Art Conservation
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future
Welcome
The Department of Art Conservation at the University of Delaware offers world-class programming dedicated to training future conservators of artistic and cultural heritage. Our interdisciplinary curriculum combines hands-on studio work with advanced study in chemistry, material science, art history, and conservation theory. Students gain extensive experience treating a wide range of artifacts including paintings, sculptures, textiles, books, photographs, and archaeological objects. With state-of-the-art instructional laboratories and strong ties to major museums, the Department of Art Conservation produces leaders in the field who go on to prestigious positions preserving the world's cultural treasures for generations to come. Whether your passion is modern and contemporary art or ancient artifacts, our program provides the comprehensive training needed to become an expert in this highly specialized profession.
Why Art Conservation?
- Unique Undergraduate Experience: The University of Delaware is the only university in the nation to offer courses taught by multiple conservators at the undergraduate level, providing an unparalleled mentorship experience with an average of six conservation professors per student.
- World-Class Master's and Doctoral Programs: The Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) is renowned for its three-year graduate curriculum designed to educate and train conservation professionals in the examination, analysis, stabilization, treatment, and sustainable preservation of heritage collections through specialization in eight conservation disciplines. The Preservation Studies Doctoral Program (PSP) is an interdisciplinary course of study in the philosophies, research methodologies, and policies informing the preservation of art and cultural heritage — distinct in its approach combining cross-field expertise toward doctoral study in preservation.
- Exciting Internship Opportunities: Students in the Art Conservation program have opportunities to intern at a wide variety of institutions around the world, gaining specialized knowledge and skills in the arts, sciences, and other fields, and developing the valuable hand, communication, and critical-thinking skills necessary to be responsible custodians of cultural heritage and cultural exchange.
75%
of art conservation undergrads work in collections care post-graduation.
Graduates
of all three art conservation programs work in 44 states, Washington, D.C. and more than 30 countries.
Partnerships
we partner with 200+ museums, donors, and foundations to secure ongoing funding for our students.
Uniquely UD: Art Conservation
YouTube Link: Uniquely UD: Art Conservation: youtube.com/watch?v=aZEAR-UZHVQ
YouTube Link: Week In The Life Vlog || Art Conservation Grad Student: youtube.com/watch?v=Id75_L1SBV0
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A Year in the Life: WUDPAC Class of 2026
July 09, 2026 | Written by Leah Palmer and WUDPAC Class of 2026The Department of Art Conservation welcomes its third-year Winterthur/UD Program fellows back to campus in August to present formal lectures documenting their second- and third-year internship experiences. Here is a snapshot of their remarkable work over the past year. -
How AI helps researchers track down rare toxic books
July 07, 2026 | Written by Naomi Weiss of Spotlight DelawareDiscover how the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program is using AI to advance the Poison Book Project, identifying rare Victorian books bound with toxic arsenic. -
Building a Database of Poisonous Books
July 06, 2026 | Written by Brayden Moore, WUDPAC Class of 2028 FellowDrawn to the opportunity to help develop a public resource, Brayden Moore, a UD history master’s student in the Class of 2026 and a Winterthur Program in American Material Culture student in the Class of 2028, joined an interdisciplinary initiative at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library and UD examining hazardous materials in Victorian-era bookbindings.
