SOAS-IAU University Diploma in Museum Studies (sponsored by the Museums Commission)

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Key information

Start of programme
13 April 2025
Attendance mode
Full-time
Location
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia and SOAS University of London, UK
Fees

For all students: £19,500

Entry requirements

We will consider applications for the Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies 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.  

Course overview

The Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies is sponsored by the Museums Commission in Saudi Arabia.   

Offered by SOAS and IAU, this unique programme provides 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. Issues and themes dealt with in lectures are developed further through tutorials, review sessions, seminars, group discussion and visits to museums, galleries and other sites. The programme is convened by academic staff in the School of Arts, SOAS, and includes guest contributions from world leading scholars, curators and museum professionals In Saudi Arabia and the UK. 

Students will gain the ability to critically evaluate how museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, public art, online platforms/digital curating, and other display contexts create and communicate meaning.  

Following successful completion of the Diploma programme,  students can opt to convert the Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies into a Masters degree (MA Museum Studies) by undertaking an additional dissertation module run in 2026. Up to ten students will be offered full Master’s sponsorships by the Museums Commission. 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 to be considered.   

Students converting to the Master’s degree will work on their Master’s dissertations between February and September (tbc) 2026. During this period students will participate in online workshops, group work and one-to-one meetings. 

Structure

Students enrolled on the Postgraduate Diploma take six modules, including an Independent Study Project module taught in term 3. The course is taught at IAU in Dammam, Saudi Arabia and at SOAS in London, with some online components.  

Term 1: Apr - Jun

  • On-campus teaching at IAU, Dammam, Saudi Arabia and online sessions 
  • Assessment deadlines between April and June

Term 2: Jul - Sep 

  • 4 weeks on-campus teaching at SOAS in London in July  
  • Assessment deadlines between July and September

Term 3: Oct - Nov  

  • Online workshops. 
  • Assessment deadline in November. 

Modules

Teaching and learning

Programme learning outcomes  

  • Develop an ability to critically evaluate 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

Following successful completion of the Diploma programme, students may opt to convert the Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies into a Masters degree (MA Museum Studies) by undertaking a Master’s level dissertation module in 2026. The cost of the MA conversion is £8,900 [2026 fee tbc].

  • Postgraduate Diploma Museum Studies: £19,500 

The fees do not include the cost of travel, accommodation and subsistence in London. 

The tuition fees are for the 2024/25 academic year only and may increase by up to 5% in later years of your programme. You’ll need to budget for these increases as well as fluctuations in your own currency.   

Sponsorship 

All applicants who are citizens of Saudi Arabia will automatically be considered for sponsorship, generously provided by the Museums Commission of Saudi Arabia, covering fees and accommodation in London.

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.  

Visas  

This programme includes 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 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’re a national of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates you can get an ETA if you are travelling to the UK from 22 February 2024. If you are a national of Qatar you can also get an ETA.  

If you are a national of another country, please see information on the Standard Visitor Visa and how to apply.  

Application procedure  

Please apply by completing the online application form. 

To apply for this programme, you select:
Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies - IAU

As part of the application, you will be required to provide:  

  • Copy of Passport 
  • Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificate 
  • SOAS-recognised English Language test with a two-year validity (if applicable)
  • Personal Statement (500-1,000 words) 

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 for this programme: 

  • TOEFL iBT Home Edition 
  • IELTS Academic Online 
  • IELCA Home (Academic) online 
  • Password Skills Plus 
  • DuoLingo

Key staff

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