Develop your skills and specialist expertise for a career in the arts and cultural heritage sectors while taking full advantage of Edinburgh’s outstanding archives and collections.   

Drawing on resources and expertise from leading practitioners, professionals, and academics from across the University and Scotland, you will have the opportunity to combine research-focused study with experiential learning by developing curatorial projects with world-class arts and cultural heritage museums, galleries, and organisations based in Edinburgh. 

Collections and Curating Practices is delivered in partnership with Fruitmarket, National Galleries of Scotland, National Library of Scotland, National Museums Scotland, and the University of Edinburgh’s own Heritage Collections and museums, including Talbot Rice Gallery.  

If you have a background in the field – either through previous study in a related discipline or professional experience – and a desire to deepen your knowledge while expanding your vocational skills and networks, you’ll find our programme offers an ideal balance.   

The only Master’s by Research programme of its kind in Britain, research frames our intellectual pursuits and partnerships, as well as our approach to experiential learning by putting theory into practice.   

We encourage projects that challenge conventional modes of knowledge, curatorial practice, and cultural production. We strive to advance research addressing current issues and challenges to the discipline of art history, as well as the arts and cultural heritage sectors, encouraging researchers to make use of the vast archives and collections in Scotland.  

We also support innovative and creative research on topics ranging from decolonial approaches to collections and curatorial practice, addressing the historical legacies of the European museum, to case studies on widening accessibility, equity, or community-centred, value-led strategies in the gallery. Your project need not address curatorship or museology, as the programme is designed to be flexible, supporting varied interests in the history of art and visual and material cultures, from contemporary photography in West Africa and Latin America, medieval artefacts from Northern Europe, right through to modern and contemporary art in Britain, the Global South, and beyond. 

If you'd like to study on a postgraduate research programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through EUCLID, our online application system. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to:

• See detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder
• Get information on what to expect after you apply
• Find out about study modes, start dates and fees
• Find out if, and how, you need to submit a portfolio, showreel or research proposal
• Find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

Before you apply

Students are assigned two research supervisors, the second of which may be from another discipline within ECA, or from somewhere else within the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) or wider University. 

Please ensure that at least one member of staff (see below) maintains an active research programme that aligns with the themes of your proposed project.  

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to make contact with the relevant member(s) of staff via email to explain your research interests prior to submitting an application. Please note that we only accept applications and review application materials submitted through the official EUCLID application portal.

After you apply

Once your application has been submitted for consideration, it will be sent to a team of academic reviewers for their attention. They will then make a decision about your application and research topic, and decide whether it is possible to make an offer of a place to study with us. You may be asked to attend a brief online interview but if this is the case, you will be notified in advance.