Course summary

Durham’s MA in Museum and Artefact Studies is a unique course offering a choice of professional and academic-focused routes tailored to equip you with the skills and expertise to develop a successful career in museums, the cultural heritage sector or in the academic world. The course is based within the Department of Archaeology and although we deal with the past, we also ensure as a course that we look into the future with the aim of building upon our global reputation as one of the best archaeological research departments and continually improving your experience with us within a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In terms of learning, you will develop a critical understanding of current professional principles and contemporary debates relating to museum and artefact studies. You will also develop professional skills relevant to the care, management and exhibition of collections in museums and analytical skills, relevant to the study of a wide range of materials and artefacts from different periods and cultures. In addition, the course structure will help improve your ability to take a personal responsibility for your own learning, for working in teams and for your professional conduct. You will have the option to select one of two routes through the course depending on your career aspirations. The research paper route is ideal if you want to work in museums or galleries. You are likely to benefit from the dissertation route if you have an interest in artefact studies, want a career in the cultural heritage sector or are planning to undertake postgraduate research after completing your MA. As a department we are very aware of our place as a learning community and for the need to create a sustainable future in which there is also space to care for the knowledge and materials from our past. 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.