Key facts
English language requirements
IELTS overall score of 6.5 (with no band score less than 6) or equivalent
Duration
0.5-year full-time or 1 year part-time equivalent
Locations
Current Deakin Students
To access your official course details for the year you started your degree, please visit the handbook
Course overview
Gain the fundamental skills and knowledge needed to kick-start your career working in the cultural heritage and museum sector. You’ll become familiar with current theory and practice and be ready for further study.
Do you have a passion for the past and conserving it for future generations?
Today’s cultural institutions like galleries, archives, museums and heritage sites are evolving. They’re designed to be much more accessible and interactive. As such, they’re attracting more diverse audiences every day.
The Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies provides you with the range of hands-on skills and theoretical knowledge required to work in all kinds of cultural institutions.
Innovation and new technologies are pushing professionals to think creatively and to engage with audiences in new ways. That’s why this course encourages you to become an independent, innovative and creative thinker who can confidently undertake a range of tasks in a variety of roles.
Your studies at graduate certificate level are the perfect foundation to continue in the cultural heritage and museum studies suite of courses, qualifying you for the one-year Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies.
For those who have just completed their undergraduate degree, already volunteer in museums and heritage sites or are ready for a new and exciting career they’ll love, this course is the ideal way to start professionalising.
The core units you’ll study, focusing on cultural heritage and museum fundamentals, include:
- Cultural Heritage and Museum Practice
- Museums, Heritage and Society
Plus, you’ll have a choice of two elective units, some of which include:
- Heritage Practice: Fundamentals
- World Heritage
- Digital Interpretation
- Managing Collections
Course information
- Award granted
- Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies
- Year
2023 course information
- Deakin code
- A568
- CRICOS code?
- 102880C Burwood (Melbourne)
- Level
- Postgraduate (Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma)
- Approval status
This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
- Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition
The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8.
Course 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
- 2 credit points selected from the specified Course Electives List
- Academic Integrity AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
Intakes by location
The availability of a course varies across locations and intakes. This means that a course offered in Trimester 1 may not be offered in the same location for Trimester 2 or 3. Check each intake for up-to-date information on when and where you can commence your studies.
Trimester 1 - March
- Start date: March
- Available at:
- Burwood (Melbourne)
- Online
Trimester 2 - July
- Start date: July
- Available at:
- Burwood (Melbourne)
- Online
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. More information available at Disability support services.
Work experience
Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.
Entry requirements
Entry information
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.
IELTS / English language requirements
Please note that English language requirements exist for entry to this course and you will be required to meet the English language level requirement that is applicable in the year of your commencement of studies.
It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that she/he has the required IELTS score to register with any external accredited courses. (more details)
Deakin University offers admission to postgraduate courses through a number of Admission categories. To be eligible for admission to this program, applicants must meet the course requirements.
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
Recognition of prior learning
If you have completed previous studies which you believe may reduce the number of units you have to complete at Deakin, indicate in the appropriate section on your application that you wish to be considered for credit transfer. You will need to provide a certified copy of your previous course details so your credit can be determined. If you are eligible, your offer letter will then contain information about your credit transfer. Your credit transfer is formally approved prior to your enrolment at Deakin during the Enrolment and Orientation Program. You must bring original documents relating to your previous study so that this approval can occur.
You can also refer to the Recognition of Prior Learning System which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree.
Fees and scholarships
Fee information
The 'Estimated tuition fee' is provided as a guide only based on a typical enrolment of students completing this course within the same year in which 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 you have.
The 'Estimated tuition fee' is calculated by adding together four credit points of study. Four credit points is used as it represents a typical enrolment load for a Graduate Certificate.
Each unit you enrol in has a credit point value. 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 tuition fees.
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 10% reduction per unit on your enrolment fees.
Apply now
Applications can be made directly to the University through StudyLink Connect - Deakin University's International Student Application Service. For information on the application process and closing dates, see the How to apply web page.
Fill out the application form and submit to a Deakin International office or take your application form to a Deakin representative for assistance
For information on the application process and closing dates, see the How to apply webpage.
If you’re still having problems, please contact Deakin International for assistance.
Careers
Career outcomes
The Graduate Certificate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies gives you the foundation of knowledge needed to enter the cultural heritage and museum sector ready to thrive.
As a graduate, you may find employment in museums, heritage institutions, government agencies, private corporations, community organisations and in private practice.
Typical job titles include:
- curator
- heritage officer
- registrar
- public programs officer
- researcher
- project officer.
Alternatively, completion of the course qualifies your entry into the one-year Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies. This program gives you the freedom to focus your studies on a specific area of interest, driving your career in the direction you wish to go.
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 | |
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