Master of Museum and Heritage Practice – MMHP
Wellington, New Zealand
DURATION
12 up to 18 Months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Jun 2025
TUITION FEES
NZD 36,150 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Full programme fee NZ$54250
Key Summary
Introduction
Launch a career in the museum and heritage sector or take your existing career in a new direction with a flexible range of professional and academic qualifications.
Fast-track your career in the museum and heritage sector
Get the practical skills, theoretical knowledge, and sector experience you need to work as a museum and heritage professional. Choose from a flexible range of qualifications that can all be completed in a year.
Get Connected
Join a program that's an integral part of New Zealand’s museum and heritage sector. It’s been designed for and with the sector to give you the professional development you need for a career in GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) or heritage management.
Taking advantage of Wellington's rich cultural resources, you’ll head out on numerous field trips and meet with experts from local organizations, as well as from academics with strong local and international networks, along with highly qualified professionals drawn from the sector.
Flexible qualifications
Choose from a range of flexible qualifications and courses that balance taught classes and work experience, academic research and professional skills, theory and practice.
The qualifications are part of a tiered family, with each one counting towards the next step. This lets you choose the qualification that best suits your current situation and build on this later should you wish.
Build practical experience
Learn on the job during a placement with one of the dozens of organizations involved with the program. If you're doing the MMHP, you'll also have the opportunity for advanced professional training and work experience through a longer internship.
You’ll get practical experience, make valuable contacts, and learn from working professionals.
Cultural Immersion
Familiarise yourself with tikanga Māori through our annual Wānanga at Hongoeka marae. Learn about the Treaty of Waitangi and how it has shaped museum and heritage organizations in New Zealand and learn about research processes by, with, and for Māori.
Duration
If you are doing a Master of Museum and Heritage Practice you'll normally need to complete it within 3 Trimesters, 1 year.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Te Papa Scholarships: The Cliff Whiting Memorial Scholarship and The Dame Cheryll Sotheran Memorial Scholarship
These scholarships are open to students studying Master’s level Museum and Heritage Studies, either by coursework with a Master of Museum and Heritage Practice or by a Master of Arts thesis. There are a range of general University postgraduate scholarships and international scholarships available.
You can look for scholarships based on your level of study, subject area, and background. You can also apply for a Summer Research scholarship where you'll work with academics and a sector organisation on a research project over the summer.
Curriculum
What you'll study
All qualifications
Students studying each of the three qualifications do the core courses:
- Two introductory courses
- Two practicum courses (including a 120-hour placement)
Master's
For Part Two of the MMHP, you'll do either:
- A research essay and a project, or
- An internship (600-hour placement).
Part Two is usually completed after Part One.
Research Master's
If you're thinking of doing a Master of Arts by thesis after your PGDipMHP, you are best to do MHST 505 Museum & Heritage Research and/or MHST 530 Research Proposal among your chosen courses to help you develop your research skills and pick a thesis topic.
Career Opportunities
Past students have been snapped up for a wide range of roles in the sector, including exhibition developer, collection manager, gallery manager, curator, researcher, registrar, interpreter, and educator. They're working in museums, art galleries, libraries, archives, government and community and heritage organisations all around New Zealand. Other students have embarked on academic careers, building on their research work.
Employer support
The professional development you get from the programme will be very useful to employers. You may also be able to do a project, placement, or internship where you work.
Occasionally students get paid contracts or part-time work in the sector while studying.
Faculty
Why study at Victoria University of Wellington
Live and study in New Zealand's creative, compact, and vibrant capital. Wellington is home to the National Library, Archives NZ, Te Papa, and a plethora of government agencies. Take advantage of the University's connections with these and a host of other private sector institutions and professional bodies.