Overview
Discover how the past shapes the future with the MA in Heritage at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Based in the centre of a World Heritage Site in Canterbury, Kent, this course offers an exceptional foundation for postgraduate students looking to build or advance a career in the heritage sector.
You’ll develop a critical understanding of how heritage is interpreted, managed, and represented, whilst gaining the digital and practical skills that are increasingly vital for today’s professionals.
This innovative MA explores how the study and management of heritage connect to wider social issues such as inequality, colonialism, and identity. You’ll examine how heritage can be a tool for both reflection and transformation, helping communities to understand the past and shape more inclusive futures.
What you'll learn
- Explore how people engage with the tangible and intangible remains of the past, and how these shape our values and identities in the present.
- Apply theoretical, ethical, and legislative frameworks to critically analyse and manage heritage in professional contexts.
- Examine the complex social, political, and economic challenges influencing the heritage sector today.
- Develop advanced digital, practical, and research skills to support your professional growth and future career in heritage.
- Lead original research or create innovative heritage interpretation projects that contribute meaningful insights to the field.
Taught by experts actively engaged in heritage research and practice, you’ll benefit from close academic support and professional guidance.
The course will equip you with the analytical, ethical, and technical skills needed to work across museums, heritage organisations, archives, and cultural institutions, or to progress into doctoral study and academic research.
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Watch on YouTubeOur MA Heritage degree is a unique opportunity for those hoping to build a career in the heritage sector to study from the heart of a World Heritage Site.Dr Catriona Cooper, Course Director
Why study at CCCU?
Entry requirements
A 2:2 honours degree or above in a relevant Humanities discipline.
We will also consider applications from those with other qualifications, those returning from education or with a relevant background. Do get in touch if you have any questions; your application will be considered on an individual basis.
Entry requirements for international students whose first language is not English include an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in reading and writing.
For more information on the IELTS (International English language Testing System) requirements for this course, please click here to visit our dedicated IELTS web page.
2:2
A relevant honours degree
Module information
Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
Students will spend approximately six hours per week in seminars, workshops and lectures. This course is highly practical and focuses on supporting you to develop as a practitioner with a strong grounding in the theoretical and conceptual elements of heritage. As such most content is delivered by seminar and workshop teaching. Seminars focus on sources, developments, and debates in the field, whilst workshops focus on skills training, development, and practice.
Taught postgraduate students give over more of their time to independent study, to reading, research, creating, and writing. You can expect to spend up to 260 hours per module in independent study and preparation, and to complete your assessments. Some modules such as the Practical Project and Independent Essay are based on a supervision and study model, with students often spending their summer months on their projects.
All students will be taught by full-time academic staff who are specialist teachers, researchers and authors in their respective fields, supported by guest lectures from industry experts. Heritage is an interdisciplinary field meaning you will be team taught by staff specialising from such diverse fields as archaeology, creative writing, english literature, history, theology, tourism, and curatorial studies.
Discipline specific skills development is at the heart of this highly vocational and digital MA. This new postgraduate course will encourage students to directly address their specific digital, employability, and workplace skills training needs, whilst also providing a strong grounding in the theoretical areas of scholarship.Dr Catriona CooperCourse Director
How you’ll be assessed
The interdisciplinary and vocational nature of the discipline has allowed us to make use of a variety of assessment types including exhibitions, artefacts (digital and material) and other media.
In addition to preparing essays, you might be assessed through mock reports, consultancy papers, presentations, podcasts or other digital outputs, and independent research projects. You will have the opportunity to focus each piece of work on the area of heritage you are interested in, whilst also getting a range of experiences from a wide diet of assessment. This course does not set exams.
Your future career
This MA has been designed to open a range of opportunities into work or further study. Careers might include heritage consultancy in either the commercial sector or in local government, roles in heritage interpretation and communication for heritage institutions, or employment in local businesses and government institutions.
Recent graduates have gone on to roles as rangers, administrators on digital heritage projects, and developing their roles at the National Trust.
Fees
Tuition Fees for 2026/27 have not yet been finalised. These course web pages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once they have been agreed.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for postgraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk