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Museum Cultures at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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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

Museums and galleries are contested zones. How history is presented and to whom, and what constitutes culture, have been discussed in the press, in academia and in museums themselves. This MA Museum Cultures introduces you to the long history of museums and to some of the pressing issues that face them today. Why choose this course?

  • Museums have been of enormous importance in shaping empires and nations, towns and villages, and their collections are connected to wider histories of conflict and social change. To study museums is to study the development and fierce contestation of our collective cultural imagination and memory.
  • You will be taught by internationally acclaimed scholars and will have the opportunity to critically consider topics such as the place of museums in a postcolonial age, the impact and use of digital media, the role of community museums, class and the country house, and museum professionalism.
  • You will benefit from our close links, in teaching and research, with the numerous museums, galleries, archives and heritage organisations across London and beyond.
  • You will have the opportunity to take a ten-week supervised work placement in a museum, gallery or archive. Previous placements have been offered at Tate, the British Museum, the Science Museum, Whitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum to name a few.
What you will learn You will master the wide range of methods and sources needed to understand how museums operate and how their role is shifting in the twenty-first century. This will give you advanced skills, much desired by employers, in analysis, argument and communication. You will learn to understand and to question the role and impact of the museum, thus preparing you for a wide range of careers in the sector. You will be introduced to critical issues facing the museum today, and be able to take specialist option modules that allow you to explore a subject in depth. How you will learn MA Museum Cultures is available to study in the evening either full- or part-time, so you can fit your studies around other commitments. Classes may include short lectures, seminar and small-group discussions or tasks such as the analysis of texts and visual material. Option modules may also include organised visits to museums, archives and heritage sites. We encourage vibrant debate, enlivened by the diverse perspectives and the experience of Birkbeck students, some of whom already work in the museum and gallery sector. In your final year, you will devise your own research project. Highlights
  • 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.
  • We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students. Funds are also available to support research expenses for your coursework on this MA.
  • Birkbeck has an international reputation for its innovative approaches to the history of art, visual culture and museum studies, and attracts a rich programme of visiting scholars and practitioners.
Careers and employability On successfully graduating from this MA Museum Cultures, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:
  • a sophisticated use of written and spoken English
  • an advanced critical ability in understanding and applying complex theories
  • facility and precision in the use of analytical tools
  • strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented assignments and fluent critical arguments.
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:
  • higher education lecturer
  • museum/gallery curator
  • museum registrar or collections manager
  • arts administrator
  • researcher
  • advertising account executive.

Modules

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

Assessment method

Compulsory and option modules are assessed through a 5000-word essay. Dissertation of 15,000 words due in September of the final year.

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

A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above in a relevant subject or equivalent (for example, professional experience). For students applying for the MA with a degree in a subject other than history of art, the one-year, part-time Graduate Certificate in History of Art and Architecture 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 £11070 Year 1
Northern Ireland £11070 Year 1
Scotland £11070 Year 1
Wales £11070 Year 1
International £20340 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 at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS