Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies
2027 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2027 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies |
| Deakin course code | A768 |
| Course credit points | 12 |
| Course version | 3 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts and Education |
| Course information | For students who commenced from 2027 onwards |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Duration | The time and cost could be reduced based on your previous qualifications and professional experience. This means you can fast track the masters degree from 1.5 years down to 1 year duration. See entry requirements below for more information. |
| Course map - enrolment planning tool | The course map for students commencing from Trimester 1 2027 will be available soon Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9 |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Mandatory student checks
- Alternative exits
- Research information
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Other learning experiences
- Fees and charges
Course overview
Deakin’s Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies prepares you to shape how people understand, protect and engage with the past. Study in Australia’s largest and longest-running program of its kind, with over 40 years’ experience, and build advanced knowledge across heritage, museums and contemporary issues.
Explore living cultures and traditions through themes such as intangible cultural heritage, sustainability and human rights. Tailor your degree with electives or an optional specialisation in Collections and Curatorship or Heritage Practice. Learning is shaped by leading academics and industry professionals and includes practical experiences through the Applied Heritage Project, with the option of an internship in Australia or overseas. In your second year, choose a research paper, professional experience pathway or minor thesis aligned with your career goals or PhD ambitions. Graduates may pursue roles such as curator, heritage officer and public programs officer.
Career opportunities
By researching the past, you will be contributing to making it accessible in the present – leading to stronger community engagement and a deeper understanding of how cultures have come to be. More than ever, society is wanting to gain a better understanding of the past and to create positive change in the present – something you can be a part of with the expertise you will develop.
Opening a broad range of roles both locally and abroad, your future roles could include:
- heritage officer
- heritage site or museum manager/director
- interpretation officer
- registrar
- curator
- public programs officer
- exhibition officer
- researcher
- project officer.
Completion of the course can be used as a pathway to PhD through research training and a two-credit point research minor thesis.
The graduate certificate and graduate diploma elements of the cultural heritage and museum studies suite are possible early exits, both giving you a solid foundation of knowledge to confidently apply for entry-level roles.
For more information go to DeakinTALENT.
Participation requirements
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.
Mandatory student checks
Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.
Alternative exits
| Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies (A568) |
Research information
Students will complete a research pathway in 1 of the 3 following options:
- Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway
- Research Paper – non PhD Pathway^
- Professional Experience – non PhD Pathway^.
Course learning outcomes
| Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|
| Research and critically reflect on the diverse tangible and intangible manifestations of social memory as expressed in places and sites, objects, traditional practices and beliefs on a personal and collective level and evaluate different conceptual and practical approaches to its identification, collection, conservation, interpretation, display, management and use. |
| Effectively communicate the findings and analysis of cultural heritage and museum studies concepts, theories and applied knowledge, in written, digital and oral formats to specialist and non-specialist audiences. |
| Use a range of generic and specialist cultural heritage and museum studies digital technologies and information sources to research, select, analyse, employ, evaluate, and disseminate technical and non-technical information and research outcomes. |
| Critically reflect on, research, analyse, evaluate and synthesise key concepts in the identification, collection, conservation, display, interpretation, management, and use of cultural heritage. Apply expert knowledge of, and, technical and creative skills in cultural heritage to evaluate issues and problems in professional practice and scholarship. |
| Apply expert knowledge to critically analyse, and develop innovative and creative solutions to real-world and ill-defined problems or issues in the identification, collection, conservation, display, interpretation, management and use of cultural heritage. |
| Apply knowledge and skills in creative ways to new situations in professional practice and/or further learning in the field of cultural heritage and museum studies with adaptability, autonomy, responsibility and personal accountability for actions as a critically self-reflexive practitioner and learner. |
| Apply the principles of effective team work as a reflective team member and/or leader of diverse cultural heritage and museum teams in order to support the team in achieving designated goals. |
| Analyse and address cultural heritage issues in the domestic, regional and global context as a critically reflexive scholar and practitioner, taking into consideration cultural and socio-economic diversity, social and environmental responsibility and the application of the highest ethical standards. |
Approved at Faculty Board 2020
Note – From 2026, Deakin commenced introducing Graduate Attributes (GAs), which define the distinctive characteristics of a Deakin graduate. You may notice some courses still refer to Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) during this transition period.
Course rules
To complete the Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies you must pass 8 or 12 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate. The exact number of credit points you study depends on how much credit you receive as recognition of prior learning (RPL):
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in your first study period
- 2 credit points of core units
- 2 credit points from the Collections and Curatorship or Heritage Practice Stream
- 8 to 4 credit points of study (depending upon entry point), from the following:
- one pathway option
- Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway
- Research Paper - non-PhD Pathway
- Professional Experience - non-PhD Pathway
- one pathway option
- any remaining credit points can be chosen from the course electives list.
Most units are equal to one credit point. As a full-time student you will study four credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters per year.
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Course structure
Core units
Compulsory 0-credit point module
To be completed in the first trimester of study:
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin |
Units
| AIM736 | Museums, Heritage and Society |
| AIM719 | Cultural Heritage and Museum Practice |
Streams
Students complete minimum one stream:
Stream 1: Collections and Curatorship
| AIM722 | Managing Collections |
| AIM727 | Developing Exhibitions |
Stream 2: Heritage Practice
| AIM705 | Heritage Practice: Fundamentals |
| AIM703 | Heritage Practice: Conservation and Managing Change |
Pathways
Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway
| AIX706 | Research Design |
Plus 2 credit points of research units:
| AIX704 | Minor Thesis A |
| AIX705 | Minor Thesis B |
Plus 1 or 5 credit points (depending upon entry point) chosen from the course electives
Research Paper – non PhD Pathway^
| AIX701 | Research Paper |
Plus 3 or 7 credit points (depending upon entry point) chosen from the course electives
Professional Experience – non PhD Pathway^
| APE701 | Internship Capstone (2 credit points) |
Plus 2 or 6 credit points (depending upon entry point) chosen from the course electives
^ The Research Paper and Professional Experience options are not PhD Pathways.
Electives
| AIX706 | Research Design |
| AIM703 | Heritage Practice: Conservation and Managing Change |
| AIM705 | Heritage Practice: Fundamentals |
| AIM708 | World Heritage |
| AIM715 | Digital Interpretation |
| AIM719 | Cultural Heritage and Museum Practice |
| AIM722 | Managing Collections |
| AIM727 | Developing Exhibitions |
| AIM733 | Applied Heritage Project |
| AIM736 | Museums, Heritage and Society |
| APE700 | Internship A |
2 credit points of the electives may be selected from other Deakin postgraduate units with the approval of the course director.
*students who have previously completed any of these units within the Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies are required to substitute with an alternate unit from the course elective list
Work experience
Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.
Course duration
You may be able to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree, however your course duration may be extended if there are delays in meeting course requirements, such as completing a placement.
Other learning experiences
There are options for WIL and study tours across many of the SHSS courses.
Fees and charges
Tuition fees will vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, your study load and/or unit discipline.
Your tuition fees will increase annually at the start of each calendar year. All fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD) and do not include additional costs such as textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment, mandatory checks, travel, consumables and other costs.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
Further information
Contact Student Central for assistance in course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements. Student Central can also provide information for a wide range of services at Deakin. To help you understand the University vocabulary, please refer to our Enrolment codes and terminology page.