The MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies prepares students for employment in museums, principally as curators, with broad training in all types of museums, galleries and other heritage facilities.
Postgraduate; leading to a Master of Letters (MLitt)
If you started this programme in 2017, you can find information about 2017 entry on the 2017 Museum and Gallery Studies page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.
One year full time or two years part time
A good 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree. Students will preferably have some museum work experience (through employment or volunteering). The School welcomes applications from students from all disciplines relevant to museum work, such as history, archaeology, anthropology, languages, media and communications, and physical and natural sciences.
The part-time course is also open to students without a degree but with considerable professional experience in a museum or gallery.
If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
UK and EU: £8,500
Overseas: £17,600
30 June 2018. The deadline for the part-time course will be 15 November 2017. Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships and for international visa purposes.
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
The MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies is aimed at students wanting to start a career in museum or gallery work, or for those looking for a mid-career change. The part-time course is designed for museum and gallery employees or volunteers who wish to study while continuing with their work.
All Museum and Gallery Studies students take three compulsory modules over two semesters (or four semesters for part-time studies). The taught courses are delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and visits to museums and galleries.
Class sizes typically range from 18 to 24 students, and exhibition teams range from 6 to 9 students. Students complete three assignments per module in a variety of formats including an essay, a documentation and database project, an object study, an exhibition or website review, a lesson plan and a management report.
The final three months of the course will be focused on writing the final assessment piece, a 15,000-word dissertation.
Substantial contributions to the course are made by the Scottish museums community which generously provides visiting lecturers and hosts class visits and individual student placements.
The Museum and Gallery Studies teaching staff are experienced museum curators who continue to be involved directly in museum work.
Further particulars regarding curriculum development.
The part-time course runs every two years. The taught element is delivered at four week-long residential schools in January and June of each year. There is an opportunity for you to use your practical experience towards the coursework and write up your professional activities for assessment. The Graduate Diploma can be converted to an MLitt on production of a dissertation of 15,000 words, submitted five months after the formal end of the taught course.
For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2017–2018 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2018 entry.
Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.
If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of a MLitt.
The modules listed here are indicative, and there is no guarantee they will run for 2018 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.
The School of Art History supports a large, active and diverse postgraduate community. Postgraduate students publish the North Street Review: Postgraduate Art History Journal, an annual journal containing articles on a wide range of topics by students at St Andrews and other universities. The School also organises postgraduate research seminars and occasional symposia. Each year they invite a number of artists and scholars to give lectures.
Museums, Galleries and Collections Institute (MGCI) was established in 2005 and is a leading centre for consultancy, training and research in the heritage sector. It hosts an annual public lecture, usually given by an eminent museum director.
Outside of class visits, students are taken to the annual conference of the Scottish Museums Federation (SMF). One student every year is elected to sit on the SMF committee.
Learn more about what it's like to be a Museum and Gallery Studies student by visiting student exhibitions, project work and the Facebook page.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust Museum and Gallery Studies Award
This award is exclusively for Museum and Gallery Studies students and is open to those aiming for a future career as a curator of art.
Recent Graduate Discount
The University of St Andrews offers a 10% discount in postgraduate tuition fees to students who are eligible to graduate or who have graduated from St Andrews within the last three academic years and are starting a postgraduate programme with the University of St Andrews.
In addition to the MLitt, the School offers a two-year Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree option in National Trust for Scotland Studies. The MPhil comprises the taught element of Museum and Gallery Studies plus a thesis of not more than 40,000 words based on research undertaken in close conjunction with the National Trust for Scotland.
Many of our graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere.
The Scottish Society for Art History
The SSAH promotes scholarship in Scottish art and art located in Scotland. They offer research support grants from £50 to £300 to assist with research costs and travel expenses.
Recent Museum and Gallery Studies graduates have gone on to work for a range of institutions from the Chicago Institute of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum to the National Trust for Scotland and the Scottish Fisheries Museum.
Two year-long traineeships within University Collections are open uniquely to Museum and Gallery Studies graduates, as is the four to five month David Nicholls Curatorial Internship at the South Georgia Museum in Antarctica.
Find out more about careers and traineeships in museum and galleries.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students on a taught postgraduate course and offers a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.
School of Art History
University of St Andrews
Old Union Building
79 North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9AJ
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2399
Email: pgarthist@st-andrews.ac.uk
Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.
As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).
The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).
St Andrews has two postgraduate prospectuses - one for taught courses and one for research programmes. Both prospectuses are available for you to view and download.