Course summary

The part-time, distance learning MA Preventive Conservation course will immerse you in the world of preventive conservation and collections care by engaging you with the complexities and challenges of professional practice. On completion of this two-year course you will possess the specialist knowledge and skills required to provide appropriate strategies for the care, storage, display, transit and environmental management of heritage collections. During the course you will learn about the physical and chemical characteristics of materials commonly found in collections, preventive conservation policies and procedures, conservation-cleaning processes, environmental management strategies as well as the fundamental chemistry and physics underpinning professional practice. You will also undertake a placement that will allow you to contextualise the theory that you have learnt within professional practice. Personal research is encouraged throughout the course and you are provided with the opportunity to shape assignments in support of its development, which often leads to the focus of the final dissertation. Northumbria University is the market lead in this fast growing area of conservation practice and provides teaching that is at the forefront of this exciting discipline.