Sophie Small

Museum Assistant at Salford Museum and Art Gallery/ Tumblr Community Manager at the Girl Museum

Course: MA Heritage Studies, Full Time, 2018-19

The new Heritage Studies course at Manchester appealed to me because it was the most practical course I had come across. After a year in the industry after my undergraduate degree, I was keen to develop my practical skills and experience, alongside more traditional studying. 

The support from academic staff has been amazing. The programme is very open to your personalisation and staff have been keen to help me write about the case studies that are close to me. 

There is also a strong sense of community across the ICP department, which has been particularly helpful for me, living outside of Manchester, to feel at home on campus. Commuting on the train has been a challenge, but Manchester is a sufficiently vibrant city that it still absolutely seems worthwhile!

I’ve had some incredible opportunities this year - from talking to department heads in Amsterdam through Creative Learning, to trying out virtual reality software through Digital Heritage. Taking the placement option proved invaluable, as I’ve gained new skills working with collections in Salford and now even joined the team!

This course has been a fantastic chance to develop my academic and professional skills at the same time, making use of the ways in which the two intertwine.