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Funding for Masters programmes in the School of Museum Studies
Details of funding opportunities for Masters students starting in October 2012.
The School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester is a leading, internationally renowned centre for museum studies research and teaching since 1966. We work with museums, galleries and related cultural organisations internationally to develop creative practice through leading edge teaching and research.
The School has the highest proportion of world-leading rated research in any subject in any UK university (RAE 2008). In its more than 45 year history, the School of Museum Studies – the only department in the country solely devoted to the study of museums and galleries – has played an influential role in the reinvention of museum theory and practice. By training creative and critical professionals who have transformed organisations and professional practice throughout the world; by producing original, rigorous and internationally influential research; and by working collaboratively on a range of pioneering initiatives, the School has made a significant and sustained contribution to the international cultural sector and the field of museum studies internationally.
We are delighted to offer the following funding opportunities for Masters students starting in October 2012.
- AHRC Professional Preparation Masters studentships in the School of Museum Studies
- Interpretation, Representation and Heritage scholarships
- Digital Heritage scholarships
- Learning and Visitor Studies in Museums and Galleries scholarships
- Museum Studies (by distance learning) scholarships
- International student distance learning scholarships
AHRC Professional Preparation Masters studentships in the School of Museum Studies
Open to Home and EU applicants
This AHRC scheme provides funding to enable studentship award holders to gain a Masters degree where the course aims focus on the development of high level skills and competencies as a preparation for professional practice in the museum and gallery sector. AHRC studentships are highly competitive and only applicants with a first class degree (or equivalent) can be considered.
This award is open to students applying to both the Museum Studies and Art Museum and Gallery Studies MA programmes.
The award pays University Masters fees, and a full-time annual maintenance grant. AHRC studentships are open to UK and EU applicants only. EU citizens are normally eligible to apply on a fees-only basis; if successful, the stipend would not be available to them. Full details of eligibility criteria can be found in the AHRC's Guide to Student Funding.
How to apply
Applicants who wish to be considered for an AHRC studentship must ensure that they submit a completed application form for a place on one of our programmes, together with any required supporting documents, no later than Friday 27th April 2012. Applicants who meet the criteria for AHRC funding will then be contacted and asked to write a supporting statement for their AHRC application. Full guidance will be provided at that time.
Interpretation, Representation and Heritage scholarships
Open to international, UK and EU applicants
Interpretation, Representation and Heritage is a ground-breaking, multidisciplinary programme with a global outlook that extends far wider than the world of museums alone to explore interpretation and representation in cultural and natural heritage contexts and beyond.
The programme dissects and debates the worlds of material objects, human subjects, evidence and expertise, and examines the social and intellectual forces that shape our, and our audiences’, ways of seeing. It enables the development of a critical perspective on interpretation and representation as cultural practices, and develops practical skills in interpretive and communicative processes.
Who is engaged in interpretation and for whom? What forms do the objects, evidence and information we interpret take, and how can they be represented and communicated in different contexts? How do we construct and communicate the ‘right’ message? How can we interpret the content and impact of others’ messages? How have these questions changed over time and why are they increasingly significant? Using material well illustrated with case studies, students will explore practical as well as academic strategies for approaching such questions, and will have ample opportunity to pursue particular interests through their own project work.
The programme will provide you with a firm grounding in the theory, critique and practice of interpretation and representation across the cultural and environmental heritage sector and far beyond. It offers you the opportunity to build knowledge, insight and aptitudes that will enable you to develop your career in the heritage sector or further afield, as to well as to acquire a firm base on which to build future research if that should be the direction you choose to follow.
How to apply
Scholarships are open to international, UK and EU students.
Applicants who wish to be considered for a £1,000 scholarship must ensure that they submit a completed application form for a place on one of our distance learning Masters programmes, together with any required supporting documents, no later than Friday 31 August 2012.
Scholarship winners will be determined on the overall strength of their course application which includes consideration of: previous academic achievement; relevant experience; references; personal statement.
Digital Heritage scholarships
Open to international, UK and EU applicants
The Masters in Digital Heritage aims to engage students critically and creatively with wide ranging ideas and issues, and to develop a view of digital heritage informed by both theory and the practical methods and skills necessary to become creative and effective new media professionals in the heritage sector.
The course provides training for:
- heritage professionals with a range of backgrounds who are already working in the sector, and who need to develop their knowledge to be able to manage and deliver digital media.
- students seeking to undertake further research in the field
graduates seeking a career in digital media in the heritage sector. - professionals from sectors (such as libraries and archives) needing to upgrade their skills to be able to exploit digital media more widely in their organisations.
The course has several special features:
- it is interdisciplinary, drawing on a wide range of expertise to cover a curriculum ranging from historical survey to practical design, and from philosophical critique to technical production.
- in its Web-presence and Spring Schools, projects, case studies and discussion groups, the course provides both on-line and on-site venues to network and debate with leading practitioners from exemplary institutions.
- it is at the centre of, and helping to shape, an emerging discipline - one of only a few courses which locate themselves specifically at the nexus of digital media and heritage.
How to apply
Scholarships are open to international, UK and EU students.
Applicants who wish to be considered for a £1,000 scholarship must ensure that they submit a completed application form for a place on one of our distance learning Masters programmes, together with any required supporting documents, no later than Friday 31 August 2012.
Scholarship winners will be determined on the overall strength of their course application which includes consideration of: previous academic achievement; relevant experience; references; personal statement.
Learning and Visitor Studies in Museums and Galleries scholarships
Open to international, UK and EU applicants
This pioneering and innovative distance learning masters programme aims to provide students with the necessary high-quality skills and knowledge to engage critically and creatively with the theory and practice of museum learning and visitor studies. The course has been developed in partnership with the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries in the School of Museum Studies.
It is designed for those who have some experience of working in museums, galleries or related organizations and who have an interest in the museum and gallery as a learning environment. It is particularly aimed at those who already work in education and learning in the museum and gallery sector, and is suitable for those in early or mid career or working as freelance staff. It is also suitable for those not currently employed in museums who which to enter the profession.
The course will help students develop both their expertise in this field and a more in depth understanding of museum-based learning. It will enable participants to develop practical evaluation and research skills and will appeal to all those interested in communication and understanding visitors and who wish to develop their expertise in this area. The theory and practice of education and visitor studies in museums and galleries is transferable to other cultural organizations such as archives, cathedral and natural/cultural heritage sites. The course is international in scope and will be relevant to students wherever they are based in the world.
How to apply
Scholarships are open to international, UK and EU students.
Applicants who wish to be considered for a £1,000 scholarship must ensure that they submit a completed application form for a place on one of our distance learning Masters programmes, together with any required supporting documents, no later than Friday 31 August 2012.
Scholarship winners will be determined on the overall strength of their course application which includes consideration of: previous academic achievement; relevant experience; references; personal statement.
Museum Studies (by distance learning) scholarships
Open to international, UK and EU applicants
The course aims to engage students critically and creatively with wide ranging ideas and issues and to develop both philosophical approaches and the practical methods and skills necessary to become creative and effective museum and gallery professionals.
All students work through four core modules - Museum Communities and Contexts; Managing Resources in the Museum; Museum Communication and Audiences; Museum Projects: the Case of Exhibition and Interpretive Planning.
A network of Associate Tutors is available to support you in your studies. We are committed to ensuring that distance learning students feel very much a part of the School’s student body. In addition to the support of tutors, students also have access to their distance learning colleagues. A series of email discussion sites are in operation which mean that you can share experiences and ideas with students at the same point on the course.
Once a year the School runs an optional summer school which provides an opportunity to come to Leicester, meet staff and fellow students and participate in a week-long programme of lectures, discussion groups, visits and social events.
How to apply
Scholarships are open to international, UK and EU students.
Applicants who wish to be considered for a £1,000 scholarship must ensure that they submit a completed application form for a place on one of our distance learning Masters programmes, together with any required supporting documents, no later than Friday 31 August 2012.
Scholarship winners will be determined on the overall strength of their course application which includes consideration of: previous academic achievement; relevant experience; references; personal statement.
International student distance learning scholarships
Open to international students
International applicants for any of the four distance learning masters programmes are eligible:
- Museum Studies
- Interpretation, Representation and Heritage
- Digital Heritage
- Learning and Visitor Studies in Museums and Galleries
How to apply
Applicants who wish to be considered for a £1,000 scholarship must ensure that they submit a completed application form for a place on one of our distance learning Masters programmes, together with any required supporting documents, no later than Friday 31 August 2012.
Scholarship winners will be determined on the overall strength of their course application which includes consideration of: previous academic achievement; relevant experience; references; personal statement.
