Museum Studies MLitt

University of Aberdeen

The University’s extensive collections are at the heart of the Museum Studies programme. Co-taught by academics and University Collections professional staff, and with input from museum practitioners worldwide, you will develop the skills to launch a successful career in the museum and heritage sector. You will learn about exhibitions and interpretation, digitisation, decolonial practice, museum policy, professionalism and ethics, collections-based research skills, sustainability, activism, and much more. In Museum Studies we explore the historical and contemporary roles of museums in society. Our teaching focuses on skills-based learning and the practical application of current theories and professional approaches in the museum sector. We will help you: Understand the social and cultural importance of museums Develop foundational skills in the research, care, management and interpretation of collections Gain awareness of potential career options and heritage sector and plan your next steps Embed accessibility and decolonial practice into your own professional museum practice Develop transferable skills through assessments such as grant-writing and creating zines and podcasts, while developing your academic research and writing. Highlights include: Curating a small, public-facing exhibition and associated online or other interpretation with guidance from the University Collections team Completing an optional work-based placement in a museum normally in the northeast of Scotland or bringing your skills to an optional dissertation project · Undertaking original object-centred research, using the University Collections human culture and natural science museum collections Fieldtrips to critically evaluate exhibitions and museum spaces, while hearing from staff about current challenges and opportunities in the sector The programme is based within Anthropology but has input from teaching staff in other disciplines. Teaching is delivered through seminars, workshops, lectures, and visits to museums and galleries led by academic staff who actively research with museums and collections and the University Collections team. The teaching team are all active in the wider Museum Studies sector and work with museums, researchers, and community partners in the UK and internationally.