Professional Doctorate in Museum Practice
Professional Doctorate in Museum Practice
We are now accepting applications for the September 2012 entry of the Professional Doctorate in Museum Practice. This pioneering doctoral programme,which was launched in September 2010, is specifically designed for people working in museums and galleries who want to undertake advanced research which builds on their professional knowledge and practice. The structure of the Professional Doctorate is devised to enable you to develop your career while simultaneously studying for a doctoral qualification.
What is a Professional Doctorate?
A Professional Doctorates takes explicit account of the professional practice-base of the candidate and integrate this as a central knowledge base for an advanced research project.
The Professional Doctorate in Museum Practice supports the development of reflective practice that can respond to and influence the complex unpredictable and shifting social and cultural contexts within which museums and their staff operate. The programme introduces students to a range of dynamic and challenging concepts and methods with which to reflect critically and constructively on their professional practice.
How does it work?
The structure of the programme is designed to support people who are embarking on advanced research for the first time and/or who are combining doctoral study with a career. Students join together in a learning environment to investigate the principles of reflective practice, practice-based research and enquiry based learning. This pedagogical approach enables students' professional context to become their primary research resource.
Students will receive individual supervision from an academic supervisor with a specialism related to their field of research as well as opportunities to develop reflective enquiry into practice via group-based learning exercises with other practitioners at two long residential weekends per year.
It is envisaged that this programme will be most appealing as part-time study. However, a full-time option is included as there may be applicants with special circumstances that would make full-time study a viable option.
Module details
Students receive six individual supervisions a year. Taught units will be facilitated via two long residential weekends annually (Thursday 9am - Sunday midday, to take place in the Autumn and Spring).
After completion of the first 12 months of study each student will be assigned a 'professional mentor'. The professional mentor will be a reputable, competent and experienced professional in a field related to the candidate's practice-based research.
Progress will be monitored primarily via individual supervisions, checking students' progress against key milestones. The key milestones are represented by the assessment for each stage of the process. These are:
Year 1: literature review and research essay (12,000 words in total)
Year 2: conference paper and publishable article (6-8000 words)
Year 3: research proposal and portfolio of reflective practice (12,000 words in total)
Year 4-6: individual targets appropriate to the completion of the thesis research
Year 6: thesis of 40-45,000 words OR practical outcome accompanied by a 20-45,000 word dissertation.
Duration: 36 Months (Full-Time) or 72 Months (Part Time)
Degree awarded: Doctor of Museum Practice
Entry requirements
Minimum of IELTS 7 for students whose first language is not English.
A Master's degree in Museum Studies or a discipline relevant to the proposed PhD (eg. history, archaeology, art history, anthropology &c); or a Bachelor's degree (1st or 2:1) plus appropriate professional training and experience.
All candidates much be able to demonstrate evidence of a competent level of professional expertise in an appropriate aspect of museum practice (eg. collections management, exhibition curation, interpretation, education, documentation, policy formation). Professional experience must be equivalent to at least 36 months continuous employment. Candidates without a Masters degree must demonstrate evidence of a competent level of professional experience, based on appropriate professional training (for example, Associate Membership of the Museums Association (AMA)) and equivalent to at least 48 months continuous employment.
Programme Fees
For entry in 2012, the fees are likely to be no less than £4,470 (£2,235 for part-time) per annum for home/EU students and £11,700 for international students. These figures will be subject to change.
Scholarships/sponsorships: The deadline for 2012-13 funding has now passed (2nd March 2012).
Interested?
For more information please contact Dr Helen Rees Leahy helen.rees@manchester.ac.uk