Program Overview

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Heritage is the physical and intangible cultural materials we choose to preserve and value. But heritage is also a matter of heated debate. How do we manage, preserve, and communicate our heritage today? In what ways is the past remembered or forgotten, exploited and renegotiated in the present? What are the differences between tangible and intangible, cultural and natural, physical and digital heritage? Our interdisciplinary MA Heritage and Museum Studies offers specialist, practically-grounded and academic training exploring these questions and more. Our intensive degree emphasises the real-world relevance of debates surrounding cultural patrimony, and the ways in which it is presented and consumed. The MA is made up of core and optional modules, where you will develop knowledge of the field and practical skills, all while pursing your own specialist interests in the field of heritage. You will study topics including:

• Heritage and human rights
• Digital heritage and advanced digital literacy skills
• Sustainability and ecological heritage
• Curatorial practice and practical curatorial skills
• Hands-on heritage skills and experience
• Public engagement
• Museum experience

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive. We're 3rd in the UK for research outputs in art history (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021) and our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre boasts a wide range of innovative undergraduate and postgraduate courses grounded in an interdisciplinary ethos that fosters new ways of thinking and learning. Why we're great.

• Gain skills and knowledge of heritage policy, management, conservation, education, engagement and enterprise.
• We're 3rd in the UK for research outputs in art history (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021).
• Gain experience working with galleries (e.g. Firstsite Gallery), museums (Royal Academy of Arts, V&A Museums), and heritage facilities and institutions (e.g. CNR Italy, English Heritage, ICCROM, digital heritage companies such as ThinkSee3D, Marconi Archive).

Our expert staff

We are a team of internationally recognised writers and lecturers with expertise across the arts, humanities and social sciences. You are taught by a highly qualified, enthusiastic team with wide-ranging research interests and a proven academic scholarship. Our core staff consists of a dynamic group of world-leading heritage specialists and art historians; Dr Paola di Giuseppantonio di Franco , Dr Gavin Grindon , Dr Michael Tymkiw , Dr Lisa Blackmore and Dr Matt Lodder . Their research interests span a range of cultures and media, from the early modern to the present, with core specialisms including digital heritage, exhibition making, alternative and political heritages, environmental heritage, public engagement, activism, artistic, social and political history. Other staff who will be teaching are scholars engaging with heritage, public engagement and museums from multiple disciplines.

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Specialist facilities

At Essex, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums and heritage sites in the nearby towns of Colchester ('Britain's First City'), on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world's best museums, galleries, and heritage sites at your fingertips. Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience, engage in object-based learning, and learn digital skills, a cornerstone of our approach to heritage and museums. We have close links with many cultural sites and institutions in Colchester, which support hands-on activities and your practical learning. Supported by our Centre for Curatorial Studies, you will benefit from our partnerships with major arts and cultural organisations to find out what it means to be work in this challenging sector. Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the most comprehensive Latin American art research resource in the UK and has a state-of-the-art teaching and research space. Many of our students gain work and research experience through our collection. Our onsite gallery Art Exchange runs an ongoing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops by curators and artists, as well as exhibitions organised by our postgraduate curatorial students. Our university Special Collections include many objects and archives of contested heritage spanning hundreds of years, resources that can be the focus of MA student projects.

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Your future

On completing this MA you will be well prepared to either undertake further postgraduate study in heritage, or to enter the workplace in the heritage industry, museums and related fields. Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators and specialist art lawyers (with additional training and qualifications), as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, the digital and creative media industries, in charities, in publishing, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries. Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies, including:

• National Portrait Gallery
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Sotheby's New York
• Momart Ltd
• John Lewis

We also offer research supervision for PhD and MPhil for those who want to continue with research. We also work with the University's Careers Service to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.