Develop the knowledge, practical skills and critical understanding to care for cultural heritage collections and shape their future.
The MA Conservation: Collection Care & Management at City & Guilds of London Art School offers a practice-led approach to postgraduate study, preparing you for professional roles in preventive conservation, collection care and heritage management.
Welcoming applicants from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds, the course brings together technical knowledge, practical experience and critical enquiry to explore how cultural objects and collections can be protected, managed and made accessible for future generations.
You might have studied Fine Art, History of Art, Archaeology, Museum Studies or another related subject, or developed relevant knowledge and experience through professional practice. We welcome applications from people with different experiences and perspectives who are interested in the care and preservation of cultural heritage.
You’ll investigate the materials and conditions that affect the preservation of cultural heritage, developing skills in environmental monitoring, condition assessment, risk management, documentation, handling and storage. Through practical workshops, case studies and applied research, you’ll explore the challenges of caring for collections in museums, galleries, archives, historic houses and other heritage settings.
The course also examines the ethical, environmental and institutional responsibilities of collection care, encouraging you to consider how decisions about preservation, sustainability and access shape our relationship with cultural heritage.
Structured across three units — Methods, Practices and Professions — the MA develops your technical understanding, independent research skills and professional judgement.
As part of the Graduate School, you’ll study alongside postgraduate students in Fine Art, Carving and Conservation, exchanging ideas about materials, cultural heritage and professional practice.
Duration: One year full-time or two years part-time.
Award: Master of Arts (MA), validated by Arts University Bournemouth.
Interested in specialist conservation treatment? Our MA Conservation focuses on advanced object-led conservation practice and is designed for applicants who already hold a degree in Conservation. MA Conservation: Collection Care & Management offers a broader approach to preventive conservation and collections stewardship