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Find out moreMA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies with a Placement Year
Key details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Arts
- Course Length
- 2 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2026
Other Start Dates
Gain a competitive edge with a placement year
This course is also available with an integrated placement year, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable UK industry experience alongside your master's degree
Other Start Dates
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UEA is ranked 3rd overall for research quality in History
Times Higher Education REF 2021 AnalysisCourse Overview
Why MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies with a Placement Year at UEA?
Museums and heritage organisations shape how we understand history and culture. This dynamic MA places you at the centre of that world.
Why Choose UEA
- Expert tuition: Learn from dedicated professionals in a world-class museum environment
- Real-world experience: Combine theory and practice through hands-on learning and a placement year
- Iconic setting: Study and work in the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, designed by Norman Foster
What is MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies with a Placement Year?
You’ll study in the UK’s only Art History department located within an international art museum. Explore key topics like decolonisation, identity, and inclusion by working with the Sainsbury Centre’s unique collection of world art.
You’ll learn from leading experts and explore global and local perspectives on art, culture, and communication. You’ll gain first-hand experience of museum practice and visitor engagement. A key part of the course is an integrated placement year, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience alongside your studies.
You’ll study in a supportive and creative environment that values collaboration, inclusion, and your individual ideas. This is your chance to build real-world skills, grow in confidence, and explore exciting future career paths.
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Placement Year
This course includes an integrated placement year, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable UK industry experience as part of your degree.
Before your placement year, you’ll complete an employability programme designed to help you develop the skills, confidence and knowledge needed to succeed in the UK workplace and secure a suitable opportunity.
During the placement year, you’ll either undertake an industry placement or complete three employer-led industry projects with different UK organisations. This experience will allow you to apply your academic knowledge in a professional environment, develop practical skills and build valuable connections that support your future career.
You’ll take the lead in finding your placement, with dedicated support from employability workshops, one-to-one coaching and guidance from our specialist placement partner.
If you’re unable to secure an industry placement, you’ll complete three employer-led industry projects, working with organisations across a range of UK sectors and gaining experience of real-world challenges.
Find out more about the Postgraduate Placement Year and the opportunities available.
Careers
Career Pathways
With an MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies degree, you could develop a career as a:
- Curator: Manage collections, develop exhibitions, and interpret objects for museums and galleries
- Heritage Officer: Support preservation, storytelling, and public engagement within heritage organisations
- Museum Registrar: Oversee collections management, loans, and museum administration
- Exhibition Designer: Create engaging displays and visitor experiences for museums and cultural spaces
- Public Historian: Share historical knowledge through education, outreach, and community projects
Career Support
UEA’s Career Central will support you throughout your work placement and career planning. You’ll gain valuable professional experience while developing skills highly valued across the cultural and heritage sector. Our dedicated careers support will help you build confidence, expand your network, and prepare for opportunities up to three years after graduation.
After the Course
You'll benefit from UEA's formal partnerships with respected organisations such as the Sainsbury Centre, Norfolk Museums, and Ipswich Museum. We also have active associations with National Trust, Norfolk Archaeology Trust, South Asia Collection, Britten Pears Arts and the Norwich Historic Churches Trust. Many of our alumni now work with these partners.
Study and Modules
Structure
Your studies will incorporate the two key aspects of the degree: cultural heritage and museum studies. The course includes several compulsory taught modules and concludes with an optional module at the end of the year.
Your first modules will develop your understanding of broad issues, their histories, development, and impact. You’ll study them through interactive seminars and a combination of group work and independent work. These modules will help you to think in ways that reflect current interests and priorities within the museum sector. You’ll develop excellent organisational and communication skills that you can apply later in the course and in your career. You’ll become familiar with the complex issues that affect cultural interpretation and representation. You’ll also learn about the evolving relationship between marginalised and majoritarian forms of culture, as well as controversial and timely subjects such as repatriation.
You’ll have the opportunity to study topics such as world heritage and contemporary curating. These learning experiences will prepare you for your dissertation, should you choose this as your end-of-year option. Alongside your core modules, you’ll participate in a series of training sessions in preparation for your placement.
Overall, you should expect to dedicate the equivalent of approximately four working days per week to the programme. This commitment allows you to integrate your intellectual interests with practical work, developing expertise across both heritage and museum studies.
As you progress, you’ll begin your end-of-year module, which leads either to the dissertation route or the critical practice pathway. The optional critical practice path offers a valuable opportunity to develop practical skills such as podcasting, exhibition design, translation, or social enterprise. Like the dissertation, your work in critical practice will be supported by a diverse team of academics.
You'll also complete an Employability Skills module that prepares you for your placement year through workshops, practical career development activities and personalised support. You'll develop skills in areas such as CV writing, interview techniques and networking.
The module is assessed on a pass/fail basis, and successful completion is needed to progress to the placement year.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 40)Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Structure
In your second year, you'll complete a 60-credit placement module, giving you the opportunity to gain professional experience relevant to your discipline. During the first semester, you'll focus on securing a placement with support from dedicated employability specialists and a series of in-person workshops. These are designed to help your career planning and support you to reflect on your progress. If you're unable to secure a placement, you'll complete three employer-led industry projects with different organisations.
The module is assessed on a pass/fail basis through a portfolio documenting your placement search and a reflective report on your placement or industry project experience. By the end of the year, you'll have developed valuable professional skills, increased your understanding of your chosen sector, strengthened your CV and network, and enhanced your confidence for the next stage of your career.
Compulsory Modules
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning, and Assessment
Teaching and Learning
Throughout your degree, you’ll profit from high calibre teaching and an inspiring and supportive community of learners. Our teaching staff has direct experience of curating exhibitions and developing purposeful connections with a host of relevant heritage organisations. You’ll benefit from our knowledge and insights, and our desire for you to reach your potential as an advanced learner.
Many of our modules are team taught, and some involve external speakers. You’ll enjoy complementary and diverse perspectives and experiences, which will enable you to gain a broad and holistic understanding of these sectors. As we're part of the Sainsbury Centre, we’ve unrivalled access to a wide variety of artistic cultures. With our students, we actively generate experiential attitudes to interpretation.
Assessment
You’ll be assessed exclusively on coursework. Formative work is used to help prepare you for the submission of summative coursework. Most of your coursework will be essay-based, requiring fully referenced academic prose. For some assessments you might need to deliver an in-class presentation, a project, or a piece of reflective writing.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. This course's annual intake is in September of each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2.2
Degree Subject
Humanities or Social Sciences
If you do not meet the course's academic entry requirements, please note that you should include in your personal statement details about any relevant professional skill-sets and/or workplace experiences. This could be considered in support of your application.
Professional skill sets and experiences may include teamwork and voluntary work pertaining to museums or heritage organisations; development of educational or cultural programmes within museums or heritage organisations; participation within formal or community-based research or training activities connected to museum or heritage topics.
- Interviews
Selected applicants will be invited to attend an online (Teams) or in person interview.
These are scheduled across the academic year. Typically, applicants will be interviewed by the Course Director. The interviews usually run for about thirty minutes. Applicants should be prepared to discuss the merits of their application and their suitability for the course.
Following the interview, applicants will receive a decision on their application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. This course's annual intake is in September of each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
Humanities or Social Sciences
If you do not meet the course's academic entry requirements, please note that you should include in your personal statement details about any relevant professional skill-sets and/or workplace experiences. This could be considered in support of your application.
Professional skill sets and experiences may include teamwork and voluntary work pertaining to museums or heritage organisations; development of educational or cultural programmes within museums or heritage organisations; participation within formal or community-based research or training activities connected to museum or heritage topics.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in each component)
Test dates should be within 2 years of the course start date.
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies(opens in a new window) for a list of qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, UEA International Study Centre offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.
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- Interviews
Selected applicants will be invited to attend an online (Teams) or in person interview.
These are scheduled across the academic year. Typically, applicants will be interviewed by the Course Director. The interviews usually run for about thirty minutes. Applicants should be prepared to discuss the merits of their application and their suitability for the course.
Following the interview, applicants will receive a decision on their application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
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Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2026/27 are:
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UK Students: £11,200
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International Students: £23,850
If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home students).
If you choose to take this course with a placement year, your tuition fees for the first year will be as shown above. An additional fee of £3,500 will apply for the placement year (see our FAQs page for further details).
We estimate living expenses at £1,171 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here(opens in a new window).
Course Related Costs
You may need to pay some additional costs for optional field trips, which are subsidised by the department.
Please see additional course fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form(opens in a new window).
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk(opens in a new window)
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students(opens in a new window) section of our website.