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Museum Studies MA

London, Bloomsbury

This MA provides a broad academic and professional training in museum work and encourages students to reflect on the concept of the museum and its associated practices. Grounded in museum practice, theory and research, the programme looks at all types of museums.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
£16,500
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
All applicants: 14 Oct 2024 – 20 Jan 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants should also have gained experience of working in museums or related organisations (this experience is often gained in a voluntary capacity).

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to become a museum professional. You will be taught by experts in museum, archives, and collections. 


You will be able to get hands-on experience through your 20 days work placement. Recent placements have included: 

  • The British Museum
  • London Transport Museum
  • RAF Museums
  • Royal Academy 
  • Royal Historical Palaces
     

Who this course is for

The programme is ideal for those wishing to enter the museum profession or pursue PhD studies on museological topics. It provides a balance of practice and theory for students from a wide range of academic backgrounds and cultures.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL Institute of Archaeology is one of the largest centres for archaeology and heritage in Britain and ranked 3rd in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2024. The Institute brings archaeology, cultural heritage, and museum studies together under one roof, making it a special and exciting place to study.

This programme offers you benefits and opportunities such as:

  • Learn from leading experts in their fields.
  • Use of the Institute’s exceptional laboratories, equipment, archives, teaching collections and exhibition spaces.
  • Working relationship with UCL’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, the Art Museum and the Grant Museum of Zoology.
  • Opportunity to mount an exhibition in UCL’s state of the art exhibition space, Culture Lab, at UCL East.
  • Opportunity to work on real-life projects through the Institute’s placement scheme.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Upon completing this degree, you will have skills well suited for jobs in sectors such as: 

  • Tourism and heritage management.
  • Collections management and visitor/community engagement work  within HE, museums, and private companies.
  • Environmental and sustainability sector.
  • Journalism.
  • Civil Service.

“My time at the Institute of Archaeology was invaluable. Being global in focus and nature truly refined my thinking and prepared me well to overcome the challenges that I encountered as part of my professional career.” - Laurence Maidment- Blundell (PhD Student)

Employability

On completion of this programme, you will have gained practical skills relevant to the Museum and Heritage sector:

  • Collections care procedures.
  • Packing and storing objects.
  • Collections-based research.
  • Exhibition proposal development.
  • Visitor evaluation
  • Policy and funding development

You will also have acquired transferable skills attractive to employers in a wide range of businesses and sectors:

  • Theoretical and critical analysis.
  • Writing and communication skills.
  • Time management.
  • IT skills.

Networking

Throughout the degree students will have the opportunity to learn from and discuss museum issues with professionals currently working in the sector through museum visits and guest lecturers. We also incorporate careers panels throughout the year at the Institute.

Many of our alumni also return as guest lecturers on core modules and seminars.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through lectures, small group seminars, practical workshops, student-led panel meetings, museum visits and guest speakers. Students are required to undertake a work placement for a total of 20 days.

Assessment is through coursework assignments, projects, essays, field reports, portfolio and the dissertation.

Contact time takes various forms:

  • Lectures.
  • Seminars.
  • Practical workshops.
  • Project supervision.
  • Museum visits and placements.
  • Assessment feedback sessions.

The credit value of the module indicates the total learning hours you will spend to achieve its learning outcomes. One credit is often equated to 10 hours of notional learning, which includes all contact time, self-directed study, and assessment.

The contact hours per module are normally around 2-3 hours a week with additional self-directed study time. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

Your dissertation module is 60 credits. The learning hours will mainly be spent researching and writing your final dissertation. You will also have regular contact with your supervisor(s). They will guide and support you throughout your work.

Modules

The taught modules take place in the first two terms. You will establish a dissertation topic and supervisor by the second term. In the third term, you will work on your dissertation, which continues over the summer and can be supplemented by research skills sessions organised at the Institute of Archaeology. There are various ways in which you can undertake your placement. It may be spread over term three or in the vacation period or could be spread through the year over several weeks or months, to suit the individual and the placement provider.

Teaching takes place during Terms One and Two. In Term One, part-time students normally come in two to three days a week, while in Term Two this will depend on the optional module to be chosen. In Term One during year one this is normally Monday to Wednesday, while during year two this is normally Thursdays and Mondays. Part-time students should aim to attend 50% of the field trips each year. Term three and the Summer break are used to write the dissertation and complete the placement.

Compulsory modules








Optional modules






Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Museum Studies.

Placement

Students are required to undertake 20 days’ work placement in a museum or similar organisation. This usually takes place one day a week during term-time, although other arrangements may be possible. Students create and present a poster at the end of the placement reflecting on their experience. 

The Institute will support you with your application and help you find an organisation that matches your interests. In recent years placements have included organisations such as:

  • the British Museum.
  • Royal Botanical Gardens Kew.
  • Royal Historic Palaces.
  • Royal Academy.
  • Museum of London.
  • St Paul’s Cathedral.
  • RAF Museums.

For any queries regarding the placement please contact Prof Theano Moussouri.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Institute of Archaeology (morning)

—

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is one of the largest centres for archaeology, cultural heritage and museum studies in Britain. Join us for a Virtual Graduate Open Event to find out more about our wide range of Master’s programmes, how our programmes are taught, what it’s like to study at the Institute of Archaeology and have the opportunity to speak to a relevant degree co-ordinator. Please contact Lisa Daniel, Graduate Admissions Administrator (l.daniel@ucl.ac.uk) if you have any questions.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Institute of Archaeology (afternoon)

—

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is one of the largest centres for archaeology, cultural heritage and museum studies in Britain. Join us for a Virtual Graduate Open Event to find out more about our wide range of Master’s programmes, how our programmes are taught, what it’s like to study at the Institute of Archaeology and have the opportunity to speak to a relevant degree co-ordinator. Please contact Lisa Daniel, Graduate Admissions Administrator (l.daniel@ucl.ac.uk) if you have any questions.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000 £16,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Transport to museum visits outside of London will be arranged by the department. Students will need to make their own way to museum visits within London. A Day off-peak travelcard for zones 1-9 costs around £17.00, but most visits will be within zones 1-3. 

Student may need to cover entrance fees to exhibitions or museums at their own expense. Cost for an exhibition typically cost between £15-£20.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

Heritage and Museums Diversity Scholarship: The UCL Institute of Archaeology is funding a scholarship for a candidate from Black British, British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi backgrounds as these groups are currently under-represented within the heritage sector. The scholarship covers course fees only for a Home student.

For further details and an application form please see here.

Institute of Archaeology Master's Awards: The UCL Institute of Archaeology has one studentship of £10,000 available to support a graduate student who is an ordinarily resident in the UK or Ireland and eligible to pay home fee rate. The deadline for applications is 1st March 2025. For further information and to download an application see here.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Institute of Archaeology International Masters Student Award

Deadline: 21 March 2025
Value: Up to £26,000 (1yr)
Criteria Based on academic merit
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Institute of Archaeology Masters Award

Deadline: 21 March 2025
Value: £10,000 (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver. 

From your personal statement we would like to learn:

  • Why you want to study Museum Studies at UCL.
  • What particularly attracts you to this programme.
  • How your academic and professional background meets the requirements of the programme.
  • Where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

We look for experience of working in a museum or similar organisation, either paid or voluntary. 

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology

l.daniel@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.