Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies
Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies
The Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies allows you to specialise in the areas you want to take your career into. You’ll develop the knowledge, research skills and practical experience to make a difference in the way we engage with our past. Do you have a passion for the…
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies allows you to specialise in the areas you want to take your career into. You’ll develop the knowledge, research skills and practical experience to make a difference in the way we engage with our past.
Do you have a passion for the past and how it impacts the present?
Cultural heritage and museum studies at Deakin is the largest and longest running program of its kind in Australia, with over 40-years of experience. All units are developed and taught by leading academics with industry experience.
Whether you want to create exhibitions, manage a museum or heritage site, safeguard Indigenous cultural heritage, support the conservation of intangible cultural heritage or protect and interpret significant objects, buildings, sites and landscapes, you will have the ability to tailor your studies to these disciplines throughout your masters.
During your studies, you will explore traditions and living examples of culture, and focus on current social, environmental and political concerns.
The core units you will study are built around these categories and include:
Intangible Cultural Heritage
Sustainability and Human Rights in Heritage and Museums
Research Design
You’ll also choose up to four elective units based on your interests and use them to form a specialisation in Collections and Curatorship or Heritage Practice. A specialisation isn’t compulsory but can signal to potential employers the type of career you want and your professional interests.
Work-integrated learning is featured throughout the masters, including the Applied Heritage Project unit, which offers a week-long study intensive at sites like Port Arthur. You can also choose to complete an internship unit where you will undertake a professional work placement within a host organisation in Australia or overseas. This experience helps you to develop the skills you need, whether changing or progressing your career, gain industry knowledge and extend your professional networks.
For the opportunity to expand your networks further and graduate with a two Masters degree, you might want to consider applying for our dual award in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies and World Heritage Studies. Deakin partners with Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Cottbus-Seftenberg, Germany, to deliver a dual-award program where you will graduate with BTU’s Master of World Heritage alongside your Deakin masters degree, highlighting the global reputation of our course. This competitive entry dual award opens overseas study opportunities and valuable professional experience.
Career outcomes
By researching the past, you will be contributing to making it accessible in the present – leading to stronger community engagement and a deeper understanding of how cultures have come to be. More than ever, society is wanting to gain a better understanding of the past and to create positive change in the present – something you can be a part of with the expertise you will develop.
Opening a broad range of roles both locally and abroad, your future roles could include:
heritage officer
heritage site or museum manager/director
interpretation officer
registrar
curator
public programs officer
exhibition officer
researcher
project officer.
Completion of the course can be used as a pathway to PhD through research training and a two-credit point research minor thesis.
The graduate certificate and graduate diploma elements of the cultural heritage and museum studies suite are possible early exits, both giving you a solid foundation of knowledge to confidently apply for entry-level roles.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
Deakin University is ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide (ARWU).  It is a global leader in many areas of study including accounting and finance, business, engineering, education, nursing, sport science, and sport management. It is known for its industry-based learning, with all degrees offering the opportunity for work placements. Deakin has four campuses across the state of Victoria, offering high-quality teaching and first-rate facilities.  Our students love studying here – that is why Deakin University has been ranked #1 for course and student satisfaction in Victoria for 13 years (Australian Graduate Survey 2010–2015, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2016–2022 (GOS)).
