David Park - Employability

I think one of the many strengths of the departments is because it's the most academically-based, scientifically-based training that's provided anywhere in the world with [wall painting] conservation. For one thing, it attracts a very wide range of students, a very wide range internationally. We have students from many different countries, from Asia, and the U.S., as well as the UK and Europe.

They work to a very high standard, and they're renowned throughout the field actually. Many of them go on to do extremely important things in their future careers. One of the exciting things is many of them go on to do practical conservation, of course, as [wall painting] conservators, but many of them go on to do other things, like become research scientists or teach in different universities here or abroad or become leading conservation administrators. All those sorts of things.

I think our students, our graduates have a very good international reputation. Some of them go on to practical [wall painting] conservation whether here or abroad. There's a great need for practical conservators in the [wall paintings] field, generally. Many of them go on to do future research, whether a Ph.D. or other levels. Sometimes in this department, sometimes in other universities.

Some of them go into other careers, such as administration or teaching, for example, UCL in London or one of them's become a professor in Cologne. All sorts of different careers. One's now a leading conservation administrator for the national trust in England. They really go on to do a vast range of different things. I think the course prepares them for that well because so many different aspects are taught during the three years of the MA.