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History of Art with Curating

MA

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Key information

Key information for 2026-27

Start date:
October 2026
Study route:

  • One year full-time, on campus

  • One year full-time, online

  • One year full-time, flexible learning

  • Two years part-time, on campus

  • Two years part-time, online

  • Two years part-time, flexible learning

Status:
Fully approved
Location:
Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | Flexible learning | On campus | Online

Course overview

This MA History of Art with Curating is ideal if you wish to learn practical skills essential in the museum workplace, while studying the rich and dynamic discipline of the history of art.

  • Why choose this course?
    • You will develop professional skills in curatorial practice, including how to design and pitch your own exhibition proposal and how to write text for diverse audiences, as well as having the opportunity to meet a range of curatorial experts to discuss their work.  
    • You will work closely with internationally recognised experts in the field, while also benefiting from our vibrant postgraduate research culture and diverse student body.  
    • You can tailor this course to your interests choosing from a wide range of option modules from the medieval to contemporary period. You can also explore different media, including painting, sculpture, print culture, architecture, digital art, photography and performance.
    • Your studies will be enriched by site visits, guest speakers and screenings and, if you choose to study on campus or via flexible learning, you will have the opportunity to apply for a 10-week supervised work placement in a museum, gallery or archive. 

  • What will I learn?

    This course trains you in key historical approaches and will give you a solid grasp of the principal issues and skills involved in curating practice and an insight into the different working practices of various museums and galleries.  

    You will master a wide range of methods and sources, including those related to archives, collections, historical and contemporary texts, and a broad spectrum of artistic media from cathedrals to digital installations. You will also learn how the role of the curator has expanded beyond its traditional focus on the care of objects to working directly with artists and audiences to help them tell their stories. 

    You will draw upon curatorial theory to design and pitch your own exhibition proposal, including optional training on digital design platforms such as ThingLink. This experience offers you the chance to develop advanced skills, much desired by many employers, in analysis, argument and communication. 

  • How will I learn?

    Classes include lectures and seminars with an emphasis on vibrant debate, enlivened by the diverse perspectives and experience of Birkbeck students. 

    This course is available to study full- or part-time. Classes are normally held in the evenings, but the Curating module is taught intensively during the daytime over a one-week period during the spring term. If you study this module on campus you will meet experts in London museums and galleries as well as engaging in hands-on activities relating to exhibition development, object interpretation and public engagement. If you study it online you will meet leading professional curators from museums and galleries in the UK and abroad, and engage in live activities relating to exhibition development, object interpretation and public engagement.

    You will also devise your own research project for the dissertation, supervised by one of our specialists.

  • How often will I attend classes?

    Full- or part-time: One to two evenings a week, plus one week of daytime classes, October to July.

  • Flexible Master's

    This course is part of our Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning, which combines both.

    If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you will only be able to apply for the on-campus study option for this course. Online and flexible options will not be available to you because they may affect the conditions of your visa.

  • Pathways

    This course is a Pathway of the MA History of Art which has an additional Pathway to offer you the chance to specialise depending on your interests and career goals:

    MA History of Art with Collections Management

  • Course disclaimer

    Birkbeck makes all reasonable efforts to deliver educational services, modules and programmes of study as described on our website. In the event that there are material changes to our offering (for example, due to matters beyond our control), we will update applicant and student facing information as quickly as possible and offer alternatives to applicants, offer-holders and current students.

    Most of our courses are taught in the evenings, however some of our courses offer a daytime timetable. Where there is an option to attend daytime teaching sessions, this is stated in the How will I learn? section.

More highlights

  • Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
  • We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students. Funds are also available to support research expenses for your coursework on this MA.
  • You can attend a wide range of events, including the Postgraduate Research Seminar, which brings art historians from all over the UK and beyond to speak at Birkbeck, the biennial Murray Lecture, the Murray Seminar on Medieval and Renaissance Art, the exhibitions and displays at Birkbeck's Peltz Gallery, and events at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.
  • You will have access to an incredible range of resources, including the Birkbeck Library and our in-house resources centre, Senate House Library, the British Library, specialist libraries at the University of London, Courtauld Institute of Art, Royal Institute of British Architects and V&A, as well as the visual resources of the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, V&A, Barbican Gallery, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Hayward Gallery and Royal Academy, and many commercial galleries and salesrooms.
  • We encourage you to become involved in our lively research culture, through both the Centre for Museum Cultures and Murray Group, which organises events across the fields of art, photography and architecture.
  • You will have the opportunity to apply for a work placement in one of London's world-renowned museums, galleries or archives and the option to join our study trips, offered each spring. Cities visited in the last few years include Florence, Paris, Venice, Vienna, Rome, Berlin and Moscow.

Modules and Teaching

School of Historical Studies

The school is intensively interdisciplinary and its research and teaching covers every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century.

Visit the school

Entry requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above).

For students with a degree in a subject outside the arts and humanities, the one-year part-time Graduate Certificate in History of Art and Architecture can be used as a conversion course. Students who successfully complete the Graduate Certificate with Merit will normally be guaranteed a place on this course.

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential.

On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve.

Apply now to secure your place. The earlier you apply, the sooner your application can be considered, and you can enrol. You do not need to have completed your current qualification to start your application.

  • What are the English language requirements?

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

    If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

    Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

  • What are the visa and funding requirements?

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

    As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

  • Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

    If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

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Fees

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £6,000 per year
Full-time home students: £12,000 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, online, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £6,000 per year
Full-time home students: £12,000 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, flexible learning, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £6,000 per year
Full-time home students: £12,000 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing their course may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the Fees Policy.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

Birkbeck's campus is located in the historic and vibrant Bloomsbury area of central London - named one of the best places to live in London 2025 by The Times.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating with this MA History of Art with Curating, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including: 

  • highly developed visual skills 
  • an advanced critical ability in understanding and applying complex theories 
  • facility and precision in the use of a range of analytical tools 
  • the ability to research and write professional documents designed for a specific audience 
  • strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented assignments and fluent critical arguments. 

Graduates can pursue career paths in the museums and heritage sector, arts management, conservation and policy; education, marketing and publishing; and research and academia. Possible professions include: 

  • museum/gallery curator 
  • museum registrar or collections manager 
  • arts administrator 
  • auctioneer 
  • researcher 
  • lecturer in higher education 
  • advertising account executive. 

Graduates from our postgraduate history of art courses have gone on to be employed at organisations including:  

  • Head of Learning, V&A 
  • Director of Photoworks 
  • Senior Documentation Officer in Collections Management, V&A 
  • Director of Learning and Research, Design Museum 
  • Director’s Researcher, Victoria and Albert Museum 
  • Curator, Schools Programmes, Tate Modern 
  • Curatorial Assistant, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 
  • Curatorial Officer, National Army Museum 
  • Subject Leader, AS and A2 Critical and Contextual Studies (History of Art), City and Islington College 
  • Curator, Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace 
  • Head of Campaign Management, Science Museum 
  • Curator, Thai Art Exhibition 
  • Curator, Handel House Museum 
  • Head Curator, National Maritime Museum 
  • Director, Foundling Museum 
  • Curator, British Art 1850-1915, Tate Britain 
  • Courses and Events Programmer, National Gallery 
  • Exhibitions Co-ordinator, Royal Institute of British Architects 
  • Education Officer, Jewish Museum 
  • Collections Researcher, Contemporary Art Society.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Student support

Birkbeck offers study, learning and wellbeing support to undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them succeed.

Our Learning Development Service provides a lively programme of free weekly workshops building essential academic skills - from writing and critical thinking to maths and referencing - offering flexible sessions, practical tips, and online resources to boost your skills and confidence.

Our Disability and Mental Health Service can support you if you have disabilities, specific learning differences, mental health conditions or neurodivergence, by providing practical support to help you achieve your academic potential.

Our Counselling Service aims to support you with any emotional and psychological difficulties that are affecting your experience and engagement with your studies at university. It is a free, non-judgemental and confidential service which consists of a consultation process followed by time limited counselling contact.

Find out more about the full range of student services we offer at Birkbeck.

How to apply

You apply directly to Birkbeck for this course, using the online application link.

You will need to prove your identity when you apply. Find out more about how to apply.

  • When should I apply?

    You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places left, and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

    You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

Study routes for History of Art with Curating (MA)

Please select a study route below to continue your application.

Please note that international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK can only apply for full-time, on campus routes.

Starting in October 2026

Full-time

Part-time