Course description
Arts & Museum Management - MA/PgDip
Duration: 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time
OVERVIEW | The Sector Skills Council (CCSSC) - validated Arts and Museum Management course is informed by an understanding of the broad vocational context of the arts and museum sector and a recognition of the need for excellence and good practice in arts and museum management. Graduates will not only have the professional management skills required to meet the demands of the arts and museum sector, but also the professional curatorial skills informed by best practice and an advanced understanding of collections management. One of three masters courses in the Centre for Heritage Studies, Arts and Museum Management has its own unique identity. Modules such as Visitor Studies and Arts and Heritage Management enable students from associated disciplines to intermix and develop individual and collaborative skills.
STRUCTURE | The course comprises both core and elective modules and includes a six-week period of work placement. Core modules include Arts and Museums in the 21st Century, Collections Management, Management I: Principles and Practice and Work Placement. Elective modules include Arts and Heritage Marketing, Theorising Museums , Management II, Urban Design of the North West , and Arts and Heritage Exhibition Design.
Those who progress to masters level undertake an individual research project in the third semester under tutorial supervision. This comprises either a substantial written dissertation or a skills-based project equivalent. Student learning derives from a range of teaching and learning formats and an engagement in a range of coursework activities. Integral to the course are workshops, team-based and independent learning exercises, site visits, case studies, visiting professionals, work placements, and more formal lectures, seminar presentations and critical debate.
Full-time MA: 12 months. Part-time MA: 27 months. The full-time, one-year course is two days per week, the part-time course one day per week over two years.
FEATURES | The course combines a thorough grounding in the management skills needed for professional careers in the arts and museums sector with an up-to-date insight into current practice. We have excellent links with leading museums and galleries, and real projects linked with local arts, museums and heritage venues. Our philosophy of high-level skills training responding to the needs of the sector is an important feature of this course.
One of the most frequently asked questions concerns funding opportunities. Students are advised to visit the University's Postgraduate Studies website and the AHRB site, as some students receive bursaries from the AHRB.
APPLICANT PROFILE | Arts and Museum Management is appropriate for those with a first degree or a professional qualification in a range of disciplines such as heritage and museum studies, the arts, history, archaeology, marketing, and tourism and leisure studies. Individuals seeking a career change find the Arts and Museum Management course particularly appropriate. The course welcomes applications from mature students and those seeking new career opportunities. Interview sessions are held throughout the year. Please apply early as competition for places is strong.
