyze aspects of condition and method of manufacture of historic and artistic works and cultural objects to be conserved and restored. To critically analyze scientific/technical data and derive useful information for use in the development of sound conservation treatment options.  
5. Craftsmanship & Hand skills: Demonstrate a high level of competence in the skills requiring eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity for detailed work and finish using a wide range of tools, techniques, and processes to conserve and restore historic and artistic works and cultural objects from beginning to end.   
6. Professional Conduct & Ethical Behavior: Understanding the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works; functional knowledge and practical information on public relations; portfolio development for internships and future jobs; how to interview; and contribution to the profession’s body of information through publication and presentations of case studies and/or research.