Masters Degrees (Museum)

This MA provides a broad academic and professional training in all aspects of museum work, and encourages students to reflect on the concept of the museum and its associated practices. The programme looks at all types of museum, from art galleries to science museums, without concentrating on any particular kind.

Degree information

Students are equipped with a range of skills that they can apply in any museum and develop critically aware perspectives on professional practice and research processes. The programme's main aim is to provide an in-depth understanding of approaches to the research, documentation, communication, interpretation, presentation and preservation of curated materials in museums, while responding to their audiences and communities.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four core modules (75 credits), two optional modules (30 credits), work placement (15 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).

Core modules - all students are required to take the following:
-The Museum: Critical Perspectives
-Managing Museums
-Collections Management and Care
-Museum Communication

Optional modules - students also choose further options to the value of 30 credits from the following:
-Antiquities and the Law
-Collections Curatorship
-Cultural Heritage, Globalisation and Development
-Cultural Memory
-Exhibition Project
-Intangible Dimensions of Museum Objects from Egypt
-Oral History from Creation to Curation

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project on a museological topic which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through lectures, seminars, practical workshops, museum visits and guest speakers. Students are required to undertake a work placement for a total of 20 days. Assessment is through coursework assignments, projects, essays, field reports, portfolio and the dissertation.

Placement
Students are required to undertake a 20 days' work in a museum (or similar institution). This usually takes place one day per week during term-time, although other arrangements may be possible. Students write an assessed 2,500 word report at the end of the placement reflecting on their experience.

Recent placements have included: Brent Museum, the British Museum, Croydon Museum, Event Communications, the Freud Museum, Hackney Museum, London Transport Museum, the Museum of London, RAF Museums, the Royal Academy, Royal Botanical Gardens, Royal Historical Palaces, St Paul's Cathedral, Tate Britain, UCL Museums & Collections.

Careers

Some recent graduates of the programme have gone to do complete a PhD while others have pursued a career in professional organisations associated with the museum and/or heritage sector. 90% of UK graduates from this degree take up employment in the museum sector within six months.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Research Officer, Imperial War Museum
-Archivist, Madame Tussauds
-Assistant Curator, Victoria and Albert Museum
-Cataloguer, Historic Royal Palaces
-Museum Assistant, British Museum

Employability
The MA in Museum Studies facilitates the development of both practical skills relevant to a professional career in the museum and galleries sector and a solid understanding of, and critical engagement with, theoretical issues involved in contemporary museum practice. Core practical skills include collections care procedures, packing and storing objects, documentation, collections-based research, exhibition production, and display evaluation. A museum-based placement and optional modules can be chosen to enable students to focus on specific additional areas of theory and practice. Thansferable skills include independent research, writing and communication skills, interpersonal skills, use of IT, time management and group working.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is the largest and most diverse department of archaeology in the UK, and provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate study in related fields such as museum studies, heritage studies and conservation.

Its outstanding archaeological library is complemented by UCL's main library, University of London Senate House and other specialist libraries.

London's many museums and galleries are a wonderful source of discussion and material for this degree, but in particular UCL's own important museums and collections are drawn upon for teaching, including those of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, the Art Museum, and the Grant Museum of Zoology. Students have access to MA degree programmes taught in other UCL departments. Please note that students need to contact the relevant programme coordinators to register their interest since there are only limited spaces available.

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St Andrews is Scotland’s leading centre for postgraduate research and training in the heritage sector and the MGS Postgraduate Diploma/MLitt provides Scotland’s pre-eminent museum studies programme. The one-year Postgraduate Diploma is available as stand-alone vocational training or there is an option to present a dissertation on an approved topic for an MLitt degree. These programmes have attracted funding for students from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and various English and Northern Irish Local Education Authorities as well as the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The Museum and Gallery Studies programmes prepare you for employment in museums, principally as curators. We ensure that the training is broad, covering all types of museums, galleries and other heritage facilities. The main focus of the training is curatorial work, but curators also need a proper understanding of the work of all their colleagues since, especially in small museums, the ‘curator’ may have to tackle a very wide range of duties. Hence, the principles of conservation, museum education, exhibition planning and design, and various management topics are also included. Two taught modules on the theory and practice of museums provide knowledge of museum systems and practices and understanding of issues relevant to today’s museums. These are complemented by project work, including individual museum tasks and the preparation, in a team, of a public exhibition, which enables you to develop relevant practical skills.

The extensive University Museum Collections at St Andrews are particularly suitable for curatorial training and give the programme a unique character. The Collections include over 100,000 museum items in a wide range of subject areas, from art to zoology, and these collections and the staff who look after them are actively involved in the Museum and Gallery Studies teaching programme. Close to the School of Art History is the Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA), where most of the Museum and Galleries Studies teaching takes place. MUSA includes four display galleries on the ground floor, and on the first floor is a ‘Learning Loft’ for education and a Viewing Terrace. Students on the Museum and Gallery Studies Art History programme prepare an exhibition in the Gateway Galleries and the St Andrews Museum. Other facilities include extensive library holdings in museum studies, access to computers, and a dedicated work and study area with computers and other appropriate equipment.

St Andrews museum training benefits enormously from the willing participation of the Scottish museum profession. Museums Galleries Scotland and its member museums of all shapes and sizes generously provide visiting lecturers and host class visits and individual student placements. In return, St Andrews has developed several initiatives to extend its training beyond the University and into the museum community.

A part-time version of the Postgraduate Diploma and MLitt, taught through residential schools and work-based projects, is aimed in particular at people already working in museums. Participants are welcomed from Scotland, the rest of the UK and EU. The Museum and Gallery Studies teaching staff are experienced museum curators who continue to be involved directly in museum work.

Teaching methods

Students take three compulsory 40-credit modules during the two semesters of coursework. The taught courses are delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and visits to museums and galleries. A programme of project work, based on the University Collections or with local museums and galleries, complements the taught element. This incorporates problem-based learning and enables students to develop relevant practical skills and to experience the dynamics of teamwork. There are short taught sessions related to the exhibition element of the project work and regular formal meetings. There is also a series of research methods classes to help prepare for the dissertation element.

Assessment

Assessment is by coursework. Students complete three assignments per module in a variety of formats including an essay, a documentation and database project, an object study, an exhibition or website review, a lesson plan and a management report. The dissertation module during the summer semester provides the opportunity to undertake an independent research project under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Careers

A postgraduate degree in Art History, History of Photography or Museum and Gallery Studies provides an excellent foundation for a career in the art or museum world.

The Museum and Gallery Studies course provides a theoretical foundation combined with hands-on, practical and transferable experience. Recent graduates have gone on to work for a range of institutions, from the Scottish Light House Museum to the National Museums of Scotland, the Victoria and Albert Museum to the Detroit Institute of Arts, the McManus Galleries in Dundee to Zhejiang University Museum of Art & Archaeology, and auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull, and Bonham’s, among many others. Two year-long traineeships within University Collections are open uniquely to Museum and Gallery Studies graduates, as is the four to five month David Nicholls Curatorial Internship at the South Georgia Museum in Antarctica.

Recent postgraduates in Art History and History of Photography are employed in universities and archives, museums and galleries, auction houses, radio stations, publishing houses and magazines and are also working in journalism, teaching, and retail.

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Summary

This established programme shares best practice and expertise in various aspects of museum studies, cultural management, exhibition practice and care of collections. The modules draw upon the expectations of the museum standards programmes in UK and Ireland and present these within an international context. Lectures include points of discussion on key issues concerning the museum profession globally. Tutors are either lecturers in Ulster University or senior staff in the museum sector.

About

In developing the Museum Practice and Management programme we worked closely with the Heritage Council, and the course was designed to reflect the Museum Standards Programme Ireland.

There are four modules in the taught part of the programme:

Museums and Culture: Policies and Values

CUS 816 (30 credits)

This module considers the meaning, purposes and impact of museums. It looks at the value of objects, histories of museums as well as issues in relation to governance, museum ethics, social policies and display. It draws on key debates in the museum sector both nationally and internationally and encourages students to reflect upon the potential of museums.

Management and Strategy for the Museum

CUS 817 (30 credits)

Issues of management, marketing, finance and strategic planning are core to this module. Module content explores key thinking and principles in these areas and applies them to the museum sector.

Communication and Learning in Museums

CUS 818 (30 credits)

The focus of this module is museum communication through exhibition development and learning policies. Units relating to exhibitions focus on the importance of display, writing museum text and evaluation. Lectures also reflect upon contemporary learning theories, how these might be applied in museums, and writing an education policy for a museum. Consideration is also given to engaging lifelong learners and employing new media in museums.

Collections Care and Management

CUS 819 (30 credits)

Collections are the basis on which most museum work is developed. This module considers how to make collection management a strategic part of a museum service. It considers the development of standards and accreditation, issues relating to acquisition and disposal of collections as well as documentation. Lectures relating to the care of collections consider preventive conservation; care of collections; storage; object handling; movement of collections; disaster planning; and the broader context of collections care.

Attendance

This is an entirely online programme, with no requirement to attend the Ulster University. However, there is an annual calendar of museum events in Ireland which many students attend and the tutors use as an opportunity to informally meet with students.

Work placement / study abroad

On request, we work with students and local museums or heritage properties to arrange work placements.

Career options

The majority of the students on this programme are working the museum or related sectors. Often these students want to learn more about museum practice and theory. Others are keen to enter the sector and the programme provides invaluable learning. Such students gain a lot from discussion with their peers and tutors. In addition, the Course Director can advise you on finding a work placement in a museum.

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Durham University's unique MA in Museum and Artefact Studies aims to provide students with high quality training relevant to a career in museums, the cultural heritage sector, and in the academic world. In particular, it is intended to equip students with a sound knowledge and critical understanding of current professional principles, good practice and contemporary debates relating to museum and artefact studies.

It aims to help students develop a variety of skills:
Professional skills - relevant to the care, management and exhibition of collections in museums.
Analytical skills - relevant to the study of a wide range of materials and artefacts, from different periods and cultures, and from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
Research skills - relevant to studies of museums and artefacts, including an awareness of current theoretical issues.
Communication skills (oral, written and visual) - relevant to work in the museum profession and to academic research.

It also aims to encourage students to take personal responsibility for their own learning, team-work and professional conduct.

Course Structure

Two distinct routes can be followed through the MA in Museum and Artefact Studies. These comprise different combinations of modules.

Route 1

The first route is intended for students who firmly intend to pursue a career in museums and galleries. It comprises six compulsory taught modules:
-Approaches to museum and artefact studies
-Museum principles and practice
-Artefact studies
-Care of collections
-Museum communication
-Research paper

Route 2

The second route through the MA provides students with a different choice of modules. It is intended for students with a strong interest in artefact studies, who may wish to pursue a career in the cultural heritage sector or undertake further postgraduate research in museum or artefact studies after completing the MA course, but who also wish to keep their options open. It comprises four compulsory modules (one of which is a dissertation) and a choice of a fifth module:
-Approaches to museum and artefact studies
-Museum principles and practice
-Artefact studies
-Dissertation
And either
-Museum communication
Or
-Care of collections
Or
-A module from the MA in Archaeology (e.g. Prehistory; Roman Archaeology; Medieval Archaeology; Post-Medieval Archaeology; or the Archaeology of Egypt, the Near East and India (when available).

Learning and Teaching

The programme is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Typically lectures provide key information on a particular area, and identify the main areas for discussion and debate in the Museums sector. Tutorials, seminars and workshops then provide opportunities for students to discuss and debate particular issues or areas, based on the knowledge that they have gained through their lectures and through independent study outside the programmes formal contact hours. Finally, practical classes allow students to gain direct experience of practical and interpretative skills in Museum and Artefact Studies through placements and curating an exhibition and/or developing an educational programme for the University Museums.

The balance of these types of activities changes over the course of the programme, as students develop their knowledge and ability as independent learners , giving them the opportunity to engage in research, professional practice, and developing and demonstrating research skills in a particular area of the subject. The programme aims to develop these key attributes in its students thereby preparing them for work or further study once they have completed the programme.

In Terms 1 and 2 students typically attend 3-4 hours a week of lectures, up to 4 hours of tutorials or seminars, in addition to 2 workshops and 2-3 hours of practical sessions working with artefacts or museum environment-related matters or fieldtrips over the term. Students have a 20-day Museum placement at Easter in a museum or archive. Outside timetabled contact hours, students are also expected to undertake their own independent study to prepare for their classes and broaden their subject knowledge. Professional speakers are brought in to engage the students with issues within the professional body.

In Term 3 the balance shifts from learning the basic skills required, to applying them within a real-life museum environment in the module Museum Communications where students work together on a specific project(s) with an opening date in May, June or July. Typically, students could be spending the equivalent of a working week as they complete the work for their projects, under supervision.

The move towards greater emphasis on independent research and research continues in Term 3, where the use of research skills acquired earlier in the programme are developed through the Dissertation research project or the Research Paper. Under the supervision of a member of academic staff with whom they will typically have between 3 and 5 one-to-one supervisory meetings, students undertake a detailed study of a particular area resulting in a significant piece of independent research. The Dissertation is regarded as a preparation for further academic work while the exhibition and Research Paper route is designed for a more professional environment.

Throughout the programme, all students also have access to an academic adviser who will provide them with academic support and guidance. Typically a student will meet their adviser two to three times a year, in addition to which all members of teaching staff have weekly office hours when they are available to meet with students on a ‘drop-in’ basis. The department also has an exciting programme of weekly one hour research seminars which postgraduate students are strongly encouraged to attend as well as Friends of the Oriental Museum events.

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The MA Museum Cultures offers you the opportunity to study this expanding and dynamic field at close proximity to the most world-distinguished museums and galleries. If you are contemplating a career in the museum and gallery sector and if you are interested in developing an in-depth understanding of contemporary debates about museums and their cultural significance, then this is the course for you. Our MA gives you the chance to develop a range of key skills, from critical thinking and writing to practical experience through a work placement in a museum, gallery or archive. Museums have been of enormous importance in shaping empires, nations and cities, and their collections are connected to wider histories of conflict and social change. To study museums is to study the development and fierce contestation of our collective cultural imagination and memory.

You begin with a core course that introduces interdisciplinary perspectives on the study of museums and a research skills module where you work collaboratively with your classmates. You then take 2 options in areas of specialist interest and either an independent research project or a work placement in a museum, gallery or archive. Finally, you will be individually counselled in your choice of dissertation topic.

The Department of History of Art at Birkbeck has an international reputation for its innovative approaches to the history of art, visual culture and museum studies. Our expertise extends into areas such as postcolonial museums, museums in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, the senses and museums, architecture and museums, museums and art, museums and memory, museums and conflict, museums and gender, small museums, and museums, politics and heritage. As well as regular gallery and museum visits, we offer an exciting study trip abroad every spring. Students are encouraged to become involved in the lively research culture of the department through the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, the Architecture, Space and Society Centre and the Vasari Research Centre, which has pioneered the field of digital art history. In addition to the core teaching and individual research support, students benefit from many events in the Department of History of Art at Birkbeck, including: the department’s postgraduate events; the annual Murray lecture where speakers have included Penelope Curtis, director of Tate Britain and Neil McGregor, director of the British Museum; and the programme of exhibitions and displays at the Peltz Gallery, the School of Arts' purpose-built exhibition space. Students are also welcome to attend other seminars and events across the School of Arts and at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.

Our flexible approach to full-time and part-time evening study is ideal if you are thinking about undertaking paid or voluntary work experience in London’s museums and galleries during the daytime, while studying for a postgraduate degree that can give you a head start in a competitive jobs market.

We offer taster events and information evenings for prospective students interested in our MA Museum Cultures programme throughout the year.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

Arts and humanities courses at Birkbeck are ranked third best in London and 11th in the UK in the Times Higher Education 2015-16 World University Subject Rankings.
Taught by scholars across Birkbeck, including our Department of History of Art, Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies and Department of History, Classics and Archaeology. This programme offers an interdisciplinary perspective on contemporary debates within museum studies and encompasses museums in Africa, Asia and the Americas as well as in Europe.
We provide students with supervised work placements in museums, galleries and archives including Tate, the British Museum, the Whitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum. Past students have helped design and run schools programmes, documented collections that were previously uncatalogued, conducted visitor research and assisted curators in producing exhibitions.
This course of study offers you access to cutting-edge research by some of Britain’s foremost scholars and all the flexibility of evening study at Birkbeck. Whether you have a busy job, have other commitments or want to maximise library time during the day, evening study makes MA study work better.
You can choose option modules from postgraduate courses including History of Art and Arts Policy and Management.
Students studying Museum Cultures are invited to attend postgraduate events in the Department of History of Art and across the School of Arts. Guest speakers include international curators, museum directors, art historians and artists.
The department attracts a rich programme of visiting scholars and practitioners. Our History and Theory of Photography Research Centre and the newly established Architecture, Space and Society Centre offer students the opportunity to develop their knowledge of those areas, as does the Centre for Film and Visual Media which is based in the Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies.
The Department of History of Art has an outstanding reputation for offering critical and creative programmes designed and taught by leading academics and practitioners in the field, within a learning environment that is supportive of the needs of students from a wide range of educational backgrounds.
With our location in Bloomsbury in central London, you can explore some of the world's best architecture, galleries and museums, collections and arts spaces - many of which are on our doorstep or a short distance away. The British Library is within close proximity as is the British Museum, Sir John Soane's Museum, Foundling Museum, Wellcome Gallery, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern and V&A.
We have a state-of-the art cinema and exhibition spaces, all housed in a historic building that was a former home to key members of the Bloomsbury Group, including the author Virginia Woolf and the artist Vanessa Bell.
Birkbeck Library has an extensive collection of books and journals in art history and museum studies. You can also take advantage of the rich research collections nearby, including Senate House Library, the British Library and the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

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Why you should choose this course:
-You want to explore emerging critical approaches and shifts in museum practice and theory
-You would like to undertake a work placement in a museum, gallery or related cultural organisation in or around Manchester
-You are interested in the rich museum and cultural scene of Manchester and the opportunities for case studies, fieldwork and networking on offer

Art Gallery and Museum Studies (AGMS) has been taught at The University of Manchester for more than 40 years. It is one of the longest established MA degree courses in museum studies in the country, and our alumni have reached senior positions in museums and galleries throughout the UK and overseas.

Today, the AGMS course is continually being reviewed and developed in response to new research, emerging critical approaches and shifts in museum practice. Manchester's traditional focus on the art gallery remains, but is now balanced by course units which address history, theory and practice in a range of institutions.

Throughout the degree, you will examine diverse issues related to museum theory and practice, visit numerous museums, galleries and cultural organisations, and have many opportunities to discuss ideas and issues with professionals and academics in the field. The AGMS course combines both guided and independent study, and includes seminars, guest lectures and site visits.

Teaching and learning

Most teaching takes place in small interactive seminar groups, involving, as appropriate, directed-reading, fieldwork in museums and galleries, staff and student presentations, discussion, debate, problem-solving and group-work.

Most courses run one day/week over 12 weeks and there are variations in the number of class hours per teaching day depending on the course/week (i.e. 2-5 hours). As a general rule, a 30 credit course includes 300 learning hours, which can be roughly divided as follows: a third in classes or class-related work; a third in independent study; and a third in preparation of assignments.

Students undertake also a collections management group project (as part of the 'Managing Collections and Exhibitions' and an exhibition group project (as part of the 'Professional Practice Project' course) in collaboration with a museum, gallery or related cultural organisation in Manchester or the North West of England.

Course unit details

The AGMS MA is a modular degree with core and optional elements totalling to 180 credits. Core and options courses combine to make 120 credits with the remaining 60 credits allocated to the dissertation.

Semester one
Full-time students take two core course units: 'Introduction to Museum Studies' and 'Managing Collections and Exhibitions' (each 30 credits). Part-time students take 'Introduction to Museum Studies' in Year 1 and 'Managing Collections and Exhibitions' in Year 2. These core units are designed to introduce you to key issues and ideas in museum practice, and also to different approaches to the study and analysis of museums. All elements in Semester One are compulsory. Unit details are below.

Semester two
Semester two option courses build on the knowledge and understanding you have gained in semester one, and enable you to develop expertise in a particular disciplinary area of curating (e.g. art or archaeology) or sphere of museum practice (e.g. museum learning or exhibition development). Full-time students take 60 credits of option course units (option courses are offered as 15 or 30 credits). Part-time students take 30 credits of option course units each year. Unit details are below. Please note that not all option courses may be available every year. Students may choose to take one option course in a related subject area, e.g. Archaeology, History, or Social Anthropology.

Dissertation (Semester 2 and summer)
On successful completion of the coursework, you proceed to write a dissertation (60 credits) on a topic of your choice, agreed in conjunction with your dissertation supervisor. Dissertations, like articles (depending on the journal), may be strongly based on original primary source research, they might aim to re-interpret an already well-trawled area of the subject, or they might take up an approach somewhere between these two extremes. In all cases, however, the authors will have chosen and elaborated a body of relevant material which they bring to bear on a clearly defined issue. Dissertation planning and supervision takes place in Semester 2 (February - end of June) and you continue with your independent writing in July and August. You can either undertake a standard dissertation or a practice-based dissertation:
-Standard : 12-15,000 words
-Practice-based A : Exhibition. An exhibition, show or plan thereof. Outcome - exhibition and/or plan plus 8-10,000 words reflection
-Practice-based B : Policy. Student to develop a piece of museum policy. Outcome - policy or report plus max 8-10,000 words reflection.
-Practice-based C : Digital/Online (building on skills developed in Digital Curating). Outcome - digital media application plus max 8-10,000 words reflection.

Career opportunities

How will the AGMS support my career goals?
The AGMS is an important entry-level qualification for anyone seeking to pursue a career in museums or galleries. It is also a valuable resource for continuing professional development for mid-career professionals. In addition, the MA provides a thorough training in the skills needed to do further postgraduate research. These skills in research design and planning are transferable to jobs in the museum sector, as well as being a vital first step to PhD research.

What are the career destinations of AGMS graduates?
Of course, job destinations vary according to the interests, ambitions and skills of each individual, but most of our students are successful in obtaining professional posts in collections, exhibitions, education, interpretation, or some aspect of museum/arts management soon after completing the MA.

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The MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies aims to provide students with critical understandings of issues in curatorship, museology and museum management. The course considers the ways in which material culture has been represented and interpreted by historians and cultural theorists, the methodologies behind museum practice and methods of display and interpretation, and also puts theory and practice into dialogue.

Through the course, students develop critical understandings of the histories of art galleries and museums and explore and challenge key ideas that have shaped museum practice. Students will also deploy these historical and theoretical understandings to develop innovative approaches to curation, interpretation and engaging audiences.

You will develop practical skills through working on an interpretation project in our archives and collections on campus, and undertaking a negotiated work placement. Supported by the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage, you will gain the knowledge and skills for a successful career in the museum and art gallery sector.

You will study in the heart of a cultural hub for this diverse and vibrant region. Leeds is home to a wide variety of world-leading and innovative arts and heritage organisations, from the Royal Armouries, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Northern Ballet through to nine council-run museums, galleries and heritage sites and many contemporary art spaces.

We are also close to everything the rest of Yorkshire has to offer, from The Hepworth Wakefield to the National Science and Media Museum, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Brontë Parsonage Museum. We have close links with many of these cultural institutions to support your practical learning.

Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage

All students on the degree become members of the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage and enjoy opportunities from networking events and links to alumni to conferences, seminars and reading groups.

Course content

A set of core modules form the bedrock of the programme, introducing you to the concept of the ‘museum’ and the ways in which Western museums have represented and interpreted history and historical material.

You’ll also use contemporary theory to consider 20th-century museum practice and key questions around curatorship, museology and museum management. The role of the curator, funding and sponsorship and the display and interpretation of objects are among the topics you’ll cover.

Your core modules will give you the chance to apply your theoretical knowledge and gain practical skills. You’ll take part in an interpretation project in the University’s Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, as well as completing a work placement in an external arts or heritage organisation.

All MA students in the School take two core modules which develop the research skills to complete research projects such as your essays and dissertation.

This will build to our unique MA Symposium in Semester 2, where you present some of your own research across interdisciplinary panels, and a dissertation which enables you to undertake research in a topic of interest to you.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Advanced Research Skills 15 credits
• Advanced Research Skills 25 credits
• History and the Museum: Representation, Narrative and Memory 30 credits
• Museum, Object, Practice 30 credits
• Interpreting Cultures 30 credits
• Dissertation 50 credits

Optional modules

• Derrida and Deconstruction 30 credits
• Capitalism-Criticism-Contemporary Art 30 credits
• Unfinished Business: Trauma, Cultural Memory and the Holocaust 30 credits
• From Chagall to Kitaj and Beyond 30 credits
• Critical and Curatorial Challenges in Contemporary Art: The Documenta Exhibitions at Kassel 1992-2012 30 credits
• Encountering Things: Art and Entanglement in Anglo-Saxon England 30 credits
• Anthropology, Art and Representation 30 credits
• Humanity, Animality and Globality 30 credits
• Audience Engagement and Impact 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Art Gallery and Museum Studies MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Art Gallery and Museum Studies MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

You’ll be taught by leading researchers and experienced practitioners in their fields, and you’ll benefit from a range of teaching and learning methods. They include lectures and seminars, gallery and museum visits, as well as hands-on experience of specific collections in library sessions.

You’ll also learn from practical experience when you undertake your work placement, and a variety of external speakers will give you an insight into contemporary practice in the sector. Independent study is an important element of the degree, allowing you to develop your research and critical skills.

Assessment

We use a range of assessment methods including essays, presentations, assignments and literature reviews among others, depending on the modules you choose.

Career opportunities

Through a combination of theory and practice, the programme produces graduates who are able to develop professional careers in the museums and heritage sector whilst retaining a critical and reflexive eye on their own practice and that of the institutions in which they work.

It will equip you with a good understanding of the issues and approaches to art gallery and museum studies, as well as practical work experience – a combination which is very valuable to employers. You’ll also develop advanced skills in communication, research and analysis as well as cultural awareness.

Our graduates now work as heads of collection, curators and education staff in local authority museums, for national heritage organisations like the National Trust, charitable trusts and in arts marketing and public relations.

A significant number have also returned as research students and have secured scholarships to pursue their research topics, including Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) scholarships. Former research students are now forging academic careers in the UK, Canada and the US.

To get a flavour of the kinds of career trajectories our graduates have taken see the ‘news’ section of the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage and the alumni pages of the School website.

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General Information

The term museum encompasses a broad range of organisations with a focus on learning in settings outside the traditional classroom. Museums include cultural centres, science centres, historic sites, parks, planetaria, art museums and art galleries. Contemporary museum education establishes museums as innovative learning environments rather than repositories of artefacts. As museums and other informal learning sites contemplate new roles within society it will be incumbent upon museum professionals, and particularly museum educators, to become catalysts for different ways of thinking about the educational roles and potentials of museums and other informal learning sites, teaching and learning in museum settings as well as exploring new relationships between museums and the broader community.

Quick Facts

- Degree: Master of Museum Education
- Specialization: Museum Education
- Subject: Education
- Mode of delivery: On campus / Online combination
- Program components: Coursework only
- Registration options: Full-time
- Faculty: Faculty of Education

The Master of Museum Education is a unique graduate degree program focusing on the study of education and learning that occurs in museums and other informal learning contexts. This programs draws together Museum professionals, educators and those with an interest in using the community to support teaching and learning to further their thinking and scholarship around museums as sites of education and learning.

As museums contemplate new roles within society it will be incumbent upon museum professionals, and particularly museum educators, to become catalysts for different ways of thinking about the educational roles and potentials of museums and other informal learning sites, teaching and learning in museum settings as well as exploring new relationships between museums and the broader community.

This program will provide the necessary skills and knowledge for careers as educators in informal settings such as museums, locally and globally, and to support classroom-based teachers in expanding their use of the community as a learning site. The program model is one that recognizes the need for contextualizing museum education curriculum in both home country context (which has its own unique social and political context) and in the Canadian cultural context of museum education, in which practices may be conceptualized in other beneficial ways to that of the student’s own country of origin. The end result are graduating students that are then better able to influence the systems in their own countries with strengthened capacities to introduce beneficial reforms around museum education.

Upon completing the MMEd degree, students will be able to:
- Critically analyze dominant and alternative theories and discourses of learning and teaching in informal settings
- Identify the influences of multiple perspectives (i.e., Local, Aboriginal, International) in facilitating learning experiences in/within museums and communities
- Develop learning opportunities to integrate learning within classrooms, and learning in informal settings such as museums and other informal learning sites
- Develop tools to implement and sustain educational programs outside the traditional classroom
- Develop skills and knowledge to understand and address the increasing complexities of issues facing informal learning settings
- Evaluate the potential for working with a variety of learning communities
- Analyze different approaches to teaching and program development, settings, and perspectives

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Our Museum Practice MPrac, the first in the UK and internationally, blends theory with work-based placements to extend and complement your Museum Studies MA. You will gain essential and relevant work experience in the museum sector, applying theoretical frameworks within a work-based context.

The Museum Practice MPrac offers a mixture of taught modules and two work-based placements, providing you with a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and understanding, and practical experience.

The first year of the MPrac is the Museum Studies MA, which must be completed successfully before undertaking the second year extended work-based placement

During this programme you will:
-Gain the skills and knowledge required to work in the museum sector
-Undertake an extended placement to further enhance your practical skills and knowledge
-Study in an environment responsive to the professional requirements and skills needs of the museum sector, both nationally and internationally
-Understand current developments in the museum sector and gain a critical awareness of problems and new insights, along with the key theoretical principles and conceptual approaches of museum studies

Through our close links with the sector, we welcome a large range of external speakers from all areas of the heritage, museum, and gallery world to lead sessions. This means that the course balances theory with practice and maintains the latest insights into the industry.

Delivery

We are based at our city centre campus with work placements or work related-projects usually taking place off campus. Part time study consists of the same modules and options as in the full time course, but spread over a longer period.

Placements

After completing your Museum Studies MA in year 1, you will supervised and mentored through a 36-week work placement in year 2. Placements can be in the UK or abroad, depending upon availability. We will set up the placement for you, based on the submission of a project agreed between you, your tutor and the placement host organisation.

Previous cohorts of students have undertaken placements with:
-BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
-Beamish North of England Open Air Museum
-Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums
-Great North Museum: Hancock
-Victoria Tunnel
-Hartlepool Arts, Museums and Events

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Summary

This well-established programme at the Ulster University is delivered through the School of Creative Arts and Technologies and is taught on the Belfast campus. It has many links with the museum and heritage profession both north and south and students have the advantage of meeting with practitioners through lectures and visits. Graduates have been successful in securing positions in the museum and heritage sectors both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To support your learning, we arrange a placement for all students in a local museum or heritage site.

The degree programme has been designed for individuals seeking further career development in the heritage and museum sectors, as well for graduates of Art and Design, Art History, Geography, History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Education, Sociology and allied disciplines, who wish to develop their research interests in these fields.

Key areas of investigation in this MA include

• Policy concerns relating to heritage, museum and cultural sectors in Ireland, north and south
• Analysis of the social, economic and cultural contexts of museums and heritage
• Management issues relating to museums and heritage sites; and
• Impact of digital technologies on the heritage experience.

Modules have been designed to reflect innovative and current research in these areas and will equip both graduates and those already working in the heritage sectors with the appropriate skills for further academic and professional development.

About

The MA requires successful completion of five taught modules and one research module.

Taught Modules

• Exploring Heritage
• Cultures of Curatorship
• Exhibition: Practice and Evaluation
• Strategic Management for the Heritage and Museum Sectors
• Research in Museum and Heritage Studies

MA Research Dissertation

If you choose not to do the research dissertation you may exit with a PGD, postgraduate diploma.

The MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies is delivered at the York Street Campus in Belfast to both full and part-time students.

Your Course Director is Elizabeth Crooke, Professor of Heritage and Museum Studies at Ulster University. Elizabeth works with a team of expert and experienced tutors to deliver this programme. In September 2015 Elizabeth was elected Chairperson of Board of Directors Northern Ireland Museums Council. Elizabeth is currently a member of the Museum Standards Programme Advisory Committee of the Heritage Council (Ireland) and member of the Board of Directors Irish Museums Association.

Attendance

This course is taught on the Belfast campus.

Full-time students attend lectures and seminars two days a week (typically Tuesday and Thursday) and Part-time students one day a week (typically a Thursday in the first year and a Tuesday in the second year).

Work placement / study abroad

We support all students in finding a work placement, which they complete alongside their studies.Students have had placements at National Museums Northern Ireland, local museums, Linen Hall Library, PRONI and the National Trust.

Career options

This programme was introduced in 2001 and since that time our graduates have pursued careers in museums, exhibition design, archives, the cultural sector and further education. Alumni from the programme now form a vibrant community and are having a positive impact on the sector.

The areas graduates have gone on to include:

• Museums, Archive and Galleries, entry level posts such as documentation, education, and outreach;
• Specialist museum-related training e.g. in conservation of museum objects
• museum based internships
• Archaeology (mainly excavation and research);
• Heritage (such as National Trust) and the Arts
• PhD research
• Graduates also pursue other interests such as travelling.

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The Masters in Museum Studies will help you develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required of today’s versatile museum professional. It has been designed in conjunction with employers to meet their needs for well-rounded museum professionals trained in the latest theoretical and practical approaches.

Why this programme

◾Glasgow’s civic and university collections are the richest and most diverse outside of London and are of international standing.
◾Taught alongside staff from the University's own museum and art gallery, The Hunterian, the degree programme provides a combination of academic and practitioner input.
◾If you want to develop a career in the cultural heritage sector, this programme has been developed for you.
◾Three versions of the degree allow you follow standard or specialist strands.
◾There are great opportunities for you to take practice based courses or work placements at the museums and galleries that partner the programme.
◾We welcome applicants from across the arts and sciences, current professionals or career changers, from the UK or abroad.

Programme structure

Three different strands of the MSc Museum Studies are offered.

The Theory and Practice strand is our standard Museum Studies programme where the museum itself is the primary object of study.

Two specialist strands: Collecting and Provenance; and Artefact and Material Culture, enable you to combine courses in Museum Studies with specialist courses from Masters programmes provided by Archaeology and History of Art.

Each strand will give you a different mix of core and optional courses. All students take two 20 credit common core courses in Museology and Research and Professional Skills. You also take four 20 credit courses from your strand (a combination of strand core and optional courses) and one 60 credit research project.

Career prospects

Three different strands of the MSc Museum Studies are offered.

The Theory and Practice strand is our standard Museum Studies programme where the museum itself is the primary object of study.

Two specialist strands: Collecting and Provenance; and Artefact and Material Culture, enable you to combine courses in Museum Studies with specialist courses from Masters programmes provided by Archaeology and History of Art.

Each strand will give you a different mix of core and optional courses. All students take two 20 credit common core courses in Museology and Research and Professional Skills. You also take four 20 credit courses from your strand (a combination of strand core and optional courses) and one 60 credit research project.

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This distance learning programme will provide you with exciting opportunities to develop critical knowledge and skills associated with learning in and through museums and galleries. Building on your academic, professional and personal experiences and qualifications, it will deepen your social, cultural, historical and philosophical understanding of museum education.

Why this programme

◾This fully online programme is ideal for those who work in museums and galleries, education, cultural heritage and other related sectors, as well as for those who wish to enter this field. The only distance learning programme of its kind in the UK, it offers high quality, fully supported online distance learning on a flexible part-time basis.
◾The programme utilises a virtual, interactive learning environment incorporating film, blogs, podcasts, forums and feeds. Engaging in a stimulating online community, you will participate in analysis, critique and discussion of current research, practices, provision and policies.
◾Engaging in the programme and its online forums gives you the unique opportunity to access experts, academics, peers and museum collections located around the world, comparing practices, pedagogies and policies in order to expand and extend your knowledge of museum education.
◾The programme includes a placement in a setting relevant to your expertise and interests. Benefiting from the extensive programme network of museum experts, you will be supported to secure a suitable setting where you will have the opportunity to put theoretical ideas and learning into practice.
◾In addition to the vast and varied expertise of academic staff at the University of Glasgow, the programme also draws on the expertise of Scottish and international museum-based specialists.

Programme structure

Core teaching in years 1 and 2 is followed by a dissertation in year 3 where you will have the opportunity to identify an area of interest and to create a research project that allows in-depth critical explanation of your selected theme. Teaching methods aim to visually and intellectually stimulate you in such a way as to recreate experiences associated with museum contexts and museum education. Films, podcasts, technologically generated images, online forums and other resources will be used to support learning. In year 2 you are required to undertake a placement in a setting relevant to your interest and area of expertise. Your placement will provide an opportunity for you to put theory into practice and to develop links with museum education bodies.

Core courses

Year 1
◾Modern educational thinking
◾Museums, education and curriculum development
◾The museum as a source for learning.

Year 2
◾Access and Inclusion
◾Introduction to educational research
◾Theory into practice.

Career prospects

Whether you work in the field of education, museums or cultural heritage, have an interest in museum education, the programme will equip you with and the required knowledge and skills to pursue a career in museum education, as well as associated contexts. The programme aims to extend and strengthen confidence in your knowledge and skills in terms of learning in and through the museum.

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This course provides a quality, career-enhancing education for museum professionals already working in the sector and for others who aspire to enter the field. You will add to your existing knowledge with current theories underpinning the sector, develop research skills within an academic environment and conduct a work-based research project.

We have strong working relationships with museums in the region, such as Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and Beamish – the Living Museum of the North, whose staff members teach on the course. These relationships mean that the course is at the cutting edge of museum practice. Due to our international reputation in museum studies, we attract students from a wide range of countries, contributing to our dynamic learning environment.

Delivery

The course consists of two elements:
-Taught component taking place on our city centre campus
-Work-based project at your work, or an approved volunteer host

Recent work-based projects have explored the future of digital media in learning programmes and the impact of the recession on museum provision.

The programme leader for the Heritage, Gallery and Museum Studies PGCert is Andrew Newman. Andrew will be your personal tutor and will work closely with you throughout your studies.

Placements

The course includes a work-based research project. If you are already employed in the museum, gallery, or heritage sector you will need to agree the study time and research project topic with your employer. If you are not already employed in the sector then you can volunteer in an appropriate organisation, as long as the host organisation agrees with any arrangements necessary to allow the completion of a work-based research project.

Facilities

You will have access to our top quality facilities within Media, Culture, Heritage and across the University:
-Our libraries and eResources
-The Great North Museum: Hancock, located on campus, houses the collections that previously made up the Hancock Museum, the Shefton Museum of Greek Art and Archaeology (an internationally-renowned collection of over 1,000 Greek and Etruscan artefacts), and the Museum of Antiquities
-The Hatton Gallery, located on campus, has been at the heart of cultural life in the North East since the early 20th century
-The Language Resource Centre is a specialist language facility providing free access to self-study materials in 50 languages
-Computing facilities with access to relevant databases and over 1,400 fully networked PCs
-The Gertrude Bell Archive
-Non-campus facilities that are often used for student projects include Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and the Victoria Tunnel

In addition to our expertise in heritage studies, the city of Newcastle and the wider region offers a wonderful resource with two World Heritage Sites, many heritage sites and over 80 regional museums and galleries. Much of the region's countryside is designated as National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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Gain the skills to take part in the exciting world of museums, galleries and the cultural heritage sector.

On this MA, you’ll work with academics and museum professionals – these have previously included senior staff from the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the V&A, the National Trust, the Science Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum and Museum of Modern Art in New York – to explore the history, theory and politics of art institutions and to build a critical framework for the practice of curating.

This MA introduces you to:
-Curatorial scholarship and its methodologies (including conservation-led research and technical art history)
-The histories of museums and their collections
-The ethical and legal frameworks within which curators and museums work
-The nature and politics of museum displays

You visit a number of museums in Sussex and in London, allowing you to learn first-hand about institutional histories, collections, permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions.

How will I study?

In the autumn and spring terms, you take museum skills modules with seminars at Sussex and visits to local and national collections alongside core modules and options. The summer term is taken up with a work placement at a local or national museum or gallery.

Throughout the course, you are encouraged to participate actively in the taught sessions and museum visits. With your tutors and classmates, you debate a range of ethical concerns facing museum curators. You also develop your own research interests through the dissertation.

Assessed work includes:
-Term papers
-Practical assignments
-A learning journal (written during the placement as a reflection on that experience)
-A 12,000-word dissertation

Scholarships

Our aim is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to despite financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique individuals.

Chancellor's International Scholarship (2017)
-25 scholarships of a 50% tuition fee waiver
-Application deadline: 1 May 2017

HESPAL Scholarship (Higher Education Scholarships Scheme for the Palestinian Territories) (2017)
-Two full fee waivers in conjuction with maintenance support from the British Council
-Application deadline: 1 January 2017

USA Friends Scholarships (2017)
-A scholarship of an amount equivalent to $10,000 for nationals or residents of the USA on a one year taught Masters degree course.
-Application deadline: 3 April 2017

Careers

You gain knowledge about objects and collections, and develop a critical awareness of museum practices.

You develop communication and project management skills. These skills provide the practical and theoretical foundation for careers in:
-Museums
-Galleries
-Heritage at curatorial level
-The cultural sector more broadly

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Your programme of study

Museum studies allows you to understand all there is to know about showcasing historic artefacts to a variety of different audiences. You are taught by a combination of practical application and focus on history, collections, practises and understanding of the social roles of museums. MLitt in Museum Studies is ideally situated to take advantage of the University’s own internationally important collections and museums to explore these issues and to give you the opportunity for practical experience of working in a museum, working closely with professional as well as academic staff.

You are able to study collections from around the world within the university as Aberdeen holds collections within its own museums and galleries. Kings museums provides a constant range of collections and annual event 'Night at the Museum,' the Zoology museum provides all sorts of study materials to help with understanding of animals, there is also a Kings College and MacRobert ArtSpace which provides contemporary exhibitions. You can also look at items gifted to Aberdeen, and special collections in the library plus online virtual museums.

Within the city there is an art gallery showcasing major works from all periods and artists globally. There are regular UK wide touring exhibitions showing regularly within the city. Many of the regions well known castles provide wide ranging collections of well known artefacts from different periods of art, allowing tours and special exhibitions.  If you want to go further afield Edinburgh and Glasgow provide many of the national museums of Scotland within the city centre featuring major global works of art, and special exhibitions year round.  

Optional courses from the programme allow you to study other related disciplines and knowledge within the museum and gallery sector such as understanding more about connoisseurship in art galleries and Art in Scotland, Northern artefacts, New World literature, researching for museum collections, and specific marketing or arts business courses.

Courses listed for the programme

Semester 1

Compulsory

Museum Practice

The Museum Idea

Optional

Understanding People and Environment (extended)

Research Skills in Anthropology

Northern Worlds

Theory and Method in Research

Marketing Management

Introduction to Art History for Business

Connoisseurship: Art in Scotland

Researching Museums Collections

Reviewing Museums

Business for Arts

New World Narratives Literatures: Discovery and the Americas

Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/199/museum-studies/

Why study at Aberdeen?

• Aberdeen provides you with history, museums, and the opportunity to apply your knowledge within the campus area.
• You have a great range of optional courses you can choose from depending upon the direction you want to go in and your interests.
• You are taught by experts in their relevant disciplines all related to the museum and gallery sector

Where you study

• University of Aberdeen
• Full Time or Part Time
• 12 Months or 24 Months
• September

International Student Fees 2017/2018

Find out about fees:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/tuition-fees-and-living-costs-287.php

*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.

Scholarships

View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/finance-funding-1599.php

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/

Living in Aberdeen

Find out more about:

•            Your Accommodation

•            Campus Facilities

•            Aberdeen City

•            Student Support

•            Clubs and Societies

Find out more about living in Aberdeen:

https://abdn.ac.uk/study/student-life

Living costs

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/finance.php

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