Course Overview

Our MA History of Art with Collections Management will absorb you in the rich and dynamic discipline of the history of art as well as prepare you with the skills and experience you need for the museum workplace with an intensive skills-based Collections Management module.

You will gain a solid grasp of the key issues and fundamental skills involved in collections management and an insight into the different working practices of various museums and galleries. During an intensive week studying current issues and practices in collections management, you will benefit from meeting curators and collections managers in London's museum and galleries sector and engaging in hands-on activities including documentation, cataloging, and issuing loan requests.

You will also have the opportunity to undertake a 10-week supervised work placement in one of London's thriving museums, galleries, or archives. Previous work placements have been offered at the Tate, British Museum, Whitechapel Gallery, and Horniman Museum. Past students have documented collections that were previously uncatalogued, helped design and run school programs, conducted visitor research, and assisted curators in producing exhibitions.

Graduates can pursue career paths in the creative arts, media, and education. Possible professions include:

museum/gallery curator

arts administrator

advertising account executive

community arts worker

multimedia specialist

higher education lecturer.

Read how undertaking our MA in History of Art helped one student secure her dream job at Tate Britain.

We offer a comprehensive Careers Service - Birkbeck Futures - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education, and future ambitions.

General Eligibility

A second-class honors degree (2:2 or above).

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this program is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.