Public History and Heritage MA

This MA Public History and Heritage offers you the chance to understand public history and heritage and all its dynamism and diversity. You will explore public historians’ shared commitment to making history relevant, beneficial, informative and instructive. This course also equips you with the tools to critically engage with the challenges, controversies and possibilities of the field.

Why choose this course?

* This course is taught by experts in areas such as critical heritage studies, public history and policy, creative public history, community and family history, archaeological heritage, heritage futures, heritage and decolonisation. The impressive scope of this expertise ensures you can study history, from prehistory to the present, from a global and local perspective.

* You will join a vibrant and diverse cohort, studying alongside students who have a range of experience in the public history and heritage sector as well as those from our museum cultures and archaeology and heritage courses.

* You will also have the opportunity to undertake a work placement in public history and heritage, and complete a creative portfolio project alongside your dissertation.

What will I learn?

This MA will introduce you to key aspects and issues of the practice. You will also develop the necessary theoretical and practical skills to undertake critical assessments of public history projects and intervention, and to create a project of your own.

Its focus on public history in practice will provide you with a wide range of examples of different types and methods of public history, from museums and material culture, to public history in the media, to the role of history in policy making.

How will I learn?

On this course you will learn through a mixture of seminars, lectures, workshops and site visits. Classes follow an evening timetable and some modules may be available to attend online as well as on campus.

You will also have the opportunity to undertake a work placement.

This course gives you the choice of studying on campus, online or via flexible learning.

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you will only be able to apply for the on-campus study option for this course. Online and flexible options will not be available to you because they may affect the conditions of your visa.

Highlights

* As well as being one of the leading universities for public history and heritage, Birkbeck is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions for radical and engaged history.

* Birkbeck was ranked in the top eight universities in the UK for its History research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

* You will join a welcoming community of public historians during your studies and beyond, with many of our former students meeting up socially every year to network with current students.

* All Master’s students are eligible to apply for our prestigious Eric Hobsbawm Scholarships, subject to availability.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this MA Public History and Heritage, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

* critical research, reading and writing skills

* knowledge of theory, policy and practice in the public history and heritage sector

* the ability to conceive and execute creative portfolio projects as well as academic research and writing projects

* the ability to support, encourage, develop and execute projects in your community, for yourself, or for your organisation.

Studying this course will prepare you for career paths in a range of fields and professions including:

* historian in academia and other areas

* work in a heritage organisation or institution

* community project manager

* self-employed historical professional, for example in tour guiding

* archivist or librarian

* journalist or writer

* heritage manager.