2025/26 entry
MA Exhibition Studies | Part-time
About this course
Exhibition Studies engages with exhibition formats, through a theoretical and practical understanding of what constitutes an exhibition in the 21st century.
- Follow a curriculum which focuses on exhibition histories from 1850 onwards
- Apply your own expertise, as well as studio practice, to develop research topics through project-based learning
- Study full-time over one year or part-time over two years
- Benefit from a programme supported by internationally renowned arts organisations, including Liverpool Biennial, Tate Liverpool, FACT, RIBA North and Aarhus University, Denmark
- Enjoy direct benefits from the degree's links to the Exhibition Research Lab and a range of international collaborations and partnerships developed by staff
- Explore best practice and the very latest in innovative forms of exhibition and curatorial practices
- Benefit from state-of-the-art workspaces and facilities within the modern, purpose-built and RIBA award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building
- The 2022 Liverpool School of Art and Design MA Online Degree Show
- View and engage with work produced by masters students from the Liverpool School of Art and Design
- Take advantage of the generous Michael Pugh Thomas and Julia Carter Preston Legacy £1000 scholarships offered to postgraduate applicants
The programme considers the history and practice of exhibition culture, specifically the mediation of curatorial projects in galleries and museums, biennials and other survey exhibitions.
As a student, you will be based in the School of Art and Design, the oldest art school in the UK outside of London.
Additional funding for this programme is available via the Susan Cotton Travel Award and other study bursaries.
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MA Exhibition Studies
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- access to programme-appropriate software
- library and student IT support
- free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
Graduates of our MA Exhibition Studies have gone on to work for major cultural institutions, including The Henry Moore Institute (Leeds), British Music Experience (Liverpool), and National Museums Liverpool.
"MA Exhibition Studies is the only degree of its kind in the UK to focus on the craft and culture of exhibitions. I look forward to working with students to develop new and engaging ways of curating, exhibiting and demonstrating the value of art."
Sally Tallant OBE, Executive Director, Queens Museum - New York
The student experience
Discover life as a postgraduate student at LJMU.
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Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.
Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.
Your programme is made up of a number of core modules which are part of the course framework. Some programmes also have optional modules that can be selected to enhance your learning in certain areas and many feature a dissertation, extended report or research project to demonstrate your advanced learning.
Core modules
Research and Practice 1
30 credits
This module is shared by all students studying on taught postgraduate programmes at Liverpool School of Art and Design and allows you to collaborate across programmes.
- A series of lectures, seminars, tutorials and visits will introduce you to current and emerging practice in relation to a diverse range of historical, theoretical and critical principles
- Guest lecturers will expose you to areas of collaboration
- Seminars and tutorials will require you to share, discuss and evaluate your ideas and practice with others
Research and Practice 2 (Exhibition Studies)
30 credits
Significant historic exhibitions, together with key readings, will form the core syllabus of Research & Practice 2 (Exhibition Studies). It aims to:
- deepen the practice of exhibition research
- introduce the histories and practices of exhibition-making
Transdisciplinary Practice
30 credits
This module intends to promote in depth investigation into contemporary creative practices and provide, through the possibilities of transdisciplinary participation in live Institute of Art and Technology research projects, an understanding of the social, cultural and economic environment of the city.
Within the module, you will facilitate an engagement with cultural and regulatory institutions and organisations to enrich your experience of the professional environment of contemporary urban art and design.
Through key Institute of Art and Technology projects and partnerships, a range of transdisciplinary projects which challenge the notion of the interdisciplinary practice within the context of contemporary art & design, and which enable you to propose, plan, organise, publish and promote your work and research within the context of The Institute of Art and Design.
Studio Practice (Exhibition Studies)
30 credits
Studio Practice is a subject specific module, providing an opportunity to share, investigate and contextualise experiences of exhibition making. You will define your existing practice and extend its scope and ambition through a combination of self-initiated or set projects. It aims to:
- introduce you to the professional practice of exhibition making
- develop awareness of core practices, models, and challenges of exhibition making
- provide technical and critical skills relevant to the enhancement of your practice
- analyse and critically evaluate histories and strategies through specific exhibition case studies
Major Project (Exhibition Studies)
60 credits
This module will provide you the opportunity to conduct an extended independent research project. This will improve your ability to identify appropriate topics and research questions, to analyse and structure research material, to develop cogent arguments, to sustain an enquiry over a lengthy period of time, and to organize a lengthy piece of writing. The module intends to encourage you to engage, more broadly, in active learning and to reflect on and identify their further intellectual development and training needs.
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
Your studies commence with a full timetable of seminars as you get to grips with your MA and the school-wide collaborative practice module. The main study days for the majority of your MA are Tuesday and Friday with a full week of preparation for the School-wide Masters degree show in April/May.
Teaching methods
The programme is underpinned by the work of the Exhibition Research Lab. It draws on the internationally distinguished expertise of staff and visiting staff engaged in theoretical and applied research in the field of exhibitions studies and curating. There is also collaboration with key cultural local and national institutions.
Applied learning
Operating in close partnership with Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial, FACT (Foundation for Creative Art and Technology) and RIBA North (Royal Institute of British Architects), we can offer our students opportunities to develop public presentations, curatorial projects, and exhibitions in real-life contexts.
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
You will be assessed by: coursework, written essays, reports, oral presentations, projects and evaluations. The major project will comprise a written dissertation or practical project (thesis exhibition) and a written report. In most modules, more than one piece of assessment is required. Programme assessment seeks to replicate professional curatorial and exhibition practice.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
James Schofield
Programme leader
James is an artist, curator and postgraduate researcher focussing on artist-led practice in the UK post-Great Recession. James's research is focused on artist-led practices and organisation in the UK post-financial crisis and the relationship it has with neoliberalism, globalisation and network culture.
The development of the students throughout the year is incredible, you can really see how much the course enriches their knowledge of the subject, in particular when they take on an area of specialism and use this for their final project. One of the most delightful aspects is seeing the students perform well when they start working in museums and galleries, then I feel like I've prepared them well for the cultural sector.
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Professor
School facilities
What you can expect from your School
Liverpool School of Art and Design is housed in the RIBA award winning John Lennon Art and Design Building in the Mount Pleasant Campus and offers extensive studio spaces, lecture theatres and a dedicated public exhibition space.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Undergraduate degree
- a minimum 2:1 in a visual arts-related subject (non standard applications and those without a degree will be assessed on the basis of experience)
- a reference
- to be able to demonstrate the ability to benefit from and contribute to the programme
Additional requirements
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Interview required
- to attend an interview
International requirements
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IELTS
- IELTS English language requirement: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)
Further information
- Extra Requirements
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RPL
- RPL is accepted on this programme
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
Short-listed applicants will be invited to attend an interview. Whilst we do recommend an interview on campus (to meet with staff and see our facilities), Skype interviews are available if you are unable to come to Liverpool. The interview will assess your suitability for the programme and provide you and the interview panel with the opportunity to gain further information.
During your interview you will need to provide evidence of your learning capability, study opportunity and commitment to a postgraduate programme of study.
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.