MA Museum and Artefact Studies (V6K607)

Durham University's unique MA Museum and Artefact Studies aims to provide students with high quality education and practical experience relevant to careers in museums, the cultural heritage sector, and in the academic world. In particular, it aims to equip students with a sound knowledge and critical understanding of current professional principles, good practice and contemporary debates relating to museum and artefact studies.

Students are enabled to develop:

• Professional skills: relevant to the care, management and exhibition of collections in museums
• Analytical skills: relevant to the study of materials and artefacts from different periods and cultures and from a variety of disciplinary perspectives
• Research skills: relevant to studies of museums, heritage and artefacts, including an awareness of current theoretical issues
• Communication skills: oral, written and visual outputs, relevant to roles in the museum profession and to academic research.

Students are encouraged to take personal responsibility for their own learning, team-work and professional conduct, especially through using the reflective professional practice model.

Find out more about this course and apply

Two routes, many possibilities

Two distinct routes can be followed through the MA Museum and Artefact Studies.

The first route is designed for those who have a strong intention to pursue a career in museums and galleries and are seeking a challenging but stimulating path to develop both theoretical and practical understanding and skills. The second route is intended for those who have a strong interest in museums but prefer to purse their interest through further academic study or use the transferable skills gained on the programme in another sector.

Led by academics and museum practitioners, this MA gives you the foundation for developing your career in a variety of contexts and roles. Four core modules introduce you to issues in museums and heritage, care for collections, object-centred artefact studies and museum principles and practice. Teaching and learning approaches include debates, workshops and experiential hands-on learning. You can choose to undertake a professional placement in a museum or heritage organisation or select a module offered in the Department of Archaeology, including ones focused on World or Chinese heritage.*  You will complete your programme by choosing either the Museum Communication module or the Dissertation module. In the Museum Communication module, students work with University museum colleagues to design and implement an exhibition, usually with educational and digital elements. The Dissertation module gives students aiming to pursue further academic studies the opportunity to undertake intensive independent research.

*Note: these modules available may vary annually.

Testimonial

"I applied to the MA in Museum & Artefacts Studies as it offered the perfect balance of academic and practical training. Throughout the year I was able to apply theory to real life scenarios, whether that be at my placement or in the group exhibition. This course offers a holistic overview of museums which helped me stand out to future employers as I have a well-rounded knowledge of museum practice and procedures. One unique feature of this course is its emphasis on artefacts. I found this extremely useful as I gained an understanding into preventive conservation and collections management which is highly valued in any museum position. With the support of the academic staff at Durham University I developed as a young professional, gaining confidence and preparing me for my future endeavours."

Caroline Darnbrook, MA Museum & Artefact Studies graduate; now working at The National Archive, England

Employability

The MA is an internationally recognised degree from a world-leading university that will equip you with the skills and expertise needed to contribute to the sector. The professional and transferable skills you will be able to develop create a sound basis for your next step. Our graduates hold key roles in museums, nationally and internationally, working as curators or in exhibitions, collections and events management. Some have developed freelance museum careers or work in cultural heritage policy development. Others have gained PhDs, established careers in higher education and the wider heritage sector or applied their transferable skills to build careers in archaeology, logistics, marketing, health and teaching. For more details, see the PDF linked below.

Posts Held by Graduates (PDF)

Course details

Museum and Artefact Studies (V6K607)

Durham’s MA in Museum and Artefact Studies is a unique course offering a choice of professional and academic-focused routes tailored to equip you with the skills and expertise to develop a successful career in museums, the cultural heritage sector or in the academic world.

The course is based in the Department of Archaeology which means we think a lot about the past, the stories that can be told through objects, old and new, and how these can be sustained and enhanced for the future. As a Department, we are very aware of our place as a learning community and for the need to create a sustainable future in which there is also space to care for the knowledge of tangible and intangible legacies for future generations, addressing complex and difficult histories as well as celebrating achievements. You will have the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of current principles and contemporary debates relating to museums, heritage and artefact studies. The professional skills you will develop are central to the care, management and exhibition of collections in museums and analytical skills, relevant to the study of materials and artefacts from different periods and cultures. Throughout, the programme aims to enable you to improve your ability to take a personal responsibility for your own learning, for working in teams and for your professional conduct.

Led by academics and museum practitioners, this MA gives you the foundation for developing your career in a variety of contexts and roles. Four core modules introduce you to issues in museums and heritage, care for collections, object-centred artefact studies and museum principles and practice. Teaching and learning approaches include debates, workshops and experiential hands-on learning. You can choose to undertake a professional placement in a museum or heritage organisation or select a module offered in the Department of Archaeology, including ones focused on World or Chinese heritage.*  You will complete your programme by choosing either the Museum Communication module (Route 1) or the Dissertation module (Route 2). In the Museum Communication module students work with University museum colleagues to design and implement an exhibition, usually with educational and digital elements. The Dissertation module gives students aiming to pursue further academic studies the opportunity to undertake intensive independent research.

*Note: modules available may vary annually.

Course Structure

All students take these FOUR core modules which ensure everyone has the opportunity to develop   informed understanding and skills based around critical issues and current practices in museums:

Debating Heritage and Museums presents you with a challenging intellectual framework that underpins the programme and the sectors. It explores the scope and aims of museum studies, within the broader inter-disciplinary context of the international heritage sector,  examining theories, concepts and practice such as authenticity, preservation, colonization and decolonization, sustainability and memorialization amongst others. It also aims to provide an underpinning introduction to research, critical reading, writing and presentation skills, both for this MA and for your future professional or academic life. Taken with the MA International Cultural Heritage Management students, this module gives you the chance to debate sector-wide concepts, issues and challenges.

Museum Principles and Practice enables you to gain a sound understanding of key contemporary principles and practices relating to professional museum work − especially in the fields of collections management and museum management. Focused around the SPECTRUM standards, developed by the Collections Trust in the UK and used world-wide, it encourages you to develop a critical perspective and to evaluate effectiveness in museum collection practice. This is a two-term module dedicated to MA Museum & Artefact Studies students only.

Care of Collections (Museums) introduces you to the concept of preventive conservation and the theoretical and practical aspects of caring for collections. You will be able to develop a detailed understanding of the environmental factors that cause deterioration in museum objects and the ways in which these can be documented and mitigated, including environmental monitoring and control, integrated pest management and condition surveying. This is a one-term module taken jointly with MSc Conservation of Archaeological & Museum Objects students.

Artefact Studies enables you to gain an understanding of the theory and practice of ‘thinking with things’ in museum collections. Specifically, you will learn about the physical properties and production of the materials and artefacts you are likely to encounter in a museum career. You will have the opportunity to develop skills in handling, recording, analysing and interpreting objects from a variety of contexts. This is a two-term module.

For your elective module (30 credits) you may select a module to reflect your own interests and goals. Choose from:

Another Level 4 module offered by the Department of Archaeology such as Research Topics in Archaeology. These may include Chinese Heritage: Shaping the relationship between the Past and the Present and A Global Pattern: From China to the World in the Middle Ages. Some students have chosen to take archaeology modules which are relevant to their backgrounds and future plans. Please note that modules offered in the Department of Archaeology may vary annually.

OR

The Professional Placement module gives you the opportunity to develop professional skills in a museum or heritage organisation if you do not already have such experience as part of your portfolio. Opportunities for placement possibilities will be discussed early in Term 1. Placements normally last  for 20 days in the spring vacation or in the early summer once all teaching has been completed. A day-long seminar in Term 3 allows you to exchange plans and projects and debate issues with fellow with fellow students also undertaking placements. For recent placement locations, see the PDF linked below.

MA Museum & Artefact Studies – Placement Hosts (PDF)

OR

In consultation with MA staff, you may select a relevant module from elsewhere in the Faculty. For example, you might select a module worth 15 credits to pair with the Department’s module Protecting World Heritage.

For your final module, you may choose ONE of the following:

Museum Communication (Route 1) In this module, you put the concept of communication in relation to museum collections into practice by working as team to create a public exhibition with linked education activities, usually with an online component, involving collections and/or sites, working to professional standards and in collaboration with museum, archive and heritage staff. You will gain an understanding of contemporary principles and good practice relating to museum and heritage communication and develop curatorial, interpretative and museum education and project management skills. This module extends throughout all three terms of the academic year and is open to Museums Studies students only.

OR

Dissertation in Museum & Artefact Studies (Route 2) In this module, you research and write a dissertation which enables you to develop and demonstrate knowledge in your chosen aspect of museum and artefact studies. You are encouraged to gain a detailed familiarity with relevant published literature, to consult with a range of academic and professional specialists, and to gather a body of data, evaluate it and draw appropriate conclusions, supported by your supervisor. This module is open to Museums Studies students only. For details of recent research topics, see the PDF linked below.

MA Museum & Artefact Studies - Recent Research Topics (PDF)

Learning

Your course learning is delivered through a highly structured mix of taught lectures and tutorials given alongside practical classes and visits. Lectures, seminars and workshops identify key issues in museum thinking and practice with plenty of opportunities  for discussion and debate as well as hands-on experience of relevant practical skills with professional colleagues and academics.

Depending on your choice of modules, you will typically attend around 6–10 hours of classes per week in Terms 1 and 2. Visits may last a day or half day. Those taking the Professional Placement module will be expected to follow the working patterns of their host organization. In Term 3 students taking the Museum Communication module will typically be deeply involved in implementing their exhibition proposals for a summer exhibition opening following earlier intensive development. Those taking the Dissertation module should expect to be working on the dissertation in Terms 2 and 3 and over the summer until it is submitted in the autumn.

Assessment

Assessment for this MA reflects the choice of learning directions that you can take but typically includes essays, reports, surveys, group projects, quizzes or examinations.

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold, or expect to be awarded, an Honours degree, whether in the arts, humanities, social sciences or sciences, usually at 2:1 level or higher, or international equivalent such as a GPA of 3.3 or above. Being able to show an established interest or previous experience in museums, art galleries or cultural heritage organisations, such as a placement, internship or a voluntary role, is highly advantageous. All applicants who are not a citizen of a recognised English-speaking country or who have not completed a degree in the last two academic years in a recognised English-speaking country must demonstrate English language ability to an appropriate standard, i.e. IELTS 7.0 or above with no elements less than 6.5 or equivalent (see Direct Entry Band B - Durham University).

Application deadlines

There is no specific deadline for applications although applications for any given academic year must be received before the start of that academic year (i.e. applications for the 2025-26 academic year must be received before October 2025).