Public History and Heritage

Birkbeck, University of London
Postgraduate MA Full-time 1 Year HistoryHistory of art

About this course

Public history and heritage is concerned with the practice of history outside of academia in all its myriad forms, and public historians come in all shapes and sizes: they are consultants, museum professionals, archivists, preservationists and curators, cultural resource managers, policy specialists and community activists, among many other roles. What they share is a commitment to making history relevant, beneficial, informative and instructive within the public sphere.

Our MA Public History and Heritage will introduce you to key aspects and issues of the practice. It will provide you with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to undertake critical assessments of public history projects and interventions - as well as to create your own - and includes the option of a work placement module to give you hands-on experience in a heritage organisation. Its focus on public history in practice will provide you with a wide range of examples of different types and methods of public history, from museums and material culture, to public history in the media, to the role of history in policy making. This course aims to give you a sense of:

  • the wide range of public history

  • the variety of roles played by historians in public

  • the importance and impact of public history in politics, culture and society.

    The course provides relevant training for careers in media, education, museums and heritage, publishing and policy, and it also provides rigorous training in the historical discipline suitable to prepare you for further personal or professional research, or research at MPhil/PhD level.

    Highlights

  • Birkbeck was ranked in the top eight universities in the UK for its History research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

  • Our research is unique in its range across geographical and chronological boundaries. We are the only university in London to include historians, classicists and archaeologists in the same academic team investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. We see the study of the past as crucial for our understanding of present-day society, culture and politics.

  • All Master’s students are eligible to apply for our prestigious Eric Hobsbawm Scholarships, subject to availability. One of the most influential historians of the twentieth century, Eric Hobsbawm taught at Birkbeck for over five decades and embodied what is central to our teaching and research: a continued commitment to critical enquiry and public engagement.

  • We are at the heart of academic London with access to unparalleled research resources. Situated very close by are: the Institute of Classical Studies, with its library, training facilities and seminars; the British Museum, with its extensive collection of classical antiquities; and the British Library, the largest national library in the world.

    Careers and employability

    Graduates can pursue career paths in the heritage, museum and tourism sectors, in policy and research work, in education, and in media. Possible professions include:

  • historian

  • higher education lecturer

  • archivist

  • journalist

  • heritage manager

  • politician’s assistant

  • academic librarian

  • museum/gallery curator.

    We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

    • Study Options

    This course is available in 2 study options:

    Part-time

    Duration: 2 Years

    Qualification: MA

    Location: London

    Full-time Shown above

    Duration: 1 Year

    Qualification: MA

    Location: London

    Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    4135 Library clerks and assistants
    2472 Archivists, conservators and curators
    4214 Company secretaries and administrators
    2471 Librarians
    2115 Social and humanities scientists
    2151 Conservation professionals

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    Course Details

    Qualification
    MA
    Study Mode
    Full-time
    Duration
    1 Year
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    London
    Scheme
    Postgraduate
    Subjects
    History, History of art

    Offered by

    Birkbeck, University of London

    London

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