The Master of Museology is based on a broad definition of museums. Without wishing to exclude traditional museums, the programme focuses heavily on new approaches. The use of the term museology, rather than museum studies, is not only a reference to an academic foundation but is also intended to stress the fact that the focus is not on institutional frameworks: the programme offers students the opportunity to reflect more deeply on – and to experiment with – new visions of heritage and its role in society.

The museum world, like the domain of cultural heritage in general, is changing enormously. New challenges call for a new type of professional. The new museum professional adopts an integral and integrated perspective of cultural heritage and displays a large degree of reflexivity with regard to the relationship between practice, theory and ethics.

The Reinwardt Academy plays an important role in producing theory, analysis and reflection and is closely connected with current developments in the field. It also focuses upon how these developments are applied in the field via the projects and assignments which students participate in during the programme. This connection offers students the possibility of building a professional network that can support them throughout their careers. Knowledge is based on the experience of students, lecturers and professionals who are active in the field of heritage across the world.

The Reinwardt Academy Master of Museology programme was the first international course to be validated by the British Cultural National Training Organisation (CHNTO) in 1998. With the introduction of the bachelor - master structure in the Dutch system of higher education, the international Master's degree programme was officially accredited by NVAO (Dutch Flemish Accreditation Organisation) and listed in the Central Register for Degree Courses in Higher Education (CROHO) in the Netherlands.

Graduates will be granted the title Master of Museology (M.Museology).

"I chose the Master of Museology because it trains you to look beyond the museum world and to reflect on and participate in the international discourse on heritage. The staff at the Academy is on top of new ideas and discussions within the field, and offers a broad network from all over the world with people working within all sorts of heritage projects. Together with the balance between theory and practice of the master’s course it helped me to make the step towards working as a freelance museologist in different heritage projects and within different museums."
Anna Martens, the Netherlands, student