SOAS and Museums Commission celebrate graduating Master's cohort
SOAS and the Museums Commission of Saudi Arabia marked the graduation of 34 students from its joint Museum Studies programme, a milestone that reflects the Commission’s continued investment in developing the talent, expertise and professional capabilities that support the Kingdom’s growing museum and cultural sector.
Delivered through a joint academic model with SOAS and partnerships with Effat University in Jeddah and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam, the program combines Saudi-based instruction with a period of study at SOAS’s Bloomsbury campus in London, pairing locally rooted teaching with direct exposure to international museum practice.
This graduation reflects what is possible when academic excellence is paired with genuine partnership, and grounded in dedication and experience.
The cohort included 24 students who earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies, with 19 progressing to the Master's pathway, and the second cohort included 38 students earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies, with 24 progressing to the Master's pathway.
Graduates are now contributing to organisations across Saudi Arabia’s cultural landscape. This breadth of placement - spanning national institutions, museums, universities, galleries, foundations, a biennial and creative-industry organisations - demonstrates the program’s contribution to building professional capacity across the wider cultural landscape, extending well beyond the Commission’s own workforce.
Professor Graeme Earl, Dean of College of Humanities, SOAS, said: “This graduation reflects what is possible when academic excellence is paired with genuine partnership, and grounded in dedication and experience. Our students have brought Saudi Arabia’s cultural ambition and legacy into dialogue with global museum practice, and we look forward to seeing them shape the sector’s next chapter.”
Eng. Abdullah Al-Hammad, Chief Executive Officer of the Museums Commission, said: “Developing national talent is central to the Commission’s mission to advance the museum sector and enhance its contribution to Saudi Arabia’s cultural future. Watching this cohort graduate is a proud moment for all of us. Through our partnership with SOAS, Effat University and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, we’re giving Saudi professionals the knowledge and hands-on experience they need to help shape the future of museums and culture across the Kingdom.”
The program was fully sponsored by the Museums Commission, through tuition fee sponsorships for the graduating cohort.
