10Feb
PostgraduateCourse summary
Durham University's unique MA in Museum and Artefact Studies will provide you with the 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 you 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 you 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 you to take personal responsibility for your own learning, team-work and professional conduct. Course Structure Core modules Museum Principles and Practice introduces museological theory and practice and provides an understanding of the principles, practice and debates around professional museum work, in particular collection and museum management. The module will enable you to develop a critical perspective and to use it in the assessment of museums and to build professional skills, through seminars, workshops and a placement at a local or national museum. Artefact Studies provides an understanding of the theory, practice and status of artefact studies, from an archaeological and an interdisciplinary perspective, referencing museum collections and archives. You will learn about the physical properties, and traditional production and consumption, of a range of materials and products and subsequently gain the necessary skills in handling, analysing, interpreting and recording them. You will also study a range of artefacts and materials from different periods and cultures. Debating Heritage and Museums enables you to identify and discuss the similarities and differences between heritage studies and museum studies and to develop your understanding of their key concepts, principles, theories and debates using case-studies from around the world. The module will also deliver the necessary skills in research and analysis that you can take into your subsequent academic or professional working life. You will also complete either a Research Paper or a Dissertation depending on your route through the course. If you plan to pursue a career in museums and galleries after the MA, you will research and write a research paper in an area of interest. Alternatively, if your interests lie in cultural heritage or you intend to undertake further postgraduate research, you will complete the more in-depth dissertation in an aspect of museum and artefact studies of your choice.
Modules
For the remainder of the course, you will be able to make a selection from the following option modules. For the dissertation route, you will select one from: Research Topics in Archaeology; Care of Collections (Museum Studies); Museum Communication; Protecting World Heritage. For the research paper route, you will select two from: Care of Collections (Museum Studies); Museum Communication; Protecting World Heritage; A Level 4 module offered by the Department of Archaeology (subject to approval).
Assessment method
The course 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 you to discuss and debate particular issues or areas, based on the knowledge that you have gained through your lectures and through independent study outside formal contact hours. Finally, practical classes allow you 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 throughout the course, as you develop your knowledge and ability as independent learners , giving you the opportunity to engage in research, professional practice, and developing and demonstrating research skills in a particular area of the subject. The course aims to develop these key attributes thereby preparing you for work or further study once you have completed the course. In Terms 1 and 2 you will typically attend 6-8 hours a week of lectures, up to 4 hours of tutorials or seminars, in addition to 2 workshops and 4-6 hours of practical sessions working with artefacts or museum environment-related matters as well as fieldtrips over the term. You will have a 20-day Museum placement at Easter in a museum or archive. Outside timetabled contact hours, you are also expected to undertake your own independent study to prepare for your classes and broaden your 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 you will work in groups on a specific project(s) with an opening date in May, June or July. Typically, you could be spending the equivalent of a working week as you complete the work for your 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 course 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, you will 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 course, all students also have access to an academic adviser who will provide them with academic support and guidance. Typically you will meet your 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 on a ‘drop-in’ basis. The department also has an exciting programme of weekly one hour research seminars which you are strongly encouraged to attend as well as Friends of the Oriental Museum events.
How to apply
International applicants
If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.
Entry requirements
Applicants should hold, or expect to be awarded, a 2:1 Honours degree or an international equivalent, such as a GPA of 3.3 or above and ideally (but not necessarily) hold some museum, heritage or artefacts work experience. Reference Requirements: One satisfactory reference is required.
English language requirements
Durham University welcomes applications from all students irrespective of background. We encourage the recruitment of academically well-qualified and highly motivated students, who are non-native speakers of English, whose full potential can be realised with a limited amount of English Language training either prior to entry or through pre-sessional and/or in-sessional courses. It is the normal expectation that candidates for admission should be able to demonstrate satisfactory English proficiency before the start of a programme of study, whether via the submission of an appropriate English language qualification or by attendance on an appropriate pre-sessional course. Acceptable evidence and levels required can be viewed by following the link provided.
English language requirements
https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| England | £11900 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £11900 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £11900 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £11900 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £11900 | Year 1 |
| EU | £25500 | Year 1 |
| International | £25500 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Sponsorship information
For further information see the course listing.
Provider information
Durham University
The Palatine Centre
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE