Master's Degree Programmes in New York

Starting September 2012

Art Business

The Art Business Master's Degree Programme prepares students for careers in the international art enterprise. It combines knowledge and appreciation of art with an understanding of the international art markets and professional practices in the asset-based sector of the art world.

Various professions such as auctioneer, dealer, consultant, curator, investor, insurer, lawyer and critic are explored, and relevant professional art-world practice is studied. This includes marketing, the media, information technology, art content production, business communications, investment, insurance, valuation, art law and economics.

Contemporary Art

The Master's Degree Programme in Contemporary Art involves students in the study of art and its relationship to historical, social, political and economic change, from 1945 to the present.

Students gain an understanding of the connections between dominant cultural and philosophical ideas of the period and the visual languages of art, thereby recognising creative links and attaining critical insight.

With an eye toward future career planning, students visit commercial galleries, auction houses, art consultancies, private collections, public museums and institutions, and become familiar with their differing characteristics and functions.

American Fine & Decorative Art

The Master's Degree Programme in American Fine and Decorative Art prepares students in the understanding of art history as it relates to the cultural, historical, and stylistic significance of paintings, furniture, and decorative objects from the colonial period through to the modernist movements of the first half of the twentieth century.

The course of study includes museum-based sessions, visits to conservation studios, object-handling workshops, technical discussions and regional study trips. These sessions support lectures and seminars on American collecting, patronage, museum curatorship and the art market.

Students develop the skills of connoisseurship and debate issues of damage and restoration, economic and artistic value and explore the many professional options open to experts in the field.

Interior Design

Open to all students at the New York campus, and to London campus students by advisement, this two-year option leads to both an MA degree from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and a Certificate in Basic Interior Design from the New York School of Interior Design.

Options for Completing the MA

Our unique coursework requires two semesters of study, at which point students can finish with a Graduate Certificate. In order to achieve the Master's degree at Sotheby's Institute of Art – New York, students can choose one of four tracks.

Track 1: Thesis
Students enroll for a condensed third semester during the Summer; following the completion of first year major coursework. Independent research is undertaken with the assistance of an advisor, culminating in the production of a Master’s Thesis which is due in mid-October. Students who select this track will enroll in the Thesis Research course in their program in the spring.

Track 2: Third Semester Study
Students enroll for an additional semester in the Fall, following the completion of first year major coursework. They complete a minimum of 8 additional credits of coursework in a different program, participate in all study travel with the new program, and enroll in the Master’s Project Seminar and complete a 4-credit Master’s Project. Coursework and projects are completed by the end of the Fall semester. Students who select this track will not enroll in the Thesis Research course in the Spring and may choose an elective instead.

Track 3: Third Semester Study in London
Students enroll at the London campus for an additionalsemester in the Fall, following the completion of first year major coursework. They complete a minimum of 8 additional credits of coursework in a different program (choosing from any of the 6 offered in London), participate in the Master’s Project Seminar (possibly via email and Skype) and complete a 4-credit Master’s Project. Coursework and projects are completed by the end of the Fall semester. Students who select this track will not enroll in the Thesis Research course in the Spring and may choose an elective instead.

Track 4: MA + Basic Interior Design Certificate
Students return for a second year of study in New York. In the Fall semester they enroll in 12-15 credits of interior design studio coursework at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID); in the Spring semester they enroll in 12-15 additional credits of interior design studio coursework at NYSID and complete a 4-credit Master’s Project in consultation with advisors at both institutions. Students who select this track will not enroll in the Thesis Research course in Spring and may choose an elective instead.

Academic Prospectus

Click here to download New York Master's Degree Academic Prospectus (PDF).

Graduate Certificate

A two-semester Graduate Certificate is available to students who complete the required coursework for the MA but who do not wish to write a Master's Degree Thesis.

How to Apply

Click here to learn how to apply.