University of Manchester

MA Global Heritage Management

The practical skills you’ll develop on this course prepare you for a range of rewarding careers, within and beyond the heritage sector.

Graduates have found employment in a number of interesting areas, including:

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• British Council
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Cultural Heritage Research
• Heritage Consultancy

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.

MA Global Heritage Management is a dynamic, interdisciplinary programme designed for those passionate about shaping the future of heritage practice and theory.

Rooted in critical heritage studies, it explores how heritage is created, contested, and mobilised around the world today. Studying on the course, you’ll engage with key contemporary issues in the sector, such as sustainability and decolonisation.

Our teaching staff in the Institute for Cultural Practices are academic experts with hands-on experience in the sector, meaning they’re perfectly placed to guide you through both the theoretical and practical elements of the subject. You’ll engage with key themes such as memory, identity, and conservation, while developing skills in place-based policy, management, and community engagement.

With a strong emphasis on real-world application, you’ll be able to collaborate with heritage organisations both locally and globally. You’ll have the opportunity to gain practical experience through a work placement at one of the 100+ relevant cultural institutions we’re actively partnered with.

Our graduates go on to careers in global heritage management, cultural policy, heritage consultancy, producing, education, and community-led initiatives, or pursue further research. Whether you're aiming to enter the heritage sector or deepen your expertise, this course equips you with the analytical tools and professional experience to make a meaningful impact. A supportive academic environment makes it ideal for both recent graduates and working professionals.

Special features

Work Placement

While undertaking the MA in Global Heritage Management, you can apply for a 20-day work placement on a project or programme within a relevant cultural organisation and work with heritage professionals. The Institute for Cultural Practices has many partners offering placements, such as the Manchester Museum, the John Rylands Library, the Working Class Movement Library and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre.

Placements are completed between November and May and are supported by academic mentoring, supervision, and placement mentors. They form part of the elective course options and are assessed in semester 2 via placement reports.

On placement, you’ll benefit from a hands-on opportunity to apply and develop their theoretical knowledge and practical skill set through immersion in real-life scenarios and situations, from fundraising to audience development.

Please note that the number of placements on offer varies yearly. Students can also organise their own placements, subject to the approval of the course unit convenor.

Project Experience

During the MA, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in heritage projects in partnership with Heidelberg University.

Those projects may include researching, developing exhibitions, coordinating heritage events, and working on community engagement.

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning on this course goes beyond the classroom. You will learn through fieldwork trips, site visits, masterclasses and workshops, with networking and specialist training provided through our engagement with visitor speakers, including professionals and academics in the field.

Most teaching takes place in small interactive seminar groups, involving, as appropriate, directed-reading, fieldwork in museums and heritage sites and contexts, staff and student presentations, discussion, debate, problem-solving and group work.

Most units run for a day or week over 12 weeks, and there are variations in the number of class hours per teaching day depending on the course/week (ie 2-5 hours).

As a general rule, a 30-credit unit includes 300 learning hours, which can be roughly divided as follows:

• a third in classes or class-related work;
• a third in independent study;
• a third in preparation of assignments.

You can also undertake an exhibition group project (as part of the Professional Practice Project unit) in collaboration with a museum, heritage or related cultural organisation in Manchester or the north-west of England.

Supervision for dissertation research is supported by staff with a wide range of interests, and by research skills training.

Coursework and assessment

Introduction to Critical Heritage Studies (Semester 1 core unit, 30 credits)

This unit is assessed by:

• an extended essay (100% of the overall course mark).

Heritage Policy and Management (Semester 1 core unit, 30 credits)

• This unit is assessed by:

an individual Fieldwork Portfolio of site-specific analysis (100% of the overall course mark)

Option units (Semester 2)

Option units are assessed by a combination of essays and project portfolios. For details, please see the individual unit page.

Dissertation (Semester 2 and Summer)

This can be either a 12,000-word standard dissertation or a practice-based dissertation (8,000-10,000 words and appropriate evidence/outputs of the practice).