Senior Lecturer in Museum Studies
Sponsored by the Saudi Museums Commission: SOAS-Effat University Joint Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies
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Key information
Key information
- Start date
- Attendance mode
- Full-time
- Location
- Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and SOAS University of London, UK
Course overview
The Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies is sponsored by the Museums Commission in Saudi Arabia and is jointly awarded by SOAS and Effat University, Saudi Arabia.
The Postgraduate Diploma is a unique programme providing theoretical and practical training in Museum Studies, including hands-on experience with objects. Students will acquire in-depth knowledge of the specific requirements of various museum roles, including those of curators, educators, registrars, object handlers and designers. The programme includes guest contributions from world leading scholars, curators and museum professionals as well as in-person and virtual visits to London’s leading museums.
Upon completion of the programme, students will have the ability to evaluate critically how museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, public art, online platforms / digital curating, and other display contexts create and communicate meaning.
Up to 10 students will be offered the opportunity to convert the Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies into a masters (MA Museum Studies) by undertaking an additional dissertation module. Students will be selected by the Museums Commission based on their academic performance in the Postgraduate Diploma and will need to achieve a minimum of a Merit (60-69%) to be considered.
The deadline to express interest in this programme has now passed.
Minimum entry requirements
We will consider applications with the equivalent of a UK undergraduate degree at 2:2 or above (Saudi Arabia: 70% or 3.0/5.0 or 2.7/4.0).
Find out more about international qualification equivalencies by country. Following an academic assessment by SOAS, Effat University will make final overall approvals of applications.
English language requirements
All applicants must be able to show that their English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete their course. Students need a minimum of IELTS 6.5 overall and 6.0 in sub scores (or equivalent from other recognised English Language tests).
SOAS accepts the following online English tests:
- TOEFL iBT Home Edition
- IELTS Academic Online
- IELCA Home (Academic) online
- Password Skills Plus
Find out more about SOAS' English language requirements.
Modules
| Modules | Credits |
|---|---|
| Analysing and Exploring the Museum | 15 |
| Core Principles of Curation | 30 |
| Engagement, Audiences and Access | 15 |
| Curation in a Digital Age | 15 |
| Museum Collections in Practice | 15 |
| Independent Study Project in Museum Studies | 30 |
Analysing and Exploring the Museum
Analysing and Exploring the Museum, is designed to provide students with foundational study skills and vocational insights in the context of museum studies. Through focused case studies, students will develop essential academic skills while also exploring their practical applications within the field of museum studies, including curation, interpretation, conservation, collection management, exhibition project management, and learning and audience engagement.
Core Principles of Curation
This module introduces students to the foundations of curatorial work and covers a range of theoretical, practical and applied skills. Students will learn best practices for the cataloguing, care, and curation of museum collections, including critical issues of international museum standards, risk management, and collection management systems, via a combination of immersive lectures and seminars delivered by leading museum practitioners and scholars, and focused exercises exploring specific case studies.
To enrich the learning experience, this module is further supported by professionally curated video content produced in collaboration with SOAS and museum professionals from the UK and other regions. The videos will centre on permanent and temporary displays they curate, research and care for.
Engagement, Audiences and Access
This module is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in understanding, engaging, and expanding museum audiences. In an era of rapidly evolving cultural institutions, this module equips students with the theoretical foundations and practical tools necessary to enhance the accessibility, relevance, and impact of museums in the 21st century.
This module explores advanced topics in museum studies, focusing on audience engagement and accessibility. Students delve into audience analysis, segmentation, and visitor studies to gain insights into visitor motivations and preferences. They learn storytelling techniques for creating engaging exhibitions and programs, ensuring the representation of diverse perspectives.
Curation in a Digital Age
New technologies are reshaping the way we interact with museum collections, displays and spaces. Digital technologies have catalysed a dramatic reimagining of what a museum can be in the 21st century. This module explores how this dramatic moment of change is reshaping the museum sector today.
With a range of theoretical and practical content, this module will give you experience and confidence to meet the digital challenges of museum work today and in the future.
Museum Collections in Practice
This module enables students to reflect on the formation of the museum's collections, the various ways they can be activated and used, and the requirements for their care. This theoretical foundation is supported by a rigorous, practical foundation in the requirements of museum work, with an emphasis on curatorial roles, collection care and management, and the organisation of museum displays.
Also included are considerations of museum standards, accessioning and deaccessioning, documentation and collection management systems, as well as disaster planning, risk management and significance assessments. Through a mix of theoretical lectures, reflective seminars, and practical hands-on experience this module provides a rigorous foundation for those who wish to understand how museums operate, and who wish to pursue professional opportunities in this sector.
Independent Study Project in Museum Studies
This module allows you to develop a focused project on a single topic in museum studies, consolidating the skills and approaches you have developed throughout your programme by applying them to a single output. Your output can be an essay OR an exhibition proposal with object captions.
You will attend several online and face-to-face workshops to select a topic, appraise appropriate sources, research and deliver your final output. This is an opportunity for you to pursue a singular, focused passion, communicating and consolidating your understanding and critical engagement with the content of the Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies programme.
Dissertation in Museum Studies (MA students only)
The dissertation can be an essay on a topic or theme selected by the student OR an exhibition proposal with object captions. Assessments include an annotated bibliography of 700 words and a dissertation of 9000 words.
Face-to-face workshops will be taught by the module convenor in Saudi as well as online one-to-one supervisory meetings and online group sessions.
Visas
This programme contains mandatory travel from Saudi Arabia to the UK. To be able to undertake the programme, students must successfully obtain a visitor visa for the UK prior to the start of term 2.
Please ensure to check the visa requirements and your eligibility for a visa for the UK before applying to this programme. SOAS cannot accept liability for failure of a student to obtain a valid UK visa for the programme.
Depending on your nationality and current UK immigration status you may need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or a Standard Visitor Visa to study at SOAS in term 2.
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
If you are a national of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates you can apply for an ETA if you are travelling to the UK from 22 February 2024. If you are a national of Qatar you can also apply for an ETA.
- Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) - GOV.UK
- If you are a national of another country, please see information on the standard visitor visa and how to apply.
Application
Following an academic assessment by SOAS, Effat University will make final overall approvals of applications.
Application procedure
The application deadline has now passed.
- Passport copy
- Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificate
- SOAS-recognised English Language test* with a 2-year validity
- Personal Statement (500-1,000 words)
The personal statement should answer questions such as: Why do you want to enrol on this programme? What are your goals and expectations for the program? How do you envision the program helping you in your future career or personal development?
Deadline
The deadline to apply is 19 March 2024. All supporting documentation must be submitted by 26 March 2024.
Contact us
Structure
The Postgraduate Diploma has six modules, including an Independent Study Project. The course is taught at Effat University in Saudi Arabia and at SOAS in London, with some online components.
Term 1 (21 Apr to 11 Jun)
Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Online. All study at Effat University will be full-time (Sun – Thu, 9:30am-7:00pm). Online study includes live seminars which take place in the evening (7:00-9:00pm) and independent study.
| Effat University | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Analysing and Exploring the Museum | 21 – 25 Apr | 28 Apr – 9 May |
| Core Principles of Curation (Part 1) | 12 – 16 May | 19 May – 1 Jun |
| Core Principles of Curation (Part 2) | 2 – 6 Jun | 9 – 11 Jun (online assessments) |
Term 2 (1 Jul– 26 Jul )
Four weeks at SOAS in London, UK, in July followed by self-study. All study at SOAS will be full time (Mon-Fri, 9:30am-5:00pm).All online study will be either independent of outside of work hours.
| SOAS | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement, Audiences and Access | 1 Jul– 26 Jul | 28 Jul – 19 Aug |
| Curation in a Digital Age | 1 Jul– 26 Jul | 28 Jul – 19 Aug |
| Museum Collections in Practice | 1 Jul– 26 Jul | 28 Jul – 19 Aug |
Term 3 (16 Sep to 25 Nov)
Online and four in-person workshops at Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The four workshops will be spaced across September, October and November and will take place on Thursdays from 5:00pm-8:00pm.
| Effat University | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Study Project in Museum Studies | Four workshops | 16 Sep – 25 Nov |
| Workshop 1 | 19 Sep | |
| Workshop 2 | 10 Oct | |
| Workshop 3 | 31 Oct | |
| Workshop 4 | 21 Nov |
Issues and themes dealt with in lectures are developed further through tutorials, review sessions, seminars, group discussion forums and visits to museums, galleries and other collections.
Masters conversion: April to October
Online and at Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Dissertation in Museum Studies
Students converting to the masters will undertake their dissertations for a maximum of seven months from April to October 2025.
Teaching and learning
Programme learning outcomes
- Develop an ability to evaluate critically how museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, public art, online platforms/digital curating, and other display contexts create and communicate meaning.
- Be able to critically analyse the role of museums and galleries in the production of meaning and value to objects via practices of collecting, display, interpretation and conservation.
- Become familiar with the methods, practices and key issues surrounding the ways in which museums care for, communicate, and develop their collections.
- Acquire in-depth knowledge of the specific requirements of various museum roles, including curation, interpretation, learning, exhibitions, and collection management.
Fees and funding
The Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies is sponsored by the Museums Commission in Saudi Arabia. The tuition fees of successful applicants will be covered by the Museums Commission. For students selected to undertake the MA Museum Studies, the fees for the MA are included in the Postgraduate Diploma.
- Postgraduate Diploma Museum Studies: £34,781 (the tuition fees of successful applicants will be covered by the Museums Commission)
The fees include 4 weeks accommodation and teaching in London, but students will be responsible for covering all other costs associated with the 4-week teaching programme in London, such as travel to/from London and subsistence.
Please note: Where fees are paid by a sponsor, funding or government body, final responsibility for the payment and liability for fees remains with the student. Where the sponsor, funding or government body fails to make the requirement payment(s), the student becomes responsible for the payment of fees. If no payment is received, the student will be withdrawn from the programme.