Overview
The cultural heritage sector, which encompasses museums, historical sites, monuments, and the visual arts, as well as intangible elements such as traditions, languages, and rituals, plays a crucial role in enriching public understandings of culture and history. The field is experiencing rapid change and institutions are looking for researchers and professionals that can tackle some of its most current and pressing challenges. This programme trains you to look back critically on the histories that have informed our cultural institutions, both in the UK and globally, and to use this knowledge to explore how inclusive and innovative practices can shape this sector in the future.
The combination of practical and theoretical teaching on a range of topics relating to cultural heritage will equip you with the skills to move into a career in the sector or pursue further research in the field. You will work with a broad range of cultural heritage institutions, via collaborative projects with partners and skills-based teaching, providing you with hands-on experience that could lead to a wide variety of careers, including exhibition curating and design, collections management, community engagement, development, fundraising, digital interpretation and further study.
Located in the city of Bristol, one of the most important cultural hubs in the UK, and housed in the world-leading School of Humanities, you will benefit from the School’s teaching and research strengths in historical and visual studies, as well as the wealth of museums and heritage organisations on your doorstep.
Through a range of innovative teaching methods, you will:
- Acquire a comprehensive understanding of the major debates and challenges in this rapidly developing field.
- Collaborate with University of Bristol heritage partners on projects relating to their collections and institutions, gaining hands-on experience working with museums, galleries, and heritage sites. Current partners include the National Trust and the RWA gallery.
- Learn how to communicate your research and knowledge to public audiences in a variety of formats, from exhibitions to digital projects and community engagement initiatives.
- Explore issues of representation and sustainability in the cultural heritage sector and encounter inclusive practices that are being pioneered by heritage organisations in Bristol and beyond.
- Deploy theoretically informed frameworks to analyse current heritage practice, while appreciating the complexities of local and global contexts.
- Work across disciplines to understand the challenges facing the heritage sector and gain skills and resilience for a successful career in this field.
