MA/PgDip Art and Design: Museum and Heritage Interpretation

Graduates can expect to find employment as project managers, curators, exhibition officers, exhibition designers, design managers, audience development officers, interpretation officers and education officers within the museums and heritage sector.

Other graduates are engaged in freelance work, research projects and PhD study

Graduates from the course have had considerable success in finding employment within the sector or in enhancing their existing career path. Our graduates have found employment across the varied opportunities within the arts, museums, galleries and heritage sectors.

Alumni of the course now work in a range of posts including as curators and exhibition designers. Typically they might return to a host institution where they have volunteered or had a placement.

Recent graduate destinations include the National Trust, The Museum of Science and Industry, Salford City Art Gallery and Museum, the Imperial War Museum North and the Handel Museum in London.

Alumni Profile

Drew Thomas

Audience Development Officer

“Having always had a keen interest in heritage, I decided in the summer of 2006 to leave my job to take up the offer of a place on the MA Heritage Studies course within the School of Art & Design at the University of Salford.  

Being somewhat older than many of my fellow students, I decided to undertake the course on a full-time basis. I can honestly say that I had a great year at Salford and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the course. If I had my time again I wouldn’t change a thing.  

I would advise anyone embarking on the course to arrange a placement as soon as possible and make sure they do some volunteering to get sector experience. Having completed the course, I was offered the first job I applied for and I am now working as a researcher for a Manchester-based consultancy specialising in audience development work within the arts and museums sector.”

Alex Emmart

Independent Curator

“While I was at the University of Salford, I was on placement at the Imperial War Museum North, located in Salford Quays. Through my time there, I learned about the daily operations of a museum and the amount of research and communication it takes to properly convey the curator’s vision and interpretation.

In December 2006, two friends from the University of Salford and I began Mighty Tanaka as a means of creating something vibrant and exciting, utilising our individual MA specialism in conjunction with the blossoming urban art movement that was occurring in Manchester at that time. After being fully engaged in the urban art scene in the UK, I moved back to the USA.

In New York I began working at a gallery called Ad Hoc Art, which was Brooklyn's premier street art gallery at that time. I learned the skills of gallery management while implementing the knowledge I had gained during my time at the University of Salford. It is the combination of practical experience and institutional knowledge that gave me the confidence to properly establish Mighty Tanaka LLC in June 2007.

This course prepared me greatly for the challenges that lay ahead in the world of galleries and museums. I am able to add a new element to my ‘pop-up’ shows, bringing professionalism and insight that is rarely seen outside of the formal gallery setting. The course taught me to think beyond the typical aesthetic of art on the wall in order to create an energy and flow that engages the visitor. It is through the knowledge that I gained at the University of Salford that taught me the most vital area of my business, which is the removal of the ‘invisible wall’ that separates the average person from the gallery setting.

Now armed with an array of intriguing curatorial devises at my disposal, each show I have is progressively gaining more and more attention. I can say confidently that without the knowledge I gained at the University of Salford, there is no way that I could do what I am doing today.”

Industry Links

Guest speakers and live briefs provide a valuable contribution to the course, and bring a real-world perspective to the academic delivery of the modules.

The School of Art & Design runs a guest lecture programme, which has included Dr Paul Taylor from the Institute of Communication Studies, Leeds; David Constantine of Motivation UK; Graham Black, Nottingham Trent University and author of The Engaging Museum; and Professor Emerita Susan Pearce, University of Leicester.

Live briefs are undertaken as available, and have included projects in association with the Greater Manchester Police Museum, Imperial War Museum North; MOSI, Manchester; Manchester Museum; Ordsall Hall, Salford, Coventry Transport Museum, Clifton Heritage Park, Bahamas and the South Karelia Museum, Finland.

Further Study

Research in the School of Art & Design is coordinated by Professor Paul Sermon, Associate Head (Research). There are over 30 fully research-active academic staff and a number of embryonic and early career researchers engaged in a range of innovative creative practice in art and design and in advancing the boundaries of theoretical investigation. Find out more