Key facts
English language requirements
IELTS overall score of 6.5 (with no band score less than 6) or equivalent
Duration
1-year full-time or 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
Earn a professional qualification that allows you to work in the diverse museum sector. When you enrol in the Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies at Deakin, you’ll learn how to identify, conserve and interpret objects and collections in museums and galleries and the role of museums within society.
Do you want to play a role in how society interacts with contemporary museums?
Today’s museums are evolving. They’re designed to be more accessible and increasingly interactive. As such, they’re attracting more diverse audiences every day. The Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies is designed to provide you with the range of hands-on skills and theoretical knowledge required to work in all kinds of museums.
Some of the areas you’ll study include interpretation, collections and curatorship, cataloguing and documentation, and the ethical and legal implications of moving, acquiring or disposing of an object or collection.
You’ll also look at the role and function of exhibitions, including budgets, planning, policy and audience involvement. Be ready to take the lead in your career and run exhibitions that engage the community and are meticulously organised behind the scenes.
The core units you’ll study are built around the categories above and they include:
- Cultural Heritage and Museum Practice
- Managing Collections
- Developing Exhibitions
- Museums, Heritage and Society
Plus, you’ll have a choice of four elective units, some of which include:
- World Heritage
- Intangible Cultural Heritage
- Digital Interpretation
- Applied Heritage Project
- Internship
- Digital Curation
As part of your studies, you can undertake work-integrated learning through your choice of electives. The Applied Heritage Project unit is developed in consultation with industry partners and gives you an opportunity to work in a team on a specific heritage project.
If you want to develop workplace skills, gain industry knowledge and extend your professional networks you can choose to complete an internship unit where you will undertake a professional work placement within a host organisation in Australia or overseas.
Read MoreCourse information
- Award granted
- Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies
- Year
2023 course information
- Deakin code
- A668
- CRICOS code?
- 012804J 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 Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies, a student must successfully complete 8 credit points of study comprising:
- 4 credit points of core units;
- 4 credit points of units selected from the specified Course Electives list; and
- Academic Integrity AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
4
Core units
4
Elective units
8
Total
Core Units
Course Electives
Students may also complete 1 elective from any equivalent postgraduate course at Deakin University with the agreement of the course director.
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 Campus
- Online
Trimester 2 - July
- Start date: July
- Available at:
- Burwood Campus
- 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. Click here for more information.
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
Online studies
Deakin offers many courses which can be studied by distance education overseas.
However, international students living in Australia on a student visa, in each compulsory trimester (that is, Trimesters 1 and 2), must enrol in at least one unit that is offered as a Campus located unit and can, in addition enrol in units offered online. International students may undertake a maximum of up to one third (or equivalent) of their study as online study. Please note enrolment in one face to face unit in compulsory study periods is only allowed if the student is completing their final unit of study and will not exceed maximum one third (or equivalent) online requirement.
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
Learn more about fees and your options for paying.
The 'Estimated tuition fee' is provided as a guide only based on a typical enrolment of students completing this course in the same year 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 eight credit points of study. Each unit you enrol in has a credit point value. The 'Estimated tuition fee' is calculated by adding together eight 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 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.
Entry pathways
Alternative exits
Careers
Career outcomes
The Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies will give you the foundation of knowledge needed to enter the 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
- collections manager
- 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 or Master of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies (Professional). These programs give 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 | Understand, investigate and evaluate conceptual and practical approaches to the identification, conservation, interpretation, management and use of museum objects. |
| Communication | Effectively communicate key theoretical and practical concerns in 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, conservation, interpretation, management and employ this knowledge in the museum context using objects and collections to show how these can be utilized in a variety of different situations. |
| Problem solving | Apply advanced theoretical and knowledge and technical skills in the identification, conservation, interpretation, management and use of objects and collections in the museum context and develop solutions to real-world and ill-defined problems or issues in professional contexts. |
| Self-management | Demonstrate a high level of professionalism, consistently applying professional museum 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 different roles in the museum context |
| Global citizenship | Analyse and address museum-related issues 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 2015 | |
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