MLitt Museum And Heritage Studies

The MLitt in Museum and Heritage Studies is a taught postgraduate programme run by the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies, in association with the School of Art History and the Museums of the University of St Andrews. The MLitt is aimed at students wanting to start a career in museumgallery work,for those looking for a mid-career change.

The part-time course is designed for those who wish to study while continuing with their work.

Highlights

• • The programme provides a grounding in both theoretical and practical elements of museum studies while offering the opportunity for specialism.

• • The degree provides broad training, covering all types of museums, galleries and heritage facilities, and includes the principles of conservation, museum education, exhibition planning and design, and management.

• • Teaching normally takes place in the University, and structured visits to museums, art galleries, historic houses, ships and other heritage sites inform the programme learning experience.

• • Students can undertake practical project work with a wide variety of host organisations, from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. This includes the Museums of the University of St Andrews, who steward and share more than 115,000 objects across a wide range of subject areas, from art to zoology, and deliver exhibitions, programmes and digital engagement.

• • Students may also apply to take part in an exchange programme at our partner institution, the École du Louvre.

Teaching format

All Museum and Heritage Studies students take two compulsory modules over in Semester 1, and choose from a range of optional modules in Semester 2. The taught modules are delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and visits to museums and galleries.

Students complete a range of assignments per module in a variety of formats including:

• • an essay

• • a provenance research exercise

• • an exhibitionwebsite review

• • an educational lesson plan.

The final three months of the course will be focused on writing the final assessment piece, a 15,000-word dissertation, an alternative format dissertation, an individual student project,a public engagement project.

The Museum and Heritage Studies course is collaboratively taught by both academic and museum staff, who are actively engaged with museum work nationally and internationally, bringing theoretical and practical perspectives together. There are also visiting lectures, class visits and other contributions from the Scottish museums community.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.