ÌÇÐÄVlog

Our PhD Heritage and Museum Studies offers specialist, practically-grounded and academic training exploring your area of interest. Our intensive degree emphasises the real-world relevance of debates surrounding cultural patrimony, and the ways in which it is presented and consumed.

This programme combines theory and applied heritage work, enabling students to develop projects that actively contribute to heritage preservation, interpretation, and engagement.

This research-led PhD supports a broad range of creative and professional outputs, including digital archives, heritage reconstructions, museum interventions, revitalisation initiatives, etc.

Students will be expected to propose and complete rigorous academic research and critical analysis, including a final thesis that critically contextualises their work.

This PhD is ideal for professionals and researchers seeking careers in museums, heritage consultancies, academia, cultural institutions, and public engagement sectors. Whether working with historic sites, community-driven heritage projects, or emerging technologies for preservation, this programme prepares students to tackle contemporary challenges in heritage management.

Our expert staff

We are a team of internationally recognised writers and lecturers with expertise across the arts, humanities and social sciences. You are taught by a highly qualified, enthusiastic team with wide-ranging research interests and a proven academic scholarship.

Our core staff consists of a dynamic group of world-leading heritage specialists and art historians; Dr Paola di Giuseppantonio di Franco, William Carruthers, Dr Michael Tymkiw, Dr Lisa Blackmore and Dr Matt Lodder. Their research interests span a range of cultures and media, from the early modern to the present, with core specialisms including digital heritage, exhibition making, alternative and political heritages, environmental heritage, public engagement, activism, artistic, social and political history. Other staff who will be teaching are scholars engaging with heritage, public engagement and museums from multiple disciplines.

Specialist facilities

At ÌÇÐÄVlog, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums and heritage sites in the nearby towns of Colchester ('Britain's First City'), on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world's best museums, galleries, and heritage sites at your fingertips.

Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience, engage in object-based learning, and learn digital skills, a cornerstone of our approach to heritage and museums.

We have close links with many cultural sites and institutions in Colchester, which support hands-on activities and your practical learning.

Supported by our Centre for Curatorial Studies, you will benefit from our partnerships with major arts and cultural organisations to find out what it means to be work in this challenging sector.

Your future

Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators and specialist art lawyers (with additional training and qualifications), as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, the digital and creative media industries, in charities, in publishing, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies, including:

• National Portrait Gallery
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Sotheby's New York
• Momart Ltd
• John Lewis

UK entry requirements

We normally require a good BA honours degree and a Masters degree, or equivalent, in a relevant discipline.

The applicant needs to demonstrate a capacity to produce a practice-based heritage project, conduct independent research and is required to submit a detailed project proposal. The accepted student will attend regular supervisory board meetings throughout their doctoral study where the progress of their work is assessed.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the ÌÇÐÄVlog. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

Our PhDs are conceived as a structured, three-year programme of advanced study and research. Supervision is by regular individual tutorials, and the award of a research degree depends solely on the merits of your final research output, which consisits of a c. 40,000-word thesis plus a major, research-based exhibition .

Dissertation

We aim to have PhD students submit within four years.