Museum Studies MA

Reimagine the role of the museum within contemporary socio-political debates, working with The Box, Plymouth and regional and national museums and collections. Propose a project using socially engaged practice, community building and creative education in a rapidly transforming museum sector.

MA Museum Studies offers a unique opportunity to reimagine the role of the museum within contemporary socio-political debates, working with The Box, Plymouth’s award-winning museum, art collection, gallery and archive, and a range of regional and national museums and collections including Tate St Ives, Tate Britain Archives, and RAMM Exeter.

Through this programme you will propose a project that engages ideas of the contemporary museum using methods including socially engaged practice, community building and creative education as a productive and mobilising force in a rapidly transforming museum sector.

### At a glance

* Award: MA Museum Studies

* Work with: The Box, Plymouth, Tate St Ives, Tate Britain Archives, RAMM Exeter

* Project methods: socially engaged practice, community building, creative educati

### Debates shaping the contemporary museum

The museum as a cultural form will be reimagined and explored through debates around:

* Decolonisation

* The repatriation of objects

* Distributed digital archives

* The educational role of museums

* Diversifying collections and audiences

### Plymouth as a living context

Build on the context of Plymouth, a city forging a new identity leaving behind its colonial past to become a contemporary centre of art and culture, leading a significant reevaluation of its heritage through projects such as Mayflower 400 (2020), Another Crossing: Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage (2022) and British Art Show 9 (2022–23).

### Research support, facilities and specialist library

You’ll have support to pursue your own research directions through the university’s interdisciplinary art, design and media facilities and our specialist library.

Your work will include examining the complex process of design, museum curatorship and interpretation; interrogating theories of exhibition and display, audiences and museology; and initiating projects focused on the practical, pedagogical and theoretical questions underpinning museum education and outreach.

### Why choose this course?

Offered within the context of a specialist arts university, projects are realised through your formal and critical investigation of the components and conventions of exhibition display.

Situated in a city and region with rich naval and cultural heritage, this course is focused on the future of the museum, seeking innovative ideas and formats for reaching broad audiences in new ways.

You will be prepared to enter the workplace with the skills and knowledge to play a wide range of roles, from leading practical workshops to art management that link collections and the public.

### Careers and future opportunities

Career opportunities include: Museum Educators, Curators, Cultural Programme Managers, Art Critics, Museum Outreach Coordinators, Heritage and Public Arts Professionals, or alternatively specialise further in postgraduate research.