Cultural Heritage Studies (Heritage and Museums)

Discover the cultural heritage industry on this master's degree at the University of Southampton. You'll gain a behind-the-scenes insight into how museums communicate the past, drawing on our links with museum and heritage partners.

This pathway features a particular focus on museums, with the core module 'Museums in the Modern World' exploring  how heritage is interpreted, presented and protected, and the role of museums today.

Optional modules will give you the opportunity to explore themes or specific skills in a wide variety of heritage contexts to suit your interests. This includes everything from art, film and literature to the built environment and archaeological remains.

You'll gain essential experience through things like:

• field trips
• meeting industry practitioners
• the chance to apply for a work placement with one of our heritage partners. 

Our Cultural Heritage programmes are also available with the following pathways:

• Cultural Heritage: study the main issues and debates around the subject, including legal and ethical issues, and how heritage is managed and presented 
• Heritage and Public History: gain a specialist insight into the ways history is presented to non-academic audiences 
• Heritage and the Arts: develop specialist practical skills in communicating in different genres and platforms in publishing, broadcasting, heritage management, and arts curation 

Whilst the course content varies depending on the pathway you study, modules covering essential aspects of the subject are common to all pathways.  

There is also plenty of flexibility within the pathways themselves, allowing you to build the skillset that best suits your chosen career path.

Course lead

Your course leader is Alistair Pike, Professor of Archaeological Sciences. His research interests cover several areas archaeological science, from the development of dating methods for bone beyond the range of radiocarbon to the use of isotopes in the reconstruction of human lifeways. Read Professor Pike's staff profile to find out more about his work.

Postgraduate entry requirements

You'll graduate from this MA with the expertise for a successful career in the heritage and tourism sector, or for further study at PhD level. 

With this pathway's particular focus on Museums, you'll be ideally suited for employment in areas like:

• government heritage bodies 
• private consultancy firms 
• museums and galleries