Museums Today for 15 – 17 Year Olds
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£525
- Start Date(s): 28 July 2025, 4 August 2025
- Duration: Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, one week
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Course dates:
28 July - 1 August 2025. Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm
4 - 8 August 2025, Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm
This course is for those interested in social and cultural history and how it is being curated in museums and galleries today.
-
You’ll be part of a community in our creative studio culture; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas. -
With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your portfolio. -
Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in varied practices. -
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance.
Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award?
This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential Award and is an amazing opportunity to make new friends and memories. It will be fun and gently challenging, allowing you to follow your passion and discover talents you never knew you had.
DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.
You must also attend the social events that are planned on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and you must plan and attend your own social activities with other participants on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Here's what our previous attendees said:
'Thank you so much for a brilliant course and brilliant tutors, I really enjoyed it.'
'I have learnt more about curation of museums. I enjoyed looking around Nottingham and the museums.'
'Learnt a lot and had a great time. Enjoyed the outings into the city and museums.'
'History is my favourite subject and I am very interested in it, which is why I wanted to do this course. I have made new friends and got an experience of university life, as well as getting more information on museums and Nottingham's history.'
'I was interested in the planning and interpretations of museums and enjoyed analysing the museum's strategies that we visited.'
'This was an absolutely fascinating course! It was a completely new experience for me that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm interested in history and found museum curation is a lot more complex that I ever realised, it was great discussing the pros and cons of museums and how to improve them.'
'I wanted to do this course for my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Residential Award, and learnt through the week what the key considerations are when planning and curating an exhibition as well as seeing some of the key heritage spots in Nottingham. Thank you.'
'The visits to museums and socialising with people also interested in art and history was enjoyable. I have a further understanding of the problems posed in trying to curate a good exhibition, and how to make one that will interest the audience.'
'I am more confident about my future university plans, I have made new friends and I have experienced learning in a fun and engaging way.'
What you’ll study
In Nottingham and the surrounding areas there are many nationally important museums, as well as castles, country estates and art galleries, all celebrating British history.
On our doorstep are The National Justice Museum, Nottingham Contemporary Gallery, Hardwick Hall, Wollaton Hall, Chatsworth House and more.
You will start this course by visiting some of these places and learn first-hand from professionals about how marketing is exploiting the history of the region to attract local, national and international visitors.
Lively classroom activities will help you identify key themes as you immerse yourself in British culture and history.
You will complete the week by creating a proposal, either individually or in groups, for an exhibition that celebrates the history and heritage of the region.
Social events
We appoint NTU Student Ambassadors who host social events on Monday and Wednesday evening to help you make friends across the whole of our summer school programme for 15 – 17 year olds, which are free to attend.
- examine local and regional history and contemporary cultures
- visit important buildings and see their collections
- learn about the museum sector and its funding
- examine how the interpretation of material culture can affect the artefact on display
- create a project and proposal that responds to new ways of curating.
Student Work
How you’re taught
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.
96% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.
Contact hours
You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
Careers and employability
The course is designed to give you a real experience of university life, make new friends who share similar interests and develop your portfolio so that ultimately, you can make an informed decision about your future.
The Digital Screen Arts industry is growing exponentially. Merging the creative with the technical, our courses are equipped with industry-expert staff and the latest technologies.
Previous students have gone on to study or work in games art and design, visual effects art and direction, and animation.
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.
Campus and facilities
You will be studying in the School of Social Sciences on the City Campus.
You will find modern teaching spaces and group study environments to develop your ideas between visits to local museums.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
Entry requirements
Level: Open to all
Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for history and an interest in developing your critical thinking and idea development skills.
You must be 15, 16 or 17 years old at the time of the course in order to attend.
Fees and funding
The fee for this course is £525.
Payment is due at the time of booking.
Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.
Please bring with you to the first session:
- Notepad and pen
- Camera (your phone is fine)
- Good shoes, as there will be plenty of walking and off-site activities.
Please note that lunch is not provided, so bring your packed lunch or money to buy food. The city centre, with plenty of cafés and grocery shops, is just a 5-minute walk away. You can also check which campus buildings have café outlets using MazeMap.
If you'd like to do some pre-course reading, you can look at:
- Nina Simon. Talking to strangers: building shared connections between unusual objects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJG52QrLhFg
- Ed McMahon. Where am I? The power of uniqueness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB5tH4rt-x8
- Sally McKey. Keeping a sense of place in a disrupted world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkju7hhtQFg
Read the terms and conditions of booking.
Need accommodation?
Accommodation can be booked separately to the course; the rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms, and cost £259 per week, which is ideal if you're looking to be based in Nottingham's lively city centre and want an economical place to stay.
These are single rooms with a private bathroom in shared apartments in Nottingham Trent University’s city campus accommodation.
If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian (to support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence and there is a dedicated Warden available).
If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian (you must book two separate rooms and let us know so we can place you in rooms next to each other).
This option is particularly popular with students completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award.
Find out more and book your accommodation here.
Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?
If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees (email the short course team with your order number to claim the refund).
How to apply
You can book this course for the following dates via the NTU online store:
28 July - 1 August 2025. Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm
4 - 8 August 2025, Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm
Browse all our summer courses for 15 – 17 year olds.
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813