Graduates Profiles
According to an AGMS graduate survey on career destinations that we undertook in September 2010, 53% of the respondents got a paid job in the museum sector within 6 months of graduation and 79% within 12 months.
Fran Burrows, Project Officer, Collections Development, Tate, London
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2008-9)
The Art Gallery and Museum Studies MA gave me an excellent understanding of the foundations of art galleries and museums. As part of the MA, I was able to take a course on Museum Policy and Practice, which raised my awareness of the issues surrounding deaccessioning and museum governance.
Manchester is an ideal location for studying an arts-related subject as there are many museums and galleries in close proximity to the university campus. As part of the course, I was fortunate to undertake a placement at the Whitworth Art Gallery in their wallpaper and textiles department. This placement gave me an excellent opportunity to work closely with their collection, as I was involved in documenting the wallpapers and repackaging each item. Gaining experience of collection management was a key benefit of this placement, and one that I have continued to develop in my current role.
Since starting at Tate in 2009, I have progressed from the role of Individual Giving Administrator, working with Patrons, Legacies and the Tate Fund, to my current position: Project Officer in the Collections Development team. I work closely with Tate’s Curators and our major donors to secure funding for new acquisitions for the Collection. I also work with the Outset / Frieze Art Fair Fund to Benefit the Tate Collection each year, which involves working with guest curators to purchase art works at the Frieze Art Fair
Shireen Ikramullah Khan, Research Officer, National Art Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2008-9)
Studying the AGMS programme as an international student was both a rewarding and exciting experience. The first semester was both a challenging and exciting few months as getting adapted to a new system of education, and more research-based ways of learning unlike the system in Pakistan, was an enthralling undertaking. The tutors were highly supportive and provided me with the intellectual and scholarly resources that I needed for my academic development. In the first semester, museum studies was introduced with important museological and historical themes and theories, along with curating an exhibition that was displayed in the Mansfield Cooper Building. By the second semester, I was able to refine my subjects of interest by taking 'Objects and Exhibitions' and 'Gallery Learning and Interpretation' as my electives. This complemented my dissertation topic, research and writing as my dissertation analysis focussed on the educational and communicative nature of a museum in a developing country.
Having my placement at the Manchester Museum was also enlightening as I had to work as a visitor consultant in the Museum's Mediterranean Gallery. The Head of Human Cultures Brian Sitch whom I had to work under, and the rest of the museum staff was very supportive and friendly. Manchester itself is a fantastic city, providing me with a variety of cultural resources such as museums, art galleries and easy access to other cities in Northern England and other parts of the UK.
After the completion of my AGMS programme, I came back to Pakistan as being one of the very few individuals having done a Masters in Museum Studies. I am currently working as a Research Officer at the National Art Gallery in Islamabad, Pakistan along with several other activities such as pursuing my own art practice in the field of painting, and writing for an art discourse magazine by the name of Nukta-Art. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in museums, art galleries or heritage sites especially at the prestigious University of Manchester!
Catherine O'Donnell, AGMS 2008-9
Catherine O'Donnell, Museum Services Assistant, People's History Museum, Manchester
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2008-9)
Studying the AGMS programme in Manchester was both challenging and highly rewarding. The course is academically focussed, with modules in the first semester introducing key historical and museological themes and theories which form a solid groundwork for the more specialised modules of the second semester, which allowed me to develop my research and presentation skills. These were complemented by the practical group projects, which included curating a small exhibition that was displayed on campus, writing a funding application and tracing the biography of an object at Manchester Museum. The staff were highly supportive, especially throughout the research and writing of my essays and dissertation.
The city of Manchester itself is one of the most fantastic cultural resources available, and the tutors used this to their fullest advantage by tailoring fieldwork and assignments so they were specific to the museums and galleries of the city. Workshops and seminars were held at the Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Museum and the trip to Glasgow and Edinburgh in semester one was definitely a highlight of the year!
The most beneficial aspect of the course was my work placement at the People's History Museum. I researched and developed Carried Away, a photographic exhibition taking a sideways look at protest through the last 100 years, illustrated by images of individuals being forcibly removed from the protests by the authorities. It was a real challenge working with a space that hadn't even been built yet, as the museum was undertaking a multi-million pound refurbishment. After I had completed my placement, I stayed on as a volunteer to finish the project and I am now working full time as the Museum Services Assistant and really enjoying starting my career at an exciting, newly-reopened museum. The best part is seeing the visitors enjoy an exhibition that I developed as part of my AGMS placement!
Erin Pruitt, AGMS 2007-8
Erin Pruitt, Collections Assistant, at the South West Museum of the American Indian
(Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2007-8)
As a former full-time international student of the Art Gallery and Museum Studies MA programme (2007- 2008), the courses were challenging, informative, satisfying and very worthwhile. The tutors provided practical and theoretical perspectives, supportive answers, and the resources that I needed for my academic and career development. Part of being in the museum sector is having the ability to share your viewpoints in a clear and effective manner, and the seminar groups and projects provided me with the means to discuss my ideas in many diverse settings. With a full variety of modules to choose from, the programme allowed me to specialise, but still tap into several multidisciplinary approaches. My areas of concentration have always gravitated towards ethnicity reflected through material culture and working in anthropological collection-based research. I was able to refine my interests during the second semester by taking a specialised option course in Archaeology of Ethnicity that complemented my Museums and Material Culture module; all offering a balance of theoretical and practical museum fieldwork experience.
Living and studying in Manchester was the perfect location for me too. Not only did I quickly adapt to a new culture, I had the convenience of numerous museums, art galleries, cultural centres', easy accessibility to London, Liverpool, Oxford and further abroad. Likewise, having my work placement at the Manchester Museum, doing curatorial and collections management work in the Anthropology Department was very relevant and beneficial to my career. The Manchester Museum staff provided me with great support, practical knowledge, flexibility and a friendly environment.
After completing the AGMS programme I came back to the States with a much more enriched knowledge of being a part of the international museum community and having a lasting link to the UK. This programme prepared me not only career wise, but to also further my studies in academic research. My degree in AGMS helped me cement my position because of the specialised exposure I gained through my modules, AGMS Advisor encouragement and overall practical experience. Currently, I'm a Collections Assistant at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian; part of the Autry National Center, supervising and handling the archaeology and ethnographic collections for conservation. My experience in the AGMS programme has given me a platform to do everything I want to do in the museum field, and I have continued to put what I've learned to great use!
Ozge Altinkaya, AGMS 2005-6
Ozge Altinkaya, Assistant Curator, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2005-6)
I studied at the Art Gallery and Museum Studies Course in the 2005-06 academic year. The courses were quite challenging for me at the beginning since the teaching system is different than my own country. Of course taking a course in a foreign language was also uneasy. However, the welcoming attitude of the tutors and the democratic and friendly nature of the courses helped me to adapt to the course quickly. Especially the seminar groups enabled me to express myself confidently while developing my discussion and presentation skills. The diverse context of the theoretical parts of the Course widened my vision as well as knowledge on art galleries and museums in England. During my work placement, I took part in the curation of a fantastic exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery which introduced me the various practical aspects of exhibition making in a museum context. I also enjoyed the rich environment of Manchester in terms of museums and art galleries as well as its close location to some major cities such as Liverpool, Oxford with significant museums. Overall, the knowledge, experience and vision I gained from the Art Gallery and Museum Studies Course helped me to work in one of the leading museums of Turkey as an assistant curator.
Jane Duffy, AGMS 2002-2004
Jane Duffy, Senior Project Co-ordinator, National Museums Liverpool
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Part Time, 2002-2004)
I chose to study on the AGMS masters course part-time, while working as a Project Assistant at World Museum Liverpool. The course offered a good mix of practice and theory, which really complemented the work I was doing. The Museum and its Contexts module helped equip me with a much deeper understanding of the role of the museum as not just a cultural institution, but a social and political one too. The Museums and their Visitors module is highly relevant, encouraging students to investigate the range of factors which affect visitor experience within the museum environment. The work experience placement was valuable in that, as someone already working in museums, it helped me to look afresh at the different services that museums provide. I worked on a new children's gallery at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, exploring the way that an art gallery attracts and communicates with new audiences. Support from tutors was good, with regular opportunities to discuss assignments. There was a good mix of students from different backgrounds, and I enjoyed meetings and discussions with a range of people on the AGMS and other MA courses, due to the cross-curricular nature of the subject.
Since graduating six years ago my career has progressed and I now work as Senior Project Co-ordinator for National Museums Liverpool. Based with the Project Co-ordination Team, I work with designers, curators, and education teams to develop new displays and galleries, and I am currently working on the new Museum of Liverpool on Liverpool's waterfront, due to open in 2011.
Jennifer Kavanagh, AGMS 2006-7
Jennifer Kavanagh, Education Office Supervisor, Imperial War Museum, London
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2006-7)
Having completed my undergraduate studies in Geography at the University of Manchester in 2005, focussing particularly on cultural geography, I decided to stay at Manchester to complete the MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. I have always had a passion for other cultures and their representation, and this course allowed me to develop this interest further, whilst also providing a vital qualification. The museum sector is incredibly competitive, so I decided to focus my module choices on vocational-based subjects. The first semester provided a comprehensive introduction to the practical and sociological aspects of museum and gallery work, and also introduced me to new concepts which are becoming increasingly significant to the sector. This included the widening use of technology, and as such led to me selecting Digital Heritage as one of my two second semester modules. Combining this detailed technical exploration of museum work with the Objects and Exhibitions module provided a broad insight into the behind-the-scenes issues which museum staff need to consider, including safe object handling, accessibility and widening participation. After completing my dissertation on special needs education in the museum context, I moved to London to take up the position of Education Office Supervisor at the Imperial War Museum, which I am thoroughly enjoying. This role involves managing the Education Office, and has provided me with the opportunity to assist my colleagues with both formal and informal education by using much of the knowledge I gained during the MA.
Henry McGhie, AGMS 2003-2005
Henry McGhie, Head of Natural Sciences and Curator of Zoology, The Manchester Museum
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Part-time, 2003-2005)
I studied on the AGMS MA programme part-time while also working full-time at The Manchester Museum. I was very fortunate in that my employer allowed me to have protected time (one day per week) to undertake the programme. The course was one of the most fulfilling and rewarding parts of my career and suited my interests- which incorporate science, the cultural history of natural history and communication of these subjects- perfectly. The course was built around critical thinking of established and innovative working practices, taught through a combination of taught lectures, readings and associated seminars. This range of activities provided for a range of different learning styles and reinforced the key points. The topics were often provocative and this generated a great deal of interesting discussion, especially as people on the course came from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds. The programme encouraged me to continually reflect on my own working practices and this has helped me to develop a questioning approach to my work and to the museum field in general. The staff on the course were very helpful and I am grateful to them for their help with my personal and professional development. I really would recommend the course to anyone working in or with museums, galleries or other heritage-based fields and at any point in their career.
Emma Poulter, AGMS 2002-2004
Emma Poulter, PhD student, University of Manchester
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Part Time, 2002-2004)
The Art Gallery and Museums Studies (AGMS) Masters course at Manchester University was ideal for me. It gave me the opportunity to widen my knowledge of the heritage sector and provided me with first-hand experience of working in a museum environment.
My degree was in archaeology and I came to the AGMS course knowing that I would be working with students from various different disciplines. The course provided a range of modules to suit all interests whilst also promoting a multidisciplinary approach. Doing the course in a city with such vibrant and exciting collections was definitely also a bonus. After I completed my MA I applied to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding to do a PhD looking at the histories of the objects in the West African collections at the Manchester Museum- why and how they travelled to Manchester. Luckily I got this funding and I am now in the final stages of writing up my thesis.
My experiences on the AGMS course and my PhD have provided me with an in-depth understanding of museums and has fired my passion to work with objects to inspire and to challenge. I am now looking forward now to putting these skills to use as a Museum Curator.
Claire Wintle, AGMS 2003-2004
Dr Claire Wintle, Lecturer, History of Art and Design University of Brighton
(MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2003-4)
My year as an MA student on the University of Manchester's Art Gallery and Museum Studies course was extremely positive. I found the staff to be approachable, enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable in their respective fields, and supportive, both in terms of my academic study and professional career. The diverse modules on offer during my period of study served as a great introduction to museology as a discipline: I really enjoyed exploring a variety of theoretical perspectives on exhibition, appropriation and learning in the museum. Doing the course at Manchester, at the heart of the North West's outstanding cultural scene, meant that I was able to take full advantage of a work placement at National Museums Liverpool. The placement scheme was really useful in supplementing my academic understanding with practical experience, and happened to lead to my employment at National Museums Liverpool after graduation.
Recently, I completed a collaborative PhD, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and hosted by both Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and the University of Sussex. During that time I worked in Brighton's World Art department, researching and curating the Museum's collections from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India). Now I lecture in the History of Art and Museum Studies at Brighton University, with a particular interest in imperialism, material culture and decolonization. The practical and academic grounding that was fostered by the AGMS course in Manchester has been invaluable in this current role.