Many art conservation schools offer a Master's program for students who have already earned a bachelor's in a related field, or who have suitable work experience. Programs that focus on a specific type of conservation will usually request that an applicant demonstrate the relevant skills as a prerequisite, for instance, proving woodworking proficiency to gain acceptance in a furniture restoration program. In other programs, students begin learning about art conservation in general, then decide on a specialization after a few semesters.
Schools usually offer art conservation programs in three year tracks. Requirements will include course work and usually an internship during the summer. These internships are frequently with museums and other institutions with which the school has a pre-existing relationship. If you want to work in the same geographical area as your school, these institutions are usually a good start. It might be worth looking into internship programs when determining the school that's right for you.
Art conservation schools teach students how to determine the context, technical background and aesthetic sensibilities of a piece in order to know how best to conserve it. Art conservation programs can focus on preserving a specific type of art or be more general. There are tracks that focus on conserving paintings, textiles, wood, paper, photographs, natural science collections, library materials or anthropological, decorative, historical and art objects made from any type of material. Art conservation schools ground their curriculum in history, including general US and world history, art and conservation history. Students learn about archeology, materials science, art and artifact technology, craft skills, preventative maintenance and treatment techniques. They might have additional academic coursework in chemistry, ethics and philosophy. To successfully graduate from an art conservation school, students have to undergo written and oral examinations. They usually have to submit a research paper, but probably not a full thesis.
The University of Delaware Program in the Conservation of Artistic and Historic Objects hosts over 26 conservation studio areas, a research lab and an internationally recognized art collection available to graduate students in the field. The Conservation Center Program in The Institute of Fine Arts at New York University is the oldest degree-awarding conservation program in North America and has a relationship with several prominent New York galleries. In Canada there is the Art Conservation Techniques Program at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario, which arranges student internships in places like historical royal palaces, the Museum of Civilization and the Royal British Columbia Museum.