Course Overview

The MA History of Art with Curating is ideal if you wish to combine learning the practical skills required in the museum workplace with the study of the rich and dynamic discipline of the history of art. It will give you a solid grasp of the key issues and skills involved in curating practice and an insight into the different working practices of various museums and galleries.

During an intensive week studying current issues and practices in curating you will meet curators and collections managers in London's thriving museum, galleries, and archives sector, and engage in hands-on activities including documentation, cataloging, and issuing loan requests.

You will also have the opportunity to apply for a 10-week supervised work placement in a museum, gallery, or archive. 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.