Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture with Professional Experience MA
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Jul 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 19,500 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international | UK: £9,700
Open Days at University of Westminster
Undergraduate Open Day 23 November 2024/ Postgraduate Online Open Day 26 February 2025
Introduction
The Museums, Galleries, and Contemporary Culture with Professional Experience MA is a unique course that offers you the opportunity to undertake an extended work placement and gain professional work experience. It is partnered with the one-year course, Museums, Galleries, and Contemporary Culture MA. On the two-year course, you'll do the same taught modules as on the one-year course, but you'll have the added opportunity of doing a placement lasting from three to six months in your second year.
The Museums, Galleries, and Contemporary Culture MA examines how cultural institutions are changing to meet the needs of the 21st century. The MA is for you if you're pursuing a career as a museum professional, curator, or arts organiser. It will equip you with a critical understanding of the key conceptual and practical skills in curatorship, museology, and museum management necessary for you to succeed in your professional life.
The course looks at the changing role of cultural provision and how cultural institutions shape, house, fund, and disseminate culture today within the broader theoretical context of museum and gallery issues. You'll examine key themes in the cultural sector, and how these are dealt with by leading and smaller institutions in the UK and internationally. In studying and experiencing their day-to-day work, such as how they’re developing innovative practices in relation to their collections, exhibitions, and audiences, you’ll gain valuable insight into the sector.
This MA gives you the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in contemporary debates about working practices in cultural institutions by working closely with museum and gallery professionals. You’ll be able to learn with our London-based course partners, The Museum of London and The Photographers’ Gallery, and to meet a variety of other professionals from the sector. Gaining professional knowledge is an important part of the course and you'll be supported in gaining work placements and in working on professional projects.
The University of Westminster is a leading provider in this academic discipline and is ranked 2nd in the UK for Art and Design Research Quality in the Complete University Guide (Subject League Table 2023).
Top reasons to study with us
- Get practical experience – The course has a strong focus on professional experience and employability, and you'll have the opportunity to do practical projects for your assessments
- Gain expert knowledge – On your placement or internship and throughout the course, you'll work closely with museum and gallery professionals
- Study in London's museums and galleries – Classes take place off-site at museums and galleries in addition to at the University, giving you the opportunity to meet professionals in the places where they work
Why study this course?
- Institute for Modern and Contemporary Culture - Through our Institute, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy events including research seminars, symposia, guest lectures, conferences, and screenings.
- Learn in a vibrant, multicultural environment - You'll be learning alongside passionate students from around the world, collaborating on projects, and exploring the culture of London together through the lens of the course.
- Fit the course around your career - The MA is designed to facilitate studying while already working with cultural institutions – wherever possible, you'll be encouraged to focus your learning around your professional work.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.
There is a range of funding available that may help you fund your studies, including Student Finance England (SFE).
Curriculum
Course structure
In addition to taking four core modules, you'll choose four modules from the list of option modules below.
As part of this course you'll do a work placement or internship in a museum or an art organisation. This will enable you to gain professional skills and consolidate the knowledge you'll acquire on the MA. Your placement or internship will take place in your second year and last between three to six months. While the University isn't able to guarantee a placement, we have a wide range of contacts, so we negotiate with partner institutions to find openings that are suitable for you to apply for. On graduating from the Museums, Galleries and Contemporary MA with Professional Experience, you'll be fully prepared to enter or re-enter the job market at a senior level. If you're unable to secure a placement that suits your interests, you can transfer instead to the one-year Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture MA.
The following modules are indicative of what you'll study on this course.
Core modules
- Current Issues in Museum and Gallery Studies
- MA Dissertation or MA Project
- Work Experience Preparation
- Extended Work Experience
Option modules
- Art Institutions and Contemporary Culture
- Collecting Today: Curating, Presenting and Managing Collections
- Engaging the Archive
- Exhibiting Photography
- Heritage in Action
- Management in Cultural and Heritage Institutions
- Museum Narratives, Audiences and Programming
- Representing World Cultures
- Social Justice and Representational Practices in Cultural Institutions
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
On graduating, you'll be prepared to enter or re-enter the job market at a senior level, and have the skills to work in a variety of positions in the cultural sector.
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have found employment at organisations including:
- Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
- Design Museum, London
- Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
- Migration Museum, London
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Job roles
This course will prepare you for a variety of roles, including:
- Art gallery curator
- Arts and media strategist and adviser
- Collections manager
- Education and interpretation officer
- Funding officer
- Learning and education officer
- Museum curator
- Public events manager