Progressive, real-world learning. Online.
Key facts
.5 year full time or 1 year part time equivalent
Key dates
Direct applications to Deakin for Trimester 1 2021 close 21 February 2021
Current Deakin Students
To access your official course details for the year you started your degree, please visit the handbook
Course information
Learn the skills and knowledge to kick-start your career working in a museum.
Whether you want to work with objects and collections, manage a museum or heritage building, or protect and interpret significant sites, undertaking museum studies provides a pathway into this diverse and exciting sector.
Today’s museums are evolving. They’re designed to be much more accessible and, as such, are attracting more diverse audiences every day. Innovation and new technologies are pushing the modern museum to think outside the box and to engage with audiences in new ways.
This course aims to produce graduates who are independent, innovative, and creative thinkers who can competently undertake a range of tasks relevant to a career in museum work.
Read MoreCourse structure
To qualify for the award of Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, a student must successfully complete 4 credit points of study comprising:
- 2 credit points of compulsory core units
- Academic Integrity AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
- 2 credit points selected from the specified list of electives below
Core Units
Course Electives
Key information
2021 course information
Campuses by intake
Campus availability varies per trimester. This means that a course offered in Trimester 1 may not be offered in the same location for Trimester 2 or 3. Read more to learn where this course will be offered throughout the year.
Trimester 1 - March
- Start date: March
- Available at:
- Burwood (Melbourne)
- Cloud Campus
Trimester 2 - July
- Start date: July
- Available at:
- Burwood (Melbourne)
- Cloud Campus
Additional course information
Course duration - additional information
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.
Mandatory student checks
Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.
Participation requirements
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.
Work experience
Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.
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Entry requirements
Entry information
Deakin University offers admission to postgraduate courses through a number of Admission categories.
All applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements.
Please note that meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee selection, which is based on merit, likelihood of success and availability of places in the course.
For more information on the Admission Criteria and Selection (Higher Education Courses) Policy visit the Deakin Policy Library
Entry will be based on performance in:
- Bachelor degree or higher OR
- at least two years of relevant work experience (or part-time equivalent) OR
- Evidence of academic capability judged to be equivalent.
Admissions information
Learn more about this course and others that Deakin offers by visiting VTAC for more information. You can also discover how Deakin compares to other universities when it comes to the quality of our teaching and learning by visiting the ComparED website.
Special entry access schemes (SEAS) enables Deakin to consider disadvantageous circumstances you may have experienced and their impact upon your studies. SEAS also allows us to identify if you're from under-represented groups when making selection decisions for some courses. SEAS does not exempt you from meeting any of the course entry requirements.
You can also find out about different entry pathways into Deakin courses if you can't get in straight from high school.
Finally, Deakin is committed to admissions transparency. As part of that commitment, you can learn more about our first intake of 2020 students (PDF, 581.6KB) - their average ATARs, whether they had any previous higher education experience and more.
Recognition of prior learning
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
You can also refer to the Recognition of Prior Learning System which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.
Applications for credit transfer will be considered depending on the quality and subject matter of the student's prior qualifications and professional experience.
The Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum and the Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies comprise a suite of fully articulated courses. Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies allows for articulation into the Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies with up to 4cp of RPL. Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies will lead to entry into the Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies.
Fees and scholarships
Fee information
Learn more about fees and your options for paying.
The available fee places for this course are detailed above. Not all courses at Deakin have Commonwealth supported places available.
The 'Estimated tuition fee' is provided as a guide only based on a typical enrolment of students completing this course within the same year as they started. The cost will vary depending on the units you choose, your study load, the length of your course and any approved Recognition of Prior Learning.
One year full-time study load is typically represented by four credit points of study for Graduate Certificates. Each unit you enrol in has a credit point value. The 'Estimated tuition fee' is calculated by adding together four credit points of a typical combination of units for your course.
You can find the credit point value of each unit under the Unit Description by searching for the unit in the Handbook.
Learn more about fees and available payment options.
Scholarship options
A Deakin scholarship might change your life. If you've got something special to offer Deakin – or you just need the financial help to get you here – we may have a scholarship opportunity for you.
Postgraduate bursary
If you’re a Deakin alumnus commencing a postgraduate award course, you may be eligible to receive a 15% reduction per unit on your enrolment fees. Your Immediate Family Members may also be eligible to apply for this bursary.
Apply now
How to apply
Applications can be made directly to the University through the Application Portal. For information on the application process and closing dates, see the how to apply web page. Please note that closing dates may vary for individual courses.
For more information on the application process and closing dates, see the How to apply webpage. If you're still having problems, please contact us for assistance.
Contact information
Prospective Student Enquiry Centre
1800 693 888
myfuture@deakin.edu.au
Why choose Deakin
Career outcomes
Graduates may find employment as practitioners in museums, heritage institutions, government agencies, private corporations, community organisations and in private practice. Typical job titles include: curator, heritage officer, collections manager, registrar, public programs officer, researcher and project officer.
For more information go to DeakinTALENT
Course learning outcomes
Deakin's graduate learning outcomes describe the knowledge and capabilities graduates can demonstrate at the completion of their course. These outcomes mean that regardless of the Deakin course you undertake, you can rest assured your degree will teach you the skills and professional attributes that employers value. They'll set you up to learn and work effectively in the future.
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
| Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities | Investigate and evaluate conceptual and practical approaches to the identification, collection, conservation, display, interpretation, management and use of cultural heritage. |
| Communication | Effectively communicate key theoretical and practical concerns in cultural heritage and museum studies using oral, written, digital formats to specialist and non-specialist audiences. |
| Digital literacy | Use a range of digital technologies and information sources relevant to the museum context to discover, select, analyse, employ, evaluate, and disseminate both technical and non-technical information. |
| Critical thinking | Critically analyse key concepts in the identification, collection, conservation, display, interpretation, management of cultural heritage and employ this knowledge in a professional or scholarly context. |
| Problem solving | Apply advanced theoretical knowledge and technical skills in the identification, collection, conservation, display, interpretation, management and use of cultural heritage and develop solutions to real-world problems or issues in professional contexts. |
| Self-management | Apply relevant professional standards with a high level of responsibility and accountability to colleagues and relevant stakeholders and a consistent commitment to continual professional development. |
| Teamwork | Work effectively and collaboratively, demonstrating advanced level of responsibility and accountability in diverse [museum and cultural heritage multidisciplinary] teams. |
| Global citizenship | Analyse and address issues in the field of cultural heritage and museum studies in the domestic, regional and global context as a critically reflexive reflective practitioner, taking into consideration cultural and socio-economic diversity, social and environmental responsibility and the application of the highest ethical standards. |
| Approved by Faculty Board 2020 | |
* 2019 Student Experience Survey, based on undergraduate students
# ARWU Rankings 2019
~ According to the Voice Project IT Service Quality Support Benchmark Survey
^ Australian Graduate Recruitment Industry Awards, 2017, 2018, 2019 winner
^^ Australian Graduate Survey 2010–2015, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2016–2019 (GOS), Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT)