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Museum Cultures with Collections Management at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

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2025 - 20262026 - 2027
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Our MA Museum Cultures with Collections Management combines study of the history and cultural significance of museums with opportunities for you to gain professional museum experience. You will explore the processes that lie at the heart of collections management by which museums ascribe value and meaning to objects, and the ideas, values and ethics which underpin these. Why choose this course?

  • This MA gives you the chance to acquire key foundational skills in collections management and a solid grasp of the related issues, learning from leading scholars in the field.
  • It offers you the chance to undertake a work placement in a museum, gallery or archive.
  • You will visit leading London museums and galleries and meet collections management experts to discuss their work, as well as engaging in hands-on activities relating to documentation, object handling and care.
  • The course benefits from our close links with museums, galleries, archives and heritage organisations across London and beyond.
What you will learn You will master methods and sources, including archives, collections, historical and contemporary texts, needed to understand how museums operate and how their role - and the role of the collections manager - is shifting in the twenty-first century. You will also draw upon museum theory and sector guidelines to document a bequest to museum accreditation standard and critically reflect on this process. This will give you advanced skills in analysis, argument and communication. You will be introduced to critical issues facing the museum today and take specialist option modules allowing you to explore a subject in depth. Subject-specific training in research skills is also provided. How you will learn This course is available to study full- or part-time. Classes, consisting of short lectures, seminars and small-group discussions and activities, are held in the evenings. The collections management module is taught during the day and intensively over a one-week period during the spring term. You can then choose from option modules that may include organised visits to museums, exhibitions and cultural sites of interest. We also offer an exciting study trip abroad every spring, with cities we have visited previously including Paris, Venice, Rome, Florence, Berlin and Moscow. You will devise your own research project, supervised by one of our specialists. Highlights
  • On this course we encourage vibrant debate which is enlivened by the diverse perspectives and experiences of our students, some of whom already work in the museum and gallery sector.
  • You will have the opportunity to apply for a ten-week supervised work placement.
  • We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students. Funds are also available to support research expenses for your coursework on this MA.
  • We host a range of events including information evenings for prospective students; the annual Murray Lecture; and exhibitions and displays at Birkbeck's Peltz Gallery and events at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.
  • Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
Careers and employability On successfully graduating from this course you will have gained an array of transferable skills, including:
  • a sophisticated use of written and spoken English
  • an advanced critical ability in understanding and applying theories
  • facility and precision in the use of analytical tools.
Graduates can pursue career paths in the museums and heritage sector; arts management, conservation and policy; education, marketing and publishing; and research and academia. Possible professions include:
  • museum or gallery curator
  • museum registrar or collections manager
  • arts administrator
  • researcher
  • advertising account executive
  • lecturer in higher education.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Coursework only, consisting of essays of up to 5000 words, a work placement project and a 15,000-word dissertation.

How to apply

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Entry requirements

Our standard postgraduate entry requirement is a second-class honours degree (2:2 or above). For students with a degree in a subject outside the arts and humanities, the one-year part-time Graduate Certificate in Art History can be used as a conversion course. Students who successfully complete the graduate certificate with merit will normally be guaranteed a place on this course. Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £5535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £5535 Year 1
Scotland £5535 Year 1
Wales £5535 Year 1
International £10170 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

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Museum Cultures with Collections Management at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS