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Museum Cultures with Collections Management

MA

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Key information

Key information for 2026-27

Start date:
October 2026
Study route:

  • One year full-time, on campus

  • Two years part-time, on campus

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

Course overview

Our MA Museum Cultures with Collections Management combines study of the history and cultural significance of museums with opportunities for you to gain professional museum experience. You will explore the processes that lie at the heart of collections management by which museums ascribe value and meaning to objects, and the ideas, values and ethics which underpin these.

  • Why choose this course?
    • This MA gives you the chance to acquire key foundational skills in collections management and a solid grasp of the related issues, learning from leading scholars in the field.
    • It also offers you the chance to undertake a work placement in a museum, gallery or archive. 
    • You will visit leading London museums and galleries and meet a range of collections management experts to discuss their work, as well as engaging in hands-on activities relating to documentation, object handling and care.
    • This course benefits from our close links, in teaching and research, with numerous museums, galleries, archives and heritage organisations across London and beyond.

  • What will I learn?

    You will master the wide range of methods and sources, including archives, collections, historical and contemporary texts, needed to understand how museums operate and how their role - and the role of the collections manager - is shifting in the twenty-first century. You will also draw upon museum theory and sector guidelines to document a bequest to museum accreditation standard and critically reflect on this process. This will give you advanced skills, much desired by many employers, in analysis, argument and communication. 

    You will be introduced to many critical issues facing the museum today and be able to take specialist option modules allowing you to explore a subject in depth. Subject-specific training in research skills is also provided. 

  • How will I learn?

    This course is available to study full- or part-time. Regular classes, consisting of short lectures, seminars and small-group discussions and activities, are held in the evenings. The collections management module is taught during the day and intensively over a one-week period during the spring term. It includes organised visits to museums, galleries, archives, collection stores and heritage sites in London where you will have the opportunity to meet experts in the field. 

    You can then follow your interests choosing from a wide variety of option modules that may include organised visits to museums, exhibitions and cultural sites of interest. We also offer an exciting study trip abroad every spring, with cities we have visited previously including Paris, Venice, Rome, Florence, Berlin and Moscow.

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

    Discover the career opportunities available by taking Museum Cultures with Collections Management (MA).

  • How often will I attend classes?

    Full-time: Two to three evenings a week, plus one week of daytime classes, October to July

    Part-time: One to two evenings a week, plus one week of daytime classes, October to July

  • Pathways

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

    MA Museum Cultures with Curating

  • 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

  • On this course we encourage vibrant debate which is enlivened by the diverse perspectives and experiences of our students, some of whom already work in the museum and gallery sector.
  • You will have the opportunity to apply for a ten-week supervised work placement. Previously these have been offered at the V&A, Tate, British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Whitechapel Gallery, Westminster Abbey, London Transport Museum and Horniman Museum. Past students have documented collections previously uncatalogued, helped design and run school programmes, conducted visitor research and assisted curators in producing exhibitions.
  • We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students. Funds are also available to support research expenses for your coursework on this MA.
  • Birkbeck has an international reputation for its innovative approaches to the history of art, visual culture and museum studies, and attracts a rich programme of visiting scholars and practitioners. We are home to the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, the Architecture, Space and Society Centre, the Centre for Museum Cultures and the Vasari Research Centre. You will also have access to the Centre for Film and Visual Media. We have state-of-the art cinema and exhibition spaces, all housed in a historic building that was a former home to key members of the Bloomsbury Group, including the author Virginia Woolf and the artist Vanessa Bell. Birkbeck Library has an extensive collection of books and journals in museum studies and history of art. You can also take advantage of the rich research collections nearby, including Senate House Library, the British Library and the National Art Library at the V&A.
  • We host a range of events including information evenings for prospective students; the annual Murray Lecture where speakers have included Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, and Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum; and exhibitions and displays at Birkbeck's Peltz Gallery and events at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities. 
  • 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.

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.

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Entry requirements

Our standard postgraduate entry requirement is 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 Art History 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: £5,670 per year
Full-time home students: £11,340 per year
Part-time international students: £11,490 per year
Full-time international students: £22,980 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 from this MA Museum Cultures with Collections Management you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

  • a sophisticated use of written and spoken English
  • an advanced critical ability in understanding and applying theories
  • facility and precision in the use of analytical tools.

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

Jobs gained by some of our BA and MA graduates include:

  • Collections Officer, City of London
  • Head of Learning, Design Museum
  • Curator, Schools Programmes, Tate Modern
  • Curatorial Assistant, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  • Curatorial Officer, National Army Museum
  • Documentation Officer, V&A
  • Project Curator, British Museum
  • Collections Systems Lead, Victoria & Albert Museum
  • Head of Campaign Management, Science Museum
  • Curator, Handel House MuseumHead Curator, National Maritime Museum.

Read blogs by former students Danny Birchall, the Wellcome Collection's Digital Manager, and Carla Valentine, author and mortician.

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.

Study routes for Museum Cultures with Collections Management (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