MSc Heritage

at University of Stirling

This MSc programme provides you with an excellent foundation in current conceptual and theoretical debates, alongside a strong grounding in practical issues relating to the conservation and management of heritage. You will find a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches, with modules from a wide range of disciplines, providing successful students with more advanced and diverse skills. Fieldtrips, case studies, and input from heritage professionals offer first-hand learning from a range of local, national, international, and professional contexts. You can take option modules with Stirling Management School (e.g. in project management and managing change). Cutting-edge research training is provided by academic staff at the forefront of research in their fields provides successful students with an excellent foundation for independent research.
 

Students can register for the broad MSc Heritage course or opt to specialise in the Cultural Heritage Studies pathway. No matter what you decide, you’ll choose from a range of optional modules alongside compulsory modules.
 

Additional guidance for students specialising in the Cultural Heritage Studies Pathway

Cultural Heritage Studies is a dynamic, interdisciplinary field that promotes critical understandings of how heritage operates in a global, interconnected contemporary world. The Cultural Heritage pathway enables you to engage with foundational issues in heritage conservation, management and interpretation through a dialogue between theory and practice. You will examine how heritage is selected, managed and used in response to present and future societal challenges. 
 
This pathway provides a grounded, yet critically informed, knowledge of the social and political ‘work' of heritage, underpinned by the different intercultural perspectives and values that shape heritage. A broad range of optional modules allow you to specialise in particular areas, such as identity, memory and place-making; collecting and curating in museums; and managing historic environments. Option modules from the Stirling Management School also provide the opportunity to specialise in areas of management relevant to the heritage sector. 
 
Successful graduates are well-placed to address current challenges and debates surrounding heritage and play an active role contributing to new heritage futures. 
 
Students taking the Cultural Heritage pathway must select HERPPD2 Cultural Heritage Dissertation and ensure a minimum of 20 of the 60 credits from the following pathway option module list: HERPP04, HERPP06, HERPP07.  
Students taking this pathway can still select an option module from the 'elective' option list above, if they wish, as long as they still meet their pathway requirements. 
 
* modules are subject to change as the University regularly revises and refreshes its curriculum of our taught courses and not all of the options listed above will be available every year. 

Core modules  (compulsory)    

• Heritage: Critical Perspectives
• Heritage as Practice: Conservation, Management and Interpretation
• Research Skills
• Cultural Heritage Dissertation/Work-Related Dissertation
   

Option modules (you must take a minimum of two modules – 40 credits)     

• Heritage, Identity and Place
• Digital Heritage and Museums
• Curating and Collecting: Approaches in Museums and Heritage
• Understanding and Managing Historic Environments: a Scottish Perspective
• Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Medieval Past
   

Elective option modules 
 

Additionally, you can select one module (20 credits) from this elective list:

• Tourism and Strategic Public Relations
• Measuring Social Outcomes and Impacts
• Cultural Politics of Decolonisation
• International Law and Sustainable Development

Or two ‘elective’ modules (10 credits each) with Stirling Management School:

• Project Management
• Managing Change
• Strategic Management
• Innovation Management
• Social Marketing
   

English language requirements
 

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

• IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in reading and writing and 6.0 in speaking and listening
• Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) 176 overall with a minimum of 176 in reading and writing and 169 in speaking and listening
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) 180 overall with a minimum of 180 in reading and writing and 169 in speaking and listening
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) 62 overall with a minimum of 62 in reading and writing and 60 in speaking and listening
• IBT TOEFL 80 overall with a minimum of 19 in reading, 24 in writing, 21 in speaking and 19 in listening
• IBT TOEFL Special Home Edition Test 80 overall with a minimum of 19 in reading, 24 in writing, 21 in speaking and 19 in listening
• Trinity ISE II Pass overall with a minimum of Merit in speaking and listening and distinction in reading and writing, ISE III Pass overall and in all sub-skills, ISE IV Pass overall and in all sub-skills
• Aptis (4 skills) CEFR B2 overall and B2 in all sub-skills
• Duolingo 105 overall with a minimum of 105 in reading and writing and 95 in speaking and listening
• LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator - High Pass with a minimum of 152/200 overall including 38 in reading and writing, and 33 in speaking and listening
   

Undergraduate
 

Direct Entry to 1st Year:
 

Year 12 Grade – cumulative score of 65% and above from the following state boards:

• CBSE
• ISC/ICSE
• Metro state boards (Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal)
   

Students from other state boards will require Year 12 Grade – cumulative score of 75%.
 

Advanced Entry to 2nd Year:
 

Year 12 Grade – cumulative score of 75% and above from the following state boards:

• CBSE
• ISC/ICSE
• Metro state boards (Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal)
   

Advanced entry is possible on a range of courses. Student applications will be considered on a case by case basis.
 

Please note that advanced entry options for students who have scored 35 in the International Baccalaureate or GCE A-Levels ABB in one sitting will also be considered on a case by case basis.
 

Postgraduate

Students who score 70% in English in Year 12 from the following exam boards won't be required to submit IELTS, if studied within 5 years of our course start date:

• CBSE
• ISC/ICSE
• Metro state boards (Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal)
   

Students from other state boards will either need 80% in English if studied within 5 years of the course start date, or a UKVI SELT, IELTS Academic or PTE Academic, depending on the state board, taken within 2 years of our course start date.
 

Students who meet the above criteria, but Year 12 scores are between 6 and 10 years old, will also be required to submit an official letter from their university or college, stating that the medium of instruction (MOI) was in English, and confirming graduation is within 5 years of our course start date.

Overseas (non-EU) students

2022/23 - £19,145
2023/24 - £19,645
 

Course fees

Fees shown are for a full-time, one-year Masters course.

• If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
• If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
   

Cost of living
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
 

European Union and overseas students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.

We aim to produce graduates who will be future leaders and innovators in the heritage sector, contributing to the societal relevance and resilience of heritage. Join us and you could become one of them!
 

Successful graduation from the MSc Heritage will prepare you for a wide range of roles in the heritage and related sectors. Future career paths might include: heritage manager; heritage interpreter; heritage education officer; collections manager; various heritage tourism roles; heritage protection; heritage curator; outreach and public engagement roles; marketing officer and heritage researcher, to name just a few. The diverse range of advanced transferrable skills acquired through the MSc Heritage can also support career development in related sectors, such as museums, arts management and creative industries.