Museum and Heritage Development MA
About this course
This course will immerse you in the exciting and constantly evolving landscape of cultural heritage, responding to contemporary critical issues within museums and more broadly across the wider heritage sector. Through emphasising creativity, decolonisation, and sustainability, you will graduate as an innovative and confident scholar-practitioner with a global perspective, poised for diverse career paths. Beyond traditional museum and heritage expertise, such as working with collections, audience and community engagement and interpretation, you will also acquire business, leadership, and digital skills.
The course uniquely blends scholarship and creative practice to address global challenges facing cultural institutions. With an inclusive approach, partnerships, and placements with local and national organisations, you will be able to adapt to change and lead innovation across a wide range of forward-thinking employment roles.
Our distinctive teaching methods include live projects, collaborative learning, self-led online learning and industry engagements, enhancing entrepreneurial and digital skills and confidence.
NTU’s Masters degree provides expertise from tutors and industry experts, alongside valuable hands-on experience, which prepares students to understand the realities and challenges of the sector. Finding employment in the heritage and cultural sector is more competitive than ever. In response to this, the course offers opportunities for students to develop their awareness of the practices, skills, approaches and knowledge required for success within the sector today.
Sara Blair-Manning, Chief Executive, Birmingham Botanical Garden
What you’ll study
Special features
The course responds to contemporary critical issues and focuses on how museum and heritage practice is changing, reflecting on the demands and expectations that this places on the workforce and its development. We help students to develop key personal qualities required of the cultural sector workforce of today and tomorrow, combining core skills training with imaginative creative practice and risk-taking. The course offers a supportive environment for students to explore their own passions and aspirations, helping them to develop their confidence and critical understanding of cultural practice and application. The course is highly collaborative, promoting strong partnerships with museums and heritage organisations and addressing the future needs of the heritage sector and beyond.
Introduction to critical issues in museum and heritage development (20 credits)
This module establishes museum and heritage studies as both a creative practice and academic field. It offers you a critical introduction to themes, language, and theoretical concepts, serving as a foundation for students from diverse academic backgrounds. You will delve into historical and contemporary roles of museums and heritage organisations exploring narratives linked to collection, interpretation and representation in creative and scholarly ways.
Global heritage management (20 credits)
Examine the documentation, categorisation, safeguarding, and development of tangible, natural, and intangible heritage at international level, providing you with the professional skills demanded by international heritage organisations. You will analyse various frameworks, networks, and concepts, including UNESCO designations and explore alternative approaches to heritage management, acknowledging diverse perspectives beyond Western values.
Creative museum practice (20 credits)
Explore the role of museums as storytellers and content creators to provoke conversations with diverse audiences, provide opportunities for interactive engagement and equality of representation. The module embeds creative and technological practice within the teaching, examining key themes linked to museum interpretation such as communicating information and emotion, and creating affective experiences for audiences. The module will encourage playfulness and experimentation, but also empower you to take an active stance to generate contemporary narratives within physical and virtual museum and heritage spaces.
Engaging local and global communities (20 credits)
You will critically analyse how museums and heritage sites engage with communities locally and globally, emphasising social sustainability through audience inclusion, active citizenship, activism, museums and migration, and memory. We consider the role of museums as change-makers and examine their contribution the social sustainability within society. The module will equip you with the skills you need to work with a variety of different community groups to promote inclusion and co-production.
Sustainable heritage, well-being and place (20 credits)
As you delve into sustainable and regenerative practices in the heritage sector, you will focus on holistic heritage practices including those linked to environmental and cultural sustainability and health and well-being. The module will encourage you to plan and develop creative sustainable responses to societal challenges including the climate crisis and advocate for the cultural sector’s importance in achieving sustainable development.
The Entrepreneurial Museum (20 credits)
Discover the role of museums and heritage as social enterprises, working innovatively to develop income streams, vision and marketing. The module equips students with skills, knowledge and tools to identify and develop opportunities for commercial income and public funding that are strategic, sustainable, appropriate and viable. To support inclusivity and a variety of learning approaches this is a self-led online module supported by regular live online sessions and an in-person field visit.
Transforming your career (20 credits)
Strategically assess and plan your career growth, exploring progression opportunities within and beyond the museums and heritage sector. You will consider creative and third-sector careers, supporting your development of professional identity and transferable skills through mentoring, independent learning, and work-like experiences. The module incorporates a 70-hour placement.
Research project (40 credits)
The Research Project is the culmination of the MA and provides you with the opportunity to craft an in-depth project in an area of particular interest to you. The Research Project accommodates projects developed through a range of academic, professional, and geographical contexts depending on your motivation, interests and future ambitions. Taught elements of the module introduce you to an understanding of research practice relevant to the field and the potential of the Research Project to be used for academic and/or professional development goals. You can produce either a written dissertation, a creative-practice project or a response to a client brief.
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
How you're taught
Industry Collaboration
Close partnerships with local and national cultural organisations, networking, employment placement opportunities and an international project, in addition to continued skills development (e.g. project management, digital skills) will introduce students to different career pathways and make them dynamic in a fast-changing, digital and global workplace. Students will undertake at least 120 hours of work-like experience. In recent years we have worked with progressive organisations that reflect the diversity of the sector and its workforce: National Trust, Barker Langham (International heritage consultancy), Nottingham City Museums & Galleries, National Justice Museum, Derby Museums, Framework Knitters Museum, Mansfield Museum, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, Canalside Heritage Centre, Green’s Windmill and Science Centre and Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
An example of our collaborative research is Planting Stories, with Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
Field trips
Field trips play a key part of the work that we do in understanding the development and structure of heritage management and engagement. Students may be required to contribute up to a maximum of £50 towards travel expenses throughout the course. Recent field trips have included Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford), People’s History Museum (Manchester), National Justice Museum (Nottingham), International Slavery Museum (Liverpool), Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Hardwick Hall (Derbyshire) and the internationally acclaimed Museum of Making (Derby).
International Field Visit (Optional)
Exploring diverse cultural landscapes encourages reflection on the role of heritage practices and the global impact of cultural organisations. To examine international perspectives, there is an opportunity for students to take part in a week-long not-for-credit field trip to a European city during the Spring Term. Together with the students, we develop an itinerary to help shape the visit and respond critically to the many interactive cultural experiences on offer. This field trip is subject to availability and is self-funded.
Work Placements
Students undertake at least 120 hours of work-like experience, including at least 30 hours of work-related learning and a 70 hour placement of their choice in the Transforming Your Career module. Work-related learning is student-led and a core part of active career planning. It could include volunteering, work insights or short consultancy projects.
During the Creative Museum Practice module you will work with communities and partner organisations to develop public-facing resources and media content. And during the Engaging local and global communities and The entrepreneurial museum modules you will take part in a consultancy based project. Work-like experiences may be available in other modules or through knowledge exchange depending on availability.
Past roles have been as diverse as the students and host organisations themselves. They are designed in collaboration with students, academics and our extensive network of cultural partners to ensure a brilliant fit with students’ ambitions, budget and existing commitments. Students have engaged audiences with historic objects, catalogued archival material, designed exhibitions, identified inequalities in collecting to create more diverse collecting policies, researched audience needs, managed social media campaigns, created interpretation and delivered heritage marketing campaigns. Host organisations have included, but are not limited to, independent museums, Local Authority cultural services, historic churches, art galleries, archives, community projects and global heritage consultancy. See the table below for a selection of host organisations.
Recent placements have involved:
- Curation
- Master planning and heritage management
- Collection management and conservation
- Archival management
- Audience engagement and research
- Volunteer management
- Fundraising, income generation and grant projects
- Museum education
- Arts marketing
- Exhibition design and research
- Freelancing, working with artists and consulting
Examples of recent placement and volunteer hosts:
- National Trust, including sites such as The Workhouse and Clumber Park
- Richard III Visitor Centre
- Jewry Wall
- Nottingham Contemporary
- Bonington Gallery
- Mansfield Museum
- D H Lawrence Museum
- Framework Knitters Museum
- National Justice Museum
- Barker Langham (heritage consultancy)
- Nottingham City Council, including Nottingham Castle, Newstead Abbey and Wollaton Hall
- Nottinghamshire County Council, including Miner2Major with Sherwood Forest
- Newark Civil War Centre
Learn a new language
Alongside your study, you also have the opportunity to learn another new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Learning a new language can enhance your communication skills, enrich your experience when travelling abroad and boost your career prospects. Find out more about the University Language Programme.
Active Learning and Professional Development
Our approach to learning and professional development throughout the course is active and hands-on. Students engage with real-world issues and approaches, producing assessed work that includes professional, academic and creative practices. Classroom-based sessions combine debate with workshop activity to put ideas into action, and further workshops support the development and delivery of assessed work.
Research Opportunities
Every student taking the MA delivers a major Research Project at the end of their studies. The whole course and Research Project can act as a foundation for doctoral-level research for those interested in developing their careers in a more academic direction. Our students are successfully pursuing PhDs after the MA.
How you're assessed
Students are assessed through a range of projects appropriate to individual modules. The diversity of our approach to assessment is reflective of the increasing diversity of professional practice within the museums and heritage sector and is undertaken within the spirit of creativity, risk-taking and core skills development. Student work ranges from creative practice assessments such as podcasts, film-making, creative mapping and games, to reports and funding applications. Academic essays provide an intellectual context for the creative projects and reflective practice supports you in your skills development.
Careers and employability
The course, your placements and live projects will give you experience and skills that are highly valued by museums and the wider heritage industry employers. As well as museum curators, educators, and visitor service managers in museums and the heritage field, this course also provides the opportunity to work with and join a heritage consultancy company. Transferable skills also open opportunities in the charity sector and private industry, such as marketing and communications.
Recent graduates (of our previous course, MA Museum and Heritage Management) have gone on to work for a wide range of museums and authorities including:
- The National Trust;
- English Heritage;
- Museums, Libraries and Archives Council;
- Museum database software suppliers;
- Heritage Lottery Fund; and
- local authorities and independent museums.
Campus and facilities
Entry requirements
UK students
Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree or equivalent in any subject area.
Alternatively, recent practical experience with a professionally run museum or heritage organisation may be considered for applicants without the standard entry qualifications above.
Applications from candidates with non-standard entry qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
Additional requirements for UK students
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Other qualifications and experience
We welcome applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds and work experience. We consider credit transfer, vocational and professional qualifications, and any work or life experience you may have.
You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.
International students
Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree or equivalent in any subject area.
Alternatively, recent practical experience with a professionally run museum or heritage organisation may be considered for applicants without the standard entry qualifications above.
We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.
English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.
Additional requirements for international students
If you need help achieving the academic entry requirements, we offer a Pre-Masters course for this degree. The course is offered through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC) based on our City Campus.
English language requirements
View our English language requirements for all courses, including alternative English language tests and country qualifications accepted by the University.
If you need help achieving the language requirements, we offer a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course on our City campus which is an intensive preparation course for academic study at NTU.
Other qualifications and experience
We welcome applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds and work experience. We consider credit transfer, vocational and professional qualifications, and any work or life experience you may have.
You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.
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Getting in touch
If you need advice about studying at NTU as an international student or how to apply, our international webpages are a great place to start. If you have any questions about your study options, your international qualifications, experience, grades or other results, please get in touch through our enquiry form. Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world.
Policies
We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.
