Masters Degrees (Museum Education)

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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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 programme will provide you with opportunities to develop a critical awareness of the historical, social, political, ethical and philosophical context of educating in and through the museum. It draws on the vast experience of academic staff, renowned for world class, research-led teaching and will offer a unique link to the world leading collections available within the Hunterian Museum and other world famous Glasgow museums.

Why this programme

◾The programme will offer opportunity for a blend of experiential and online learning. A variety of locations, varying from customised tutorial rooms and arts studios to state of the art object rooms and teaching labs, providing world-class infrastructure to support high quality teaching and learning.
◾The city of Glasgow has a rich cultural base and you will be encouraged to engage with the rich source of museum learning that world class museums such as the Hunterian, Kelvingrove, Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) The Burrell Collection, People’s Palace, Riverside Museum and St. Mungo Museum of Religious Arts have to offer.
◾In Summer 2016, Kelvin Hall will launch as a centre of cultural excellence, having accessible storage to thousands of objects of historical, social and cultural significance from the collections of the Hunterian, Glasgow museums and the National Library of Scotland. You will have access to these objects and will extend your knowledge and understanding of the value and importance of using such objects for educational purposes.
◾You will also undertake a placement in a site of your choosing. You will engage with staff in order to learn from their expertise and experience and you will share your own knowledge and skills, so that a synthesis of knowledge and practices are nurtured to the benefit of all.
◾You will have the exciting opportunity to take part in various field trips to museums around Scotland.


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The programme comprises a blend of online and experiential learning opportunities. In addition to practical tutorials, you will engage with the online environment in order to share your ideas and experiences with other students.

The programme will encompass fieldwork in a variety of museum education related settings and you will also have the opportunity to participate in field trips to a variety of museums, renowned for their varied and world-leading collections.

Core teaching is followed by a dissertation 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.

Core courses
◾Access and inclusion
◾Introduction to educational and social research
◾Modern educational thought
◾Museums, education and curriculum development
◾The museum as a source for learning
◾Theory into practice (placement).

Career prospects

This is a unique opportunity for teachers to secure a Masters qualification that will not only enhance their career prospects but that will extend, strengthen and instil confidence in their knowledge and skills in terms of learning in and through the museum. For those wishing to enter the field of museum education, or who already work in the sector, the programme offers students the opportunity to develop both practical skills and to apply theoretical knowledge through the placement.

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Do you want to develop your professional expertise and advance your career in education? The Master of Education addresses the professional learning needs of educators, educational administrators, managers, policy makers and others interested or involved in learning and education in the wider community. The course positions you to be a thought leader. Step beyond where you are now. Think deeply as you connect with research excellence and transform how you practice.

The course addresses learning in schools, workplaces and community. It connects research and practice to make you a stronger thinker, an engaged practitioner and an advanced specialist. You will broaden your knowledge of key learning constructs, deepen your professional learning in specialist areas and advance your capacity as a professional inquirer.

You will build your research knowledge and extend your expertise in one of the following specialisations:

- Adult learning
- Digital learning
- Early childhood education
- Educational leadership and policy
- Expert teaching practice
- General education studies
- Inclusive and special education.

In the Master of Education you can graduate with a generic, broadly applicable qualification, by choosing general leadership studies and selecting units to suit your requirements. Alternatively, you may prefer to choose one of the other specialisations and graduate with a qualification that highlights your particular leadership expertise. The flexible structure means you do not have to finalise your decision before being admitted to the course.

A flexible course delivery also allows you to continue working whilst completing the course. You can choose to engage via a fully online offering or to combine this with attendance at face-to-face workshops if you are able and interested.

Graduates pursue leadership roles in educational environments, business, and community settings.

Visit the website http://www.study.monash/courses/find-a-course/2016/education-d6002?domestic=true

Overview

Please select a specialisation for more details:

Adult learning

Your qualification will be a Master of Education in Adult Learning

Do you want to develop your knowledge and expertise in adult education? If so, this specialisation is for you. It focuses on ways to lead and develop communities of learners and their learning - in workplaces, communities and in local, global and virtual spaces. It offers ideas and approaches to enable participation and learning, through formal and non-formal means, and expand and extend practice and skill development in communities.

Through engagement with contemporary theories, approaches and concepts around lifelong learning and participation, you will identify local and global trends and practices around adult education. You will develop a repertoire of strategies to design engaging learning activities for adults.

You will explore how socially inclusive communities are developed and through practical case studies gain an appreciation of the transformative power of education in promoting community inclusion in global settings. You will learn how experiential learning and transformative approaches to teaching and learning can be used in community contexts to address core social issues such as poverty, racism and crime.

Graduates of this specialisation will be well positioned to manage, deliver and administer learning in workplaces, communities, tertiary and vocational sectors.

Digital learning

Your qualification will be a Master of Education in Digital Learning

Do you want to learn how to adapt digital technologies effectively in teaching and learning across school, tertiary, workplace and community settings? This specialisation engages with the key issues and debates relating to digital technology in education and the application of effective educational technology practices for learning.

It is suited to professionals across school, tertiary, workplace and community settings, who are grappling with how best to design, facilitate and assess the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning.

You will explore current and emerging trends in digital technologies being used in education and develop your understanding of the social, political, economic, cultural and historical issues surrounding their adoption. Your expert practice will develop through engagement with contemporary theories, models and practical strategies for understanding digital technology in education and society. Key issues such as identity, cyber safety, globalisation, equity and emerging forms of social practice will be examined.

You will be immersed in a collaborative and student-centred environment as you experience, practise and critique the design of digital technologies, materials, activities and assessments. There is a special focus on online teaching and learning but instructional issues relating to emerging technologies and practices, such as social media, digital games, mobile devices, virtual worlds and augmented reality will also be explored.

The specialisation is designed for all students regardless of their familiarity with computers.

Graduates will be well positioned to adapt digital technologies effectively in teaching and learning across school, tertiary, workplace and community settings.

Early childhood education

Your qualification will be a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education

If you want to develop your expertise and advance your career in early childhood education, then this specialisation is for you. It develops the expert practice of early childhood educators, leaders, policy makers and others interested in advancing their understanding of young children's learning, addressing the emerging need in global economies to build capacity of professionals in the early childhood sector.

It will equip you to respond to complex issues around children, their families and communities and initiate inclusive teaching and learning practices among young children.

You will develop your awareness of the features of leadership that engages critically and ethically in working with children, families and communities, and apply this to your professional practice.

You will gain an in-depth understanding of the nature of early literacy and numeracy development in the context of everyday life across families and cultures. Contemporary theories and approaches in cross-cultural mathematical and literacy development will form the foundation of a rich repertoire of strategies to promote children's early literacy and numeracy learning.

As a graduate you will be in a position to pursue senior roles in early childhood education, policy, leadership and management. The program will enhance your ability to lead educational work, innovative curriculum, teaching and policy, and professional learning in early childhood contexts.

Educational leadership and policy

Your qualification will be a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy

This specialisation focuses on leadership practices and policy development within educational contexts. It is suited to those who are interested in leading educational initiatives and institutions and extending their knowledge of how to lead, manage and administer capable educational organisations.

You will explore the concept and characteristics of a capable organisation, and evaluate factors that contribute to maintaining and sustaining capable organisations including human intellect, knowledge, values, emotion, learning and organisational culture and climate.

As a result you will acquire a suite of effective leadership strategies for capability building and develop your understanding of how organisations build organisational resilience when confronted with change.

Importantly, you will add to this the capacity to assess organisational capability and develop capacity in particular contexts. Using empirical research you will evaluate the decision making process that occurs within organisations and the aspects that influence it. You will design strategies to improve problem solving and decision making processes and outcomes and enhance organisational capabilities.

Expert teaching practice

Your qualification will be a Master of Education in Expert Teaching Practice

How and what we teach and the way students learn lies at the heart of education. As such, expert teachers and expert teaching are critical ingredients in both formal and informal education. Whether your setting is schools, tertiary education, workplaces or community organisations and groups, this specialisation is designed to extend your interest and deepen your knowledge and practice of teaching and learning in various learning areas and contexts of your choice.

You will address the complexity and the artistry of teaching – advancing your understanding of how learning can be both stimulated and supported – in various learning areas and contexts of your choice.

General education studies

Your qualification will be a Master of Education

Monash understands that professionals are themselves often in the best position to decide the particular knowledge they need to acquire. This specialisation offers the opportunity to select your two specialist units from across the other specialisations.

You can tailor your unit choices to suit your own interests or needs while maintaining a strong focus on leadership. A museum director, for example, may choose a blend of organisational learning and science curriculum and pedagogy in anticipation of leading the museum's science outreach. A current or aspiring principal, planning work in a rural community, may find a Community learning unit an excellent substitute to one suggested for principals.

Inclusive and special education

Your qualification will be a Master of Education in Inclusive and Special Education

Do you want to develop effective strategies to promote inclusion of learners with diverse needs in a range of learning contexts? If so, this specialisation is for you.

It focuses on building inclusive learning environments. You will study theories of, and approaches to, inclusion of diverse learners with particular cultural, social, cognitive and emotional needs across learning contexts. In doing so, you will discover ways in which education can be transformed to include all learners regardless of their age, sexuality, gender, class, ethnicity and disability.

For more information visit the faculty website - http://www.study.monash/media/links/faculty-websites/education

Find out how to apply here - http://www.study.monash/courses/find-a-course/2016/education-d6002?domestic=true#making-the-application

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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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The Museums and Galleries in Education MA combines academic study with professional educational practice in museums, galleries and heritage sites, looking at influential contemporary and historic theories in museum and gallery education. This programme also enables international collaborations to take place across the academic and professional field of museum studies.

Degree information

The programme enables students to carry out a practical and theoretical study on education in museums and galleries. University-based sessions are supplemented by teaching sessions at national, regional and university collections. Additionally students gain flexible access to historic and contemporary sites and full-time students have a 20-day research-based placement in a museum, gallery or heritage site.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits) and a dissertation and portfolio (60 credits).

Core modules
-Issues in Museum Studies
-Responsive Museums: Inclusion and Outreach in Practice

Optional modules
-Alternative Models for Art Education
-Constructing and Interpreting Heritage Culture
-Contemporary Art and Artists in Education
-Material and Virtual Cultures: Transforming the Museum and Gallery Experience

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 14,000 words with a portfolio equivalent to 6,000 words for full-time students and a 10,000-word report for flexible students.

Teaching and learning
Teaching is undertaken by UCL Institute of Education (IOE) staff and visiting lecturers in a variety of forms including lectures, seminars, workshops, visual presentations with a substantial part of the programme involving off-site teaching in museums, galleries and heritage sites. Assessment includes 5,000-word assignments and electronic media.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working as: education officers at historical sites, digital programme managers in national art and design museums, heads of learning, heads of interpretation and curation in museums and galleries, and heads of research.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Learning Manager (Audience Development), Design Museum
-Programme Manager, Dulwich Picture Gallery
-Heritage Intern, South Somerset District Council
-Science Educator, Natural History Museum

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Museums and Galleries in Education MA has a long and distinguished history for both those wishing to learn about the educational potential of the cultural sector and those wishing to expand their existing careers.

UCL Institute of Education is ideally situated for students to make excellent use of an extraordinary range of institutions, many within walking distance of the Art, Design and Museology studios.

Moreover the MA works in close collaboration with the Art and Design in Education MA tutors and together they have created an international research-active environment in which to share knowledge and professional expertise.

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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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This interdisciplinary programme will equip you with valuable skills and a critical understanding of issues in curatorship, museology and museum management.

You’ll develop your understanding of the ways in which historians and cultural theorists have interpreted and represented architecture, material culture and museums over the past 2,000 years. You’ll look at different methods of display and interpretation and the methodologies behind museum practice and country house collections. Then you’ll choose from optional modules on topics such as cultural theory, sculpture, Hollywood icons or cinema.

At the same time, you’ll develop practical skills. You’ll work on an interpretation project in our Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery and you’ll even undertake a negotiated work placement in your second semester. Supported by the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills for a successful career in the museum and art gallery sector.

You’ll study in the heart of a cultural hub for this diverse and vibrant region. Leeds is home to a national museum, nine council-run museums, galleries and heritage sites and many private and charitable museums and galleries.

We’re also a short bus or train journey away from everything the rest of Yorkshire has to offer, from The Hepworth Wakefield to the National Media Museum, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Bronte 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 1 5 credits
• Advanced Research Skills 2 5 credits
• History and the Museum: Representation, Narrative and Memory 30 credits
• Museum, Object, Practice 30 credits
• Interpreting Cultures 30 credits
• Dissertation for the MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies 50 credits

Optional modules

• Derrida and Deconstruction 30 credits
• Beyond the Trench: Collaborative Projects on the History, Remembrance and Critical Heritage of the First World War 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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Education is much more than the study of teaching. Our programme is designed to get you questioning the assumptions that lie beneath educational policy and practice. The MA in Education Studies offers a mixture of theory and reflection on practice within an international context.

This course is for both prospective teachers and non-teachers, who are looking for a new career path. If your ambition is to teach in a school, then this course would be ideally suited to you (although it is not itself a UK teaching qualification). Most of our students are attracted by the academic nature of this award, by its habit of enabling new thinking about things that seemed like common sense.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

You’ll gain a deep insight into education through discussing topics and questions such as the nature of learning; teaching in different countries and cultures; education and the economy; how marketing effects education; how education systems are managed; responsibility in curriculum and teaching; government control in education; and many more.

MODULE STRUCTURE

In the first trimester, you'll study Language and Educational Ideology, and Education: Economics, Politics and Society. Each are worth 30 credits.

In the second trimester, you'll study Education Policy worth 15 credits, Research Methods in Social Science worth 30 credits and also another chosen module which will be worth 15 credits.

In the final trimester, you will go on to study and complete the Dissertation modules which will be worth the final 60 credits of the degree.

For more information on modules, please go to the course webpage: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-education-studies/

TEACHING METHODS

Modules are taught through lectures and small group seminars. There are also individual tutorials and good opportunities for extended discussion with tutors. Analysis of ideas through discussion is the key to teaching and learning in the programme. Some lectures and seminars occur during the day. Others take place from late afternoon.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

There are no written exams and each module is assessed by coursework. This typically involves an essay of 2,500 words for a 15 credit module and 5,000 words for a 30 credit module. Sometimes assessment is by verbal presentation.

For more information about teaching and assessment methods, please view the Course Handbook via the website: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-education-studies/

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Many of our graduates seek new career paths to educational management, training or in related fields. Some wish to continue their expertise in Education Studies and gain a broader and deeper view of education. Others wish to gain employment in, say, a museum or gallery setting, while others start with the intention of taking their studies further – to PhD level – and seek eventual employment in an academic institution.

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Program Overview

Our mission is to inspire, engage and provoke educators to understand, inquire into, and model curricular and pedagogical possibilities of deep involvement with the visual arts in culture and society. Within a large research orientated university situated on traditional Musqueam land, the Art Education Program strives to:
Stimulate and conduct research within a vibrant and collaborative research community that focuses on methodologies and content relevant to the visual arts in culture and society.
Provide for, model, and develop socially responsible and ecologically aware exemplary teaching practices in and across contexts with a focus on the visual arts in culture and society.
Provide leadership, and engage with local, national, and international arts and culture organizations and professionals.
The research interests of faculty in Art Education are diverse. They encourage a wide spectrum of student inquiry: art based research, a/r/tography, art curriculum, early childhood, teacher education, First Nations art and education, histories of art education, multiculturalism, museum and gallery education, perception and cognition, studio practices, technology and visual culture, theory/practice relationships, and gender studies.

The Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy offers a PhD concentration and MA and MEd specializations in Art Education, along with a secondary Teacher Education (BEd) major, Diploma and Certificate in Art Education.

Quick Facts

- Degree: Master of Arts (thesis-based), Master of Education (course-based)
- Specialization: Art Education
- Subject: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
- Mode of delivery: On campus
- Program components: Coursework + Thesis required
- Faculty: Faculty of Education

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The Digital Media, Culture and Education MA explores the theory and practice of media education and emergent new literacies in the digital age. The programme combines theory with practical opportunities for media production. Students will critically examine new developments within digital media and work with partners including the British Film Institute (BFI).

Degree information

This programme provides the opportunity to explore media education, media literacy and related fields. It combines theory with practical opportunities in moving image production, Internet cultures and game design. Students will critically examine developments in the fields of new media, including the impact of new technologies on education, and debates about the place and purpose of media in society.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits), a dissertation (60 credits) or a report (30 credits) and an additional optional module (30 credits).

Core modules
-Digital Media, Cultural Theory and Education
-Internet Cultures: Theory & Practice

Recommended optional modules include:
-Moving Image Production
-Digital Games, Play and Creativity

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 20,000 words or a report of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
Teaching is delivered by face-to-face lectures and seminars, practical workshops combined with online-learning. Students are assessed by coursework assignments of up to 5,000 words, plus practical work for some modules, and a 20,000-word dissertation or 10,000-word report.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as teachers in primary, secondary schools and further and higher education, while others have jobs as within areas related to digital media. Graduates can also be found working as museum and gallery education officers and in other informal learning spaces.

Why study this degree at UCL?

This programme is run by UCL's London Knowledge Lab (LKL) where collaborating computer and social scientists research the future of learning with digital technologies in a wide range of settings. LKL conducts research, design and development across a broad range of media, systems and environments and brings together computer and social scientists from the areas of education, sociology, culture and media, semiotics, computational intelligence, information management, personalisation, semantic web and ubiquitous technologies.

Students are able to work with the BFI, our partner for one of our modules, as well as leading researchers from the DARE Collaborative, a research partnership focussed on the digital arts in education led by UCL Institute of Education (IOE) and the BFI.

LKL conducts research, design and development across a broad range of media, systems and environments and brings together computer and social scientists from the areas of education, sociology, culture and media, semiotics, computational intelligence, information management, personalisation, semantic web and ubiquitous technologies.

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This well-established programme at the University of Ulster is delivered through the School of Creative Arts 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. 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 and allied disciplines, who wish to develop their research interests in these fields.

Key benefits

- Links with the museum and heritage profession in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland 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.

- We support all students in finding a work placement, which they complete alongside their studies. Recently we have been working closely with Northern Ireland War Memorial. Students have had placements at the Ulster Museum, PRONI and the National Trust.

Visit the website: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/course/ma-cultural-heritage-and-museum-studies-ft-bt

Course detail

- Description -

Key areas of investigation in this MA include:

- Policy concerns relating to heritage, museum and cultural sectors in UK and Ireland;
- Analysis of the social, economic and cultural contexts of museums and heritage;
- Exploration of issues in relation to collections care; exhibitions; learning and management in the heritage sectors;
- Impact of digital technologies on the heritage experience; and,
- Consideration of national issues in the international context.

- Purpose -

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, Sociology and allied disciplines, who wish to develop their research interests in these fields.

- Teaching and learning assessment -

This course is delivered by academics in the fields of museum, heritage and the arts. We invite practitioners as guest lecturers on the programme. All assessment is by coursework.

Career prospects

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

How to apply: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply#pg

Why Choose Ulster University ?

1. Over 92% of our graduates are in work or further study six months after graduation.
2. We are a top UK university for providing courses with a period of work placement.
3. Our teaching and the learning experience we deliver are rated at the highest level by the Quality Assurance Agency.
4. We recruit international students from more than 100 different countries.
5. More than 4,000 students from over 50 countries have successfully completed eLearning courses at Ulster University.

Flexible payment

To help spread the cost of your studies, tuition fees can be paid back in monthly instalments while you learn. If you study for a one-year, full-time master’s, you can pay your fees up-front, in one lump sum, or in either five* or ten* equal monthly payments. If you study for a master’s on a part-time basis (e.g. over three years), you can pay each year’s fees up-front or in five or ten equal monthly payments each year. This flexibility allows you to spread the payment of your fees over each academic year. Find out more by visiting https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/fees-and-finance/postgraduate

Scholarships

A comprehensive range of financial scholarships, awards and prizes are available to undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. Scholarships recognise the many ways in which our students are outstanding in their subject. Individuals may be able to apply directly or may automatically be nominated for awards. Visit the website: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/fees-and-finance/scholarships

English Language Tuition

CELT offers courses and consultations in English language and study skills to Ulster University students of all subjects, levels and nationalities. Students and researchers for whom English is an additional language can access free CELT support throughout the academic year: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/international/english-language-support

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The Art and Design in Education MA draws on the research and teaching expertise with the Art, Design and Museology group at the UCL Institute of Education (IOE). It examines the relationship between art practice, theory and pedagogy and enables students to develop a rigorous approach to educational research in art colleges, schools and galleries.

Degree information

This programme will enable you to share and investigate art education from theoretical, historical and practical perspectives. It addresses key issues such as globalisation, alternative models for art education, new technologies and embodied learning. Students will explore the relationship between practical and theoretical modes of enquiry and learn to conduct research using appropriate methodologies.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits), and a dissertation (60 credits).

Core modules:
-Alternative Models for Art Education
-Learning and Teaching in Art and Design

Optional modules:
-Contemporary Art and Artists in Education
-Material and Virtual Cultures: Transforming the Museum and Gallery Experience
-Responsive Museums: Inclusion and Outreach in Practice

Dissertation/report - all students undertake a dissertation in one of three modes:
-A thesis of 20,000 words.
-Exhibition and 10,000-word report.

Teaching and learning
Teaching methods include studio practice, lectures, seminars, and gallery-based learning delivered by IOE staff, visiting lecturers and professionals working in universities, galleries and schools. Assessment is based on coursework assignments and the dissertation.

Careers

UCL IOE's Art and Design MA students have a strong record of success in obtaining leadership roles in arts organisations and education. Alumni are currently working as lecturers in further and higher education, heads of arts faculties in secondary schools, freelance artists educators in galleries and museums as well as careers advisers for the arts. Graduates have also been very successful entering PhD programmes.

Why study this degree at UCL?

Art and design education at the IOE - the leading institution for education worldwide (QS World University Rankings 2015) - has a long and distinguished history which can be traced back to the work of pioneering art educator Marion Richardson (1892-1946).

Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, the current MA works closely with galleries and museums continuing Richardson's quest to strengthen links between contemporary art practice and education.

Students enjoy the use of purpose built studio space in IOE's Grade I listed building and benefit from being part of a wider community of PGCE, MA and doctoral students.

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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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