Overview

The MA Museum Cultures at Birkbeck, University of London gives you the chance to develop a range of key skills, from critical thinking and writing to practical experience through a supervised work placement in a museum, gallery or archive. Previous work placements have been offered at the Tate, British Museum, Whitechapel Gallery and Horniman Museum. Past students have helped design and run schools programmes, documented collections that were previously uncatalogued, conducted visitor research and assisted curators in producing exhibitions. As well as regular gallery and museum visits, we also offer an exciting study trip abroad every spring.

Careers and Employability

The students develop the ability to think critically and creatively, and to articulate their ideas persuasively. Intellectual rigor, visual sensitivity and informed debate are fundamental to museum studies, as well as being transferable skills relevant to a range of careers. Graduates can pursue jobs in arts management, conservation and policy; in education, marketing and publishing; in the museums and heritage sectors; and in research and academia.

Programme Structure

Courses Include:

Museum Cultures - Approaches, Issues, Skills

Art Museums in a Global Age

Curating as Critical Practice

Curating Difficult Histories: Museums, Exhibitions, Art Activism

Exhibiting the Body

Museums, Memory and National Identity

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months
Part-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-05 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-14 00:00:00 , International

More details

The university recommends that applicants apply as early as possible and at least six weeks before the start of term.

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

79

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

62

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

London, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Area & Cultural Studies Art History Museum Studies View 300 other Masters in Area & Cultural Studies in United Kingdom

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

GPA

Lower Second Class

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

79

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

62

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above in a relevant subject or equivalent (for example, professional experience).

For students with a degree in a subject other than history of art, 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.

A written exercise or sample undergraduate essay is required and applicants may be interviewed.

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

Your personal details

Your qualifications

Your work experience

Your personal statement

Referees

Statistical information

English proficiency

The application form

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

20340 GBP / year

≈ 20340 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

11070 GBP / year

≈ 11070 GBP / year

Additional Details

Part-time home students: £5,535 per year
Part-time international students: £10,170 per year

Living costs

London

United Kingdom

1137 - 2157 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Loading

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Museum Cultures.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Careers and Employability

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

London

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners