Museums Fill in Our Past to Create Our Future
Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment by understanding the past and how it created our present and how it influences our future.
The one-year Museum Studies master's programme draws on the University’s extensive museum collections to enable you to explore critical approaches to museum theory while also studying the application of museum practice and research at first hand.
The University of Aberdeen’s museum collections are among the oldest, largest and most significant in the country, having the status of a Recognised Collection of National Significance. In fact, Aberdeen is one of the very few UK universities to have international-quality collections relating to the natural and cultural worlds.
The Museum Studies programme makes significant use of these collections to enable you to study the historical and contemporary roles of museums in society and develop skills in public engagement with research while gaining practical experience of museum work. You will gain foundational curatorial skills and an appreciation of contemporary issues museums face in the core courses: Researching Museum Collections, Museum Practice, The Museum Idea, and Navigating the Museum Workplace. You can apply this knowledge in options like Learning and Museums, for which you will develop a public engagement event, Museums and the Digital World, which involves designing a digital intervention for the University Museums and Special Collections, and Decolonising Museums, which tackles one of the most pressing issues facing the sector today.
During the summer you can choose Curating an Exhibition, which involves working with museum staff to design an exhibition on a topic of the class’s choice to be shown at the Sir Duncan Rice Library Gallery or online. You may prefer to research a topic in depth through writing a Museum Studies dissertation, a route recommended for those aiming to continue to the PhD in Museum Studies. Finally, the Museum Studies Placement allows students put their skills into practice by carrying out a project in a partner museum.
Our assessments involve skills you will utilise in a career in the heritage sector, for example, drafting mock grant applications, and putting together a career plan, as well as enhancing your skills in research and academic writing. We offer maximum flexibility with a September or a January start date.
We will endeavour to make all course options available; however, these may be subject to timetabling and other constraints. Please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen
Eligible self-funded international Masters students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Visit our Funding Database to find out more and see our full range of scholarships.
An important feature of the Museum Studies programme is its extensive use of the University’s museums and collections and involvement of both academic staff in a range of related disciplines such as Anthropology, Archaeology, Education and Art History and the professional staff of the University’s museums. Teaching of the Museum Studies courses is in small groups, with one-to one supervision for the Project.
Assessments will combine practical skills and academic writing. These include developing a career portfolio, report writing, drafting mock grant applications, writing for a public audience etc. All the assignments are designed to provide students with experience of the kind of writing required for a career in the heritage sector.
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
Applicants for admission will normally be expected to hold a relevant Honours degree with a 2:1 standard from a recognised university or body in a relevant discipline, such as, but not limited to, anthropology, history, art history, media studies, cultural studies, digital heritage, archaeology, geography, environmental sciences, biology, ecology or science communication.
Applicants without this qualification may be admitted subject to having an alternative qualification, or an approved level of work experience appropriate to the field of study. Also taken into careful consideration is the trajectory of results, an applicant without an overall 2.1 but with 2.1 results in their final two years of study may be admitted.
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To study for a Postgraduate Taught degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 6.0; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 90 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 21; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 62 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:
OVERALL - 176 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 169; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme. If you have not yet completed your current programme of study, then you can still apply and you can provide your Degree Certificate at a later date.
This degree provides suitable preparation for working in museums, galleries and heritage institutions, for those who wish to conduct further research in Museum Studies, and for an academic role in a variety of associated fields. It is also a valuable degree for those who are interested in developing ways of communicating academic work to the public.
Graduates of this programme have gone on to work at institutions including the British Museum, the Royal Collection Trust, the National Trust, Juneau Douglas City Museum and the Gordon Highlanders Museum, in the following areas:
The programme is geared towards both vocational study for work in the sector, and those wishing to pursue an academic career. It offers students the opportunity to engage in a number of transferable skills, such as project management, teamwork and research which are required across a broad range of roles and sectors.
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. Staff changes will occur from time to time; please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
As well as academic facilities, you will work within the University’s museums, including:
The University’s award winning Sir Duncan Rice Library is listed in the “Top 20 spellbinding University libraries in the World”. It contains over a million volumes, more than 300,000 e-books and 21,000 journals.
Find out moreThe museum’s displays are worldwide in scope, from protozoa to the great whales, including taxidermy, skeletal material, study skins, fluid-preserved specimens and models.