Develop expertise in caring for cultural heritage
Collection care is essential to the long-term preservation of cultural objects and the collections that hold them.
You’ll develop an understanding of how materials, environments, human activity and institutional decisions affect the condition and survival of cultural heritage, gaining the knowledge and practical skills needed to identify risks and propose appropriate care strategies.
Learn through practical investigation
Practical learning is central to the MA. You’ll explore preventive conservation techniques through specialist demonstrations, workshops, case studies and applied research.
Teaching may include condition assessment, environmental monitoring, integrated pest management, safe handling, storage and display solutions, risk assessment and emergency preparedness.
Rather than concentrating on the treatment of a single object, you’ll investigate a range of materials, collection environments and conservation challenges, developing adaptable approaches to professional practice.
Understand how collections are managed
You’ll examine the practical and organisational responsibilities involved in caring for collections within museums, galleries, archives, historic houses and other heritage settings.
Through case studies and problem-solving activities, you’ll consider how collection care decisions are shaped by institutional priorities, resources, professional standards and the needs of different audiences.
You’ll also develop an understanding of collaborative working between conservators, curators, registrars, collections managers and technical specialists.
Explore contemporary questions of care and responsibility
Preserving cultural heritage involves decisions about what we value, how we care for it and who has access to it.
You’ll engage with contemporary debates around sustainability, access, cultural representation, decolonisation and the ethics of care, considering how collection management practices respond to changing social and environmental responsibilities.
Through research and critical discussion, you’ll develop the confidence to question established approaches and propose informed, responsible solutions.
Join a wider postgraduate community
MA Conservation: Collection Care & Management is part of the Graduate School, bringing together artists, carvers, conservators and researchers through shared teaching and critical exchange.
Cross-course seminars, research events and presentations offer opportunities to explore different approaches to making, preserving and interpreting cultural objects, broadening your understanding of material practice and cultural heritage.
Present your work and prepare for professional practice
You’ll present your work in the Art School’s MA Show, sharing your research, practical investigations and approaches to collection care with a public audience.
You’ll also participate in a final Critical Practice Event, providing an opportunity to communicate your research, reflect on your development and consider future professional directions.
Throughout the course, you’ll develop professional skills in documentation, condition reporting, risk assessment and the communication of collection care strategies, preparing you for entry-level opportunities in collection care and preventive conservation, or further specialist training and research.