Art Museum and Gallery Studies - MA/PGDip

The Art Museum and Gallery Studies MA, PGDip provides you with the opportunity to develop skills as a curator or gallery educator in the fields of both historical and contemporary art.

We aim to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to establish or progress your successful career working in art museums or galleries.

Working in collaboration with our key partners - Hatton Gallery and Laing Art Gallery - you will curate a public-facing group exhibition and organise and deliver a programme of public activities and learning events, designed to provide you with an unparalleled experience and a professional edge.

The course encourages a hands-on approach and involves major input from a range of art museum and gallery professionals from the region and beyond. This includes those involved in independent initiatives, national art collections, and internationally significant exhibitions.

Delivery

The course covers all aspects of art museum and gallery work and we use a variety of teaching and learning strategies to help you achieve your learning objectives. This includes a large proportion of guided independent study. The scheduled contact time takes place either on the Newcastle campus or off-site at our partner venues (the Hatton Gallery or the Laing Art Gallery) and includes:
-Seminars and practical sessions
-Workshops
-Fieldwork
-Lectures

You will also go on study visits to venues such as:
-BALTIC, Centre for Contemporary Art
-Laing Art Gallery
-Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Dr Emma Coffield and Iain Wheeldon lead the course and they will work closely with you throughout your time with us. Emma and Iain are also responsible for supervising MA dissertations.

The academic year usually starts in late September with Welcome Week. We provide a unique blend of theoretical knowledge, understanding and practical experience. This means you will have a mixture of taught modules and work-based placements.

You will take five compulsory modules, with a further choice of two possible pathways. Part time study consists of the same modules and options as the full time course, but spread over a longer period.

Placements

Work placements or work related-projects are usually off campus. You will have the opportunity to complete a placement in a suitable gallery, museum, or heritage site. This could be either 12 days long or 6 weeks long, depending on which pathway you chose in Semester 2.