Curating Collections and Heritage MA

Course in brief

This vocational masters degree (new for 2018) has been developed in partnership with the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove in response to current priorities within the museums and heritage sector.

It aims to support future generations of practitioners to understand, investigate, question and debate the contemporary museum and heritage sector and its wider contexts.

Through wide-ranging module choices, it caters both for candidates working in the museums and heritage industry wishing to progress their careers, as well as those wishing to move into the sector. Students already working or volunteering in the sector in a position of some responsibility can choose to take up to 60 credits of business modules and have that reflected in the award they graduate with – Curating Collections and Heritage with Management MA.

Modules cover themes crucial to building a successful career in curating collections and heritage. They will challenge you to consider a range of theoretical and methodological approaches and all feature practical learning and experience at their heart. This MA will appeal to those with a broad range of interests, from curating design, dress and screen to visual culture, heritage and exhibitions.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Grand Parade

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

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Please make sure that you meet the entry requirements before applying. If you have any questions the course team will be happy to help.

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Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2018. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

Degree and experience
Successful applicants will normally have a BA(Hons) degree at level of 2:1 or higher, or its international equivalent, in a related subject such as history of art, history or anthropology. Candidates from other disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Candidates with 2:2 awards or equivalent professional experience will also be considered. For example, employment or voluntary experience in fields related to museums, galleries, public art, heritage, education and publishing will be taken into consideration.

Applicants who wish to take business modules as part of their programme will also need to evidence experience as an employee or volunteer in a related organisation.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with no individual components under 6.0 (or equivalent)

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through the Extended Masters programme at the university's Language Institute.

Interview
Where minimum requirements for entry are met, applicants will normally be invited to interview with the course leader. An email or Skype interview process can be conducted for candidates at a distance from Brighton.

Course in detail

Why study with us?

The course has been developed in partnership with the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, and responds to employers’ demands for the collections and heritage workforce.
Part-time study and flexible learning means the course can be incorporated into workplace professional development. Elements of the programme are designed to support applicants who are undertaking or hope to take their Associateship of the Museums Association qualification.
Teaching staff include respected University of Brighton academics who develop leading research on the museums and heritage sector, and curating professionals from the Royal Pavilion Museums, the Design Archives and Screen Archive South East.
Students can gain industry experience on the course, either through a placement or through the week-long practical module, Collections Intensive, at a partner organisation.
Those already working or volunteering within the sector can increase their career prospects by choosing business management modules and graduate with Curating Collections and Heritage with Management.
Students have access to internationally important collections including the Royal Pavilion and Museum’s collections of decorative art, world art and natural history and University of Brighton-held collections relating to design history, screen history, and historic dress and textiles.
Off-site study visits, live briefs and hands-on sessions in all modules bring insight into contemporary practice.
Part-time students can arrange an individual programme of study which suits their needs.

Course structure

Your MA will be structured around two core modules: Museums and Collections in Context and Caring for Collections and their Users (20 credits each). Over two semesters, these modules will support you to consider the critical questions of the museum and collections sector, exploring and debating the role and purpose of museums and collections, the ethical responsibilities involved, and key issues in collections care, learning, inclusivity and audience development.

The modules feature seminar discussion, guest lectures and hands-on workshops dealing with conservation and disaster planning. They are also designed to support students who are undertaking or hope to take their Associateship of the Museums Association qualification, and can be taken as freestanding modules.

Alongside your core modules, you will also take a Research Methods module (20 credits) and conduct a major 60-credit research project. This can either be a traditional dissertation or respond to a live brief co-designed by a heritage or collections organisation. It might relate to, for example, a collections management issue, a marketing concern or educational provision.

To complete your degree and cater to your specialist interests and learning requirements, you choose three further option modules, one in semester 1 and two that will take place in semester 2 and over the summer months.

See option modules tab for a list of options.

Vintage fabric from the university's on-site Dress History Teaching Collection.

Option modules

Semester 1 – choose one

Heritage in a Global Context
Strategy, Planning and Commissioning*
Issues in Graphic Design: Modernity, Identity and Meaning
Cultural Memory: Concepts, Theories, Methods
Globalisation and Global Politics
Aesthetics and Cultural Theory

Semester 2/summer – choose two

Digital Curating (online/distance learning)
Critical Reflection on Contemporary Exhibitions
Professional Placements in Collections and Heritage – a 150-hour placement that can be arranged according to host and student preference across semester 2 and the summer months, in a block or over a longer period of time. Students are either supported to arrange their own placement, locally, nationally or internationally, or can choose from a placement with one of our partner organisations.
History of Fashion and Dress: Method, Theory and Interpretation
Collections Intensive, this module is taught over one week during the summer behind the scenes in a museum or collection
Exploring Partnership Working*
Managing Finance in Different Contexts*
Marketing and Communication*
Leadership with Ethics*
Managing People*

Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

* These modules are taught by the university’s Business School which specialises in management in the not-for-profit sector. They are taught intensively over one week and can be taken by students who already have relevant experience in a position of some responsibility. If you choose business modules amounting to 60 credits across both semesters, this will be reflected in the award you graduate with, Curating Collections and Heritage with Management MA.

Materials from the Design Archives, based on campus.

Facilities

Students on the MA will have access to our excellent collections, based on campus.

Our world-class Design Archives, an internationally significant research base with a curatorial team that initiates and promotes collaborative activity through a programme of projects
Excellent art and design library
Screen Archive South East, a moving image archive collection of magic lantern slides, films, video, and associated materials capturing the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day
Dress and Textiles Teaching Collection, a vast collection of garments from the eighteenth century onwards

Students have access to the moving image archive of the Screen Archive South East.

Professional development

The following modules are all available as freestanding modules for individuals who would prefer to work towards an MA over time, or take individual modules as continuing professional development.

Museums and Collections in Context: this module focuses on museums as institutions, exploring the role and impact of museums, the policy context for museum practice, the ethical responsibilities of museums, and how museums are governed and operate.
Caring for Collections and their Users: this module engages with museum collections and their users, exploring the development, care, management and research of collections, as well as learning, public engagement and audience development.
Digital Curating
Collections Intensive

If you are interested in taking a freestanding module, contact pghumanities@brighton.ac.uk +44(0)1273 643089.

Students have access to our renowned Design Archives.

Staff profile

Dr Claire Wintle, Course Leader

Dr Claire Wintle’s research focuses on objects, collecting and museums and examines the ways in which collections interact with the politics of empire, nationalism and decolonisation. She has a particular interest in the interpretation of India in museums and galleries, in the UK, the US and in India itself.

She has worked in collections and public programmes at National Museums Liverpool, Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry, and Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton & Hove.

Other teaching staff on the course include: Dr Louise Purbrick, Dr Megha Rajguru, Nicola Ashmore, Dr Lara Perry, Helen Mears, Keeper of World Art at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and Kevin Bacon, Digital Manager at Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove.

Careers and employability

This MA is designed to respond to current industry requirements. You will have unique access to museums and heritage professionals though behind-the-scenes working and guest lecturers.

Students choose option modules and develop areas of specialism but all leave with skills to begin or progress a career in the collections and heritage sector. A combination of practical work experience, industry connections and scholarly knowledge will provide an excellent springboard for working in roles such as traditional and digital curating, collections and business management, marketing, media and communication, partnerships and fundraising.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 6,270 GBP

International (full-time) 14,580 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2018–19.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Forward-thinking and welcoming, the city of Brighton & Hove is a community of creative and diverse people who share values like sustainability and inclusivity – just like its university.

Miles of pebble beaches, hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, a packed calendar of culture, music and sport and great independent and high street shopping attract visitors from all over the world. By the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to enjoy about the city.

The Brighton Festival, England’s largest arts festival, takes place every May – as does the Great Escape Europe’s leading industry showcase for new music, 300 bands perform over three days at venues across the city. Major events celebrate Pride, digital culture, cinema, photography, food and the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate show is a highlight, turning the university into the largest exhibition space in the south east as we celebrate the outstanding creativity of our students.

As a student here you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience what the city has to offer. Volunteering and placement opportunities enable you to play your part in the events, organisations and communities that make Brighton such a compelling place to be.

Campus where this course is taught

Grand Parade campus

Our Grand Parade campus is in the heart of Brighton, across the road from the Royal Pavilion and a five-minute walk from the beach. After your lectures you’ll be right in the city centre, close to all the best pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes that Brighton has to offer.

The campus is home to a creative community of arts and humanities students, specialising in everything from fashion and textiles to politics and philosophy. It is also the location of the University of Brighton Gallery and Sallis Benney Theatre, which host events throughout the festival season and beyond.

The world-renowned University of Brighton Design Archives are in the basement of Grand Parade and offer extensive resources for the study of British design in the twentieth century. St Peters House, the campus library, is also nearby and houses a specialist collection of arts books and journals.

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Accommodation

Brighton: Grand Parade

We have halls of residence across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Eligible students can apply for any of these options. Find out if you are eligible…
You’ll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
Grand Parade campus is linked to Phoenix halls.
- Phoenix offers self-catered rooms. The halls are a short walk from the Grand Parade campus in Brighton city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.

We also offer Unihomes and Unilets, student houses that we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. This option offers the most choice and flexibility and can work particularly well when you’re balancing learning with placements and other commitments.

There’s plenty of support if you choose private rented accommodation. We manage our own studenthomes database of properties. And we run our housemates service over the summer for students, new and returning, looking for a place to live.

Find out more on our accommodation webpages.

Accommodation for Grand Parade is in the nearby Phoenix Halls

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Grand Parade campus map

Find out more

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