Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Arts (MA)
- Duration
- 1 year
- Entry requirements
-
We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Y | Y | N | N |
Course overview
- Explore emerging critical approaches and shifts in museum practice and theory.
- Undertake a work placement in a museum, gallery or related cultural organisation in or around Manchester.
- Develop a career in the museum sector.
Open days
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MA (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £14,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,500 -
MA (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £7,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,250
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
For information on available funding, please visit the School's funding pages or search the University's postgraduate funding database .
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- PG Taught Admissions
- Facsimile
- +44 (0) 161 275 3098
- MASALC@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.manchester.ac.uk/icp
- School/Faculty
-
See: About us
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.
English language
If English is not your first language, please provide us with evidence of:
- an overall grade 7.0 (with a minimum writing score of 7) in IELTS; or
- 100+ in the IBT Internet-based TOEFL).
The other language tests we accept can be found here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdf
Exceptions to needing a language test (if English is NOT your first language) are:
-
if you have successfully completed an academic qualification deemed by UK NARIC as equivalent to at least a UK Bachelors Degree or higher from one of the following countries:
Antigua & Barbuda; Australia; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Ireland; Jamaica; New Zealand; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; UK; USA.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Relevant work experience
Application and selection
How to apply
How your application is considered
Applications are mainly considered on the basis of an assessment of past and predicted academic achievements, the academic reference(s) and any other supplementary evidence that supports the application. Once we have an application that is ready for a decision, the admissions tutor (often the Programme Director) will relay the decision to the admissions team, who will send you this decision.
Please note that your application is usually received by the School 24 to 48 hours after the time you submit it. If you have not provided documentation that allows the admissions tutor to make a decision, we will contact you.
Overseas (non-UK) applicants
The University will take into account the academic standing of a candidate's University, as advised by our international office using published world and country rankings.
Deferrals
Re-applications
Course details
Course description
Our MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies course is ideal if you are considering a career in this sector and want to gain practical experience through placements during your studies, or if you are a professional and want to further develop your practice.
The course will see you examine diverse issues related to museum theory and practice, visit numerous museums, galleries and cultural organisations, and discuss ideas and issues with professionals and academics in the field.
You will take advantage of our excellent links to cultural organisations to access a range of exciting and valuable work placements.
Past placements have been at the Manchester Museum, The Whitworth, Tate Liverpool, Manchester Art Gallery, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester International Festival, The Royal Exchange Theatre and Chorlton Arts Festival, to name a few.
You'll also have opportunities to design and participate in live projects with cultural and heritage organisations in Manchester.
In addition, we take fieldtrips to cultural organisations in Manchester, the wider north-west of England and beyond. Regular trips include Liverpool, London, Oxford and Leeds.
We also run an international trip to Amsterdam or Berlin.
The course is continually being reviewed and developed in response to new research, emerging critical approaches and shifts in museum practice.
Special features
Work placement
You can undertake a work placement in a museum or gallery, which involves a minimum of 20 days' work on a specific project, such as exhibition development, collections management or an education programme.
Many students carry on working in their museum when the work placement has finished, and each year a few students are offered jobs by their placement hosts. Work placements start in Semester 1 (November/December) and finish in Semester 2 (June).
Find out more on the work placements page, and read about our students' experiences of their placements on our blog .
Student projects
You will also have opportunities to design and participate in live projects with cultural organisations.
A long-running course
This course is one of the longest established master's courses in museum studies in the country, having been taught at Manchester for over 50 years.
University museums
You'll have opportunities to get trained by experienced museum staff at Manchester Museum and The Whitworth in different aspects of cultural professional practice including conservation, collections management and events management.
Cultural Manchester
Manchester is increasingly becoming one of the UK's most important cultural hotspots. Now positioned as the engine room for the Northern Powerhouse, the city is benefiting from massive investment in its cultural infrastructure such as MediaCityUK, the award-winning Whitworth and HOME.
Teaching and learning
You'll be taught and trained by our expert academic staff and experienced arts, museum and heritage professionals. Our course combines both guided and independent study, and includes seminars, guest lectures and site visits.
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 course units 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 (ie 3-5 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.
You will also undertake collections management group project (as part of the 'Managing Collections and Exhibitions' unit) and an exhibition group project (as part of the 'Professional Practice Project' unit) in collaboration with a museum, gallery or related cultural organisation in Manchester or the north-west of England.
Full-time or part-time?
This course is available as a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course.
We particularly welcome part-time students, and there are many advantages in combining study with work practice, whether you already have a museum post, or are just setting out on your career.
Part time students have classes one day per week in Semester 1 (in Semester 1 it's one or two days per week). You should also count time for library work/fieldwork that may require you to come to Manchester, and although sometimes this can be done on the day of teaching, often you will need to come in on an additional day.
When the work placement kicks off (about November/December in Year 1 or Year 2), you should also count one more day/week (on average) at the work placement institution (which, if appropriate or relevant, can be the organisation where you currently work; but undertaking a project different to your day-to-day work) - this is of course if you decide to take the work placement unit.
Core staff
Dr Kostas Arvanitis (Programme Director)
Senior Lecturer in Museology
Research Interests: spontaneous memorials, digital heritage, immersive technologies, AI and museums, heritage activism, ethics of care and trauma-informed practice in museums.
Lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries
Research Interests: creative research practices, professional approaches to engagement and collaboration, uses of filmmaking in museum and heritage practice.
Senior Lecturer in Museology
Research Interests: political and colonial histories of Tibetan material culture, Tibetan and Himalayan materialities, museology and dissident community practice.
Coursework and assessment
Different units have different methods of assessment.
Introduction to Museum Studies (Semester 1 core unit, 30 credits)
- a 6,000-word essay (100% of the overall course mark);
Managing Collections and Exhibitions (Semester 1 core unit, 30 credits)
- a 4,000-word individual Fieldwork Portfolio (60%);
- a Group Fieldwork Portfolio (40%).
Optional units (Semester 2, 15 or 30 credits)
These are assessed by a combination of essays and project portfolios.
For details, click on the links to individual units in the 'Course unit list' section.
Dissertation (Semester 2 and Summer)
- a 12,000 to 15,000-word standard dissertation; or
- a practice-based dissertation (8,000-10,000 words and appropriate evidence/outputs of the practice).
Examples of past dissertation titles include:
- University museums and social inclusion
- Communicating Cultures: an assessment of the use of artist interventions in non-art museums
- Evaluating the educative potential of textile collections within the museum
- Missing audiences: the relationship between ethnicity and museum visiting in and around Southall
- Restitution in the regions: The Lindisfarne Gospels and the Lewis Chessmen
- Making the penal past relevant: the interpretation of history and execution in prison museums
- Revitalising musical instruments: Museum display, access and adaptation
- Histories and Her-stories: narrative and gender in museum display
- The development of Caribbean museums and the formation of national and cultural identities
- Natural history collections: Archiving the natural world
- Locating Scotland's identity within the Museum of Scotland.
- The presentation and interpretation of archaeological heritage in on-site museums.
- Representing the past: archaeology in the museum
- Recognising remains: the displays of Egyptian mummies in museums
- Photography, community and the E-volving museum
- Social Media and the reinterpretation of digital heritage
- Museum audience development in a Digital Age: Using social networking sites to engage new audiences
Course unit details
This MA is a modular degree made up of 180 credits.
You will take 120 credits of core and optional course units plus a dissertation worth 60 credits.
Semester 1
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 1 are compulsory.
Semester 2
Optional units build on the knowledge and understanding you have gained in Semester 1, and enable you to develop expertise in a particular disciplinary area of curating (eg art or ethnography) or sphere of museum practice (eg museum learning, digital engagement or exhibition development).
Full-time students take 60 credits of optional course units (which are offered as 15 or 30 credits).
Part-time students take 30 credits of optional course units each year.
You may choose to take one optional course unit in a related subject area, eg Archaeology, History, or Social Anthropology.
Note that not all optional course units may be available every year.
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 : 12,000-15,000 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. Develop a piece of museum policy. Outcome - policy or report plus max 8,000-10,000 words reflection.
- Practice-based C : Digital/online (building on skills developed in Digital Curating). Outcome - digital media application plus max 8,000-10,000 words reflection.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation | SALC60090 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Collection Care, Management and Development | SALC61061 | 30 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Museum Studies | SALC70101 | 30 | Mandatory |
| Heritage, Museums & Conflict | CAHE60462 | 15 | Optional |
| Heritage, Museums and Conflict | CAHE60562 | 30 | Optional |
| Digital Art | DIGI60132 | 30 | Optional |
| Art of Medieval Manuscripts | HART61642 | 30 | Optional |
| Creative Learning: Approaches and Contexts | SALC60052 | 30 | Optional |
| Curating Art | SALC60882 | 30 | Optional |
| Art Markets | SALC61032 | 30 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 13 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
What our students say
The practical skills I gained during my placement, specifically grant writing, directly translated to the start of my career in development at the British Museum.
The knowledge and support I received throughout my MA made me excited for a career within museums and gave me the skills I needed to succeed.
Victoria Stopar (2018-19)
In the MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies course, I found a home for my background in writing and dual interests in visitor experience and digital interpretation.
In addition, programme partnerships with the Whitworth and Manchester Museum allowed me to participate in projects with real, practical applications.
Meredith Whitfield (2016-17)
The course gave me the opportunity to network with a large set of museum and arts academics and practicing professionals.
It also paved the way for PhD studies, and gave me the placement experience to make the transition to a different aspect of museum work.
Jessica Fowler (2016-17)
The small class sizes and hands-on training were my favourite features of the programme.
A friendly learning atmosphere and a close relationship with the lecturers provided an enjoyable and positive learning experience.
Elaine Ngan (2015-16)
The placement module was one of the main reasons I took Art Gallery and Museum Studies, in order to gain real workplace experience.
This was extremely valuable in giving me an added boost in practical experience for starting my career in the museum and heritage sector.
Lorna Hadley (2015-16)
See more alumni profiles .
Facilities
The University of Manchester has world-class facilities.
We have the largest single-site university library in the UK along with a £24 million learning facility.
As a student of the Graduate School, you'll have access to excellent training within a dedicated postgraduate space where you can meet with each other, access resources, organise events and participate in a thriving academic community.
Find out more on the Facilities page.
Disability support
CPD opportunities
Each year, a number of mid-career professionals take the MA degree on a part-time basis and find that The University provides a valuable space for reflection, as well as for further learning.
Careers
Career opportunities
This course offers 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.
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.
You will benefit from lots of CV building opportunities on the course, and your supervisor provides you with personal and career development support.
You'll also have access to the award-winning Careers Service of the University, which provides support and advice in career development.
Learn more on the Careers and employability page, and read profiles of our alumni to find out what they went on to do after completing the course.
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .