About this studentship
The Change Studentship will be awarded to an African diaspora, Asian diaspora or ethnically diverse applicant to the Curating Collections and Heritage MA course.
It is one award for 2024 covering postgraduate course fees and travel expenses to access a mentoring programme organised by the university. Additionally, the award includes a £3,000 personal bursary to support study as the recipient wishes, for example, caring costs or travel costs.
The studentship is open to those already working in the museums and heritage sector, as well as to new entrants, and applicants can study full-time or part-time.
The award has been developed to help promote diversity in museums, heritage and arts curation. Recent research has shown that only 10% of managerial positions in museums are held by African diaspora, Asian diaspora and ethnically diverse people. This award is intended to help a wider range of people consider or continue a career in the sector and support museums and heritage organisations to become more representative of our society.
The award is generously funded by the James Henry Green Charitable Trust via the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust.
Application deadline: Applications will open again in 2024.
Who is eligible
To be considered for this award you must:
- have applied for a place on the Curating Collections and Heritage MA by the 2024 deadline (to be announced)
- be prepared to start the course in October 2024
- be domiciled in the UK and not required to pay international rate fees
- be self-funding (students taking out a Postgraduate Master’s Loan can apply, but applicants who will be funded by employers or other schemes are not eligible)
- be an African diaspora, Asian diaspora or ethnically diverse person and/or have refugee status. For the purposes of this scholarship opportunity, people from Arab, Black, Asian, Chinese, mixed minority ethnic backgrounds and other Minority Ethnic backgrounds are welcome to apply.
How to apply
Applications are currently closed and will open again in 2024.
You can only apply for the Change Studentship once you have applied for the Curating Collections and Heritage MA. You'll find an apply online link on the course page.
The Change Studentship application form will ask you to write three 200-word statements covering the following points:
- How will the studentship transform your personal and professional development?
- What are the top three challenges faced by the sector and how do you think they should be addressed?
- What contribution do you hope to make to the sector after you complete the course?
The evaluation panel is made up of museum and heritage professionals, including practitioners and representatives from Arts Council England and the Museums Association. They will evaluate your application in relation to your:
- communication skills
- current understanding of the museum and heritage sector
- commitment to and vision for the future of the museum and heritage sector.
Awards are intended to nurture ambition and realise potential; they are not made purely on the basis of academic excellence. Please note that the evaluation panel for the Change Studentship will not have access to your general application for a place on the MA, so you may reuse material from that application as you wish.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their studentship application before the end of July 2024. The decision of the panel is discretionary and final.
Data protection
Your form, with name and contact details removed, will be shared with the studentship judges. The form and the data therein will be destroyed in October 2024.
Got a question?
Informal enquiries and any questions about the studentship can be sent to Dr Claire Wintle, Course Leader, Curating Collections and Heritage MA (c.wintle@brighton.ac.uk).