MA Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management
Join an innovative, world-leading course that prepares you for a career in conservation and heritage management.
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
Our Masters in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management will give you practical experience with up-to-date conservation techniques, and an opportunity to work with leading conservation studios, providing you with invaluable work experience, and networks for your future career.
Applications for this course are closed for 2025/26. Applications for 2026/27 will open in September.
You'll train for a variety of employment in stained-glass conservation, cultural heritage management, arts administration, museums, and the administration of historic buildings. You'll combine practical work with intensive seminar study to investigate the key issues in approaches to conservation and heritage. The course will also prepare you for a higher research degree.
The course is based entirely on the historic campus at King's Manor in the heart of the medieval city of York, and you will have continuous access to our dedicated conservation and teaching studio.
We teach the course in partnership with the Department of Archaeology.
Course content
This is a two-year course, including taught modules, a twelve-week studio placement in a leading conservation workshop, museum or heritage institution, and a five-month dissertation. You'll be able to choose an art-historical or archaeological module in Year 2.
You'll be taught basic and advanced techniques of stained glass conservation, grounded in an understanding of the historical development of stained glass craft and its care. You'll study other topics including art and architectural history, the history, ethics and philosophy of conservation, and international issues in conservation including the impact of climate change.
You'll also attend masterclasses presented by visiting experts which address current issues and new research, events that will provide invaluable opportunities for networking with your peers and practitioners in the field from both home and abroad.
The experience of working within a business or conservation institution, in a team with colleagues, with clients, custodians and heritage bodies, will be an invaluable aspect of your training. In addition to improving your practical skills, you'll have a chance to develop skills of advocacy, presentation and project management. The placement will also introduce you to a range of projects of greater scale and complexity. All of this training will benefit you in your future career.
Modules
Year 1
In your first year you will study modules that cover work in the conservation studio, stained-glass conservation and its history, and the wider cultural context of conservation. You'll also look at issues and the role of policy in cultural heritage at an international level. In your work in the conservation studio you'll gain knowledge of glass technology, production techniques of stained-glass, conservation technology and you'll reproduce historical techniques in practice. You'll study the relationship of stained-glass to architectural settings and explore the issues raised by the medium of stained-glass.
Core modules
- History and Theory of Stained Glass Conservation
- Histories of Conservation
- Basic Glass Handling and Glass Craft Skills
- Painting on Light
- Sustainable Conservation Challenges
- Introduction to Stained Glass Conservation: Techniques and Treatments
Year 2
In your second year you'll study the principles, concepts and philosophy of cultural heritage management and conservation and you'll explore the importance of studying stained-glass in the context of a major monument. You'll manage and implement a stained glass conservation project and address the latest developments in the field of glass painting conservation as part of a seminar module. You'll prepare for your dissertation with a practical workshop-based module which will enable you to design your own research project.
Core modules
- Art and Imagery in York Minster
- Heritage Principles and Concepts
- Advanced Techniques of Stained Glass Conservation
Option modules
You will also study two option modules:
- Between Art and Mind: Diagrams in Medieval Europe
- The Varied Practices of Art History Today
- Art, Magic and the Miraculous in Renaissance Italy
- Fashion, Theories, Materials and Images (1540 to 1940)
- Thinking through Material Culture
- Presenting Historic Houses
- Art and the Political Psyche in Britain 1979-1997
- Ceramic Arts of the Islamic World: A Framework for Study
- Peter Paul Rubens: Painting for Peace in an Age of War
- Scrolls and Serpents
- Sir Christopher Wren
- The Afterlives of Medieval Art
- Art, Mass Media and Communication 1945-1991
- Medieval Islamic Architecture on the Frontiers: Synthesis, Innovation & Change
- Monument, Object, Fetish, Artefact: Contesting 'Modern' Sculpture
- Seeing Sculpture
- Who Owns Antiquities? The Politics of Museology and Archaeology
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Dissertation
You'll prepare and write your dissertation in Year 2. This will give you time to undertake primary research, design experiments and test treatments, read widely and develop your thoughts on specialised topics. Recent topics have included:
- A 'Veritable Tour de Force of Mechanical and Artistic Dexterity’: An Investigation into the Medieval Techniques of Inserting ‘Jewels’ in Stained Glass
- In, but not of the City: Agents of Deterioration, Risk Management and the Future of Stained Glass Preservation in Mumbai, India
- The 'Cameo Process': The Twentieth-century Acid-etching Technique by William Meikle and Sons of Glasgow
- A Restoration History of the Rose Window of York Minster
- Appliqué Windows in Britain: Their History, Significance and Conservation Challenges
- Low Lime Glass Degradation: The Case of Windows in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Howsham: Further Research into the Phenomenon Formerly Known as ‘Crizzling'
Placements
Your studio placement will enable you to consolidate and expand your practical skills in a professional setting, which will involve working on site in an architectural environment, often at height and alongside masons and other construction crafts. You'll take on projects that test your abilities to translate theory into practice in an environment in which targets, timescales and budgets can impose challenges, and you are urged to think carefully about the implications of this aspect of the course.
Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.
Learning outcomes
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
Learning outcomes for this course
- Display an authoritative and critical command of past practice and current trends in the conservation and care of historic stained-glass and be able to move beyond country-specific traditions to engage critically with the international context of conservation practice and research in this field.
- Produce work that is compliant with the rigorous professional international standards and guidelines relating to stained-glass conservation and heritage management (Corpus Vitrearum, ICOMOS etc).
- Produce work and present professional documentation and scholarly research in conservation practice and heritage management, including the use of appropriate digital tools and skills, to international standards.
- Develop the capacity to work as a conservation practitioner in decision-making and leadership roles through the conduct of autonomous conservation projects which evaluate, and, where appropriate, employ a range of conservation treatments.
- Relate in an original and critical manner to a range of sources, problems, significant methodologies and techniques, and new insights from the forefront of the discipline that are most relevant to your interests, enabling you to manage and undertake significant and original postgraduate level research on art historical, archaeological and technical materials and conceptual issues.
- Be equipped with skills in conservation and documentation, and scholarly research and presentation to join the international practitioner community at the highest level of international, professional practice.
I chose the Masters in York because of its academic focus, its international status, the extensive placement, and, specifically in my case, the fact that it is only two years.
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2025/26
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. |
£11,200 | £25,900 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.
- UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%).
- International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
Funding information
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
Funding opportunities
Department scholarship information
Current funding opportunities are available from The Headley Trust and the Worshipful Company of Glaziers. These scholarships are announced the summer before the MA programme commences. Accepted MA applicants will be invited to apply later in the summer. Read more about other available funding.
My placements at Cologne Cathedral and Barley Studio gave me great insight and experience and I hope to apply my skills to a future in conservation.
Teaching and assessment
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
Teaching format
After an initial introduction to practical stained glass craft skills, you will quickly learn to apply what you have learned to the context of conservation, making regular use of the specialist Nicolas Barker conservation studio in the King's Manor. You'll develop your experience and knowledge of the field through study in seminar groups and lectures. You'll have seven to nine hours per week of lectures, seminars and one-to-one meetings with your lecturer/supervisor. You'll be encouraged to spend time in the workshop to practise your skills and use self-directed learning. The amount of study time per week will depend on the modules taken each term, and this will also vary slightly throughout the course.
We offer an extensive programme of research seminars and events which are an invaluable way to engage with different aspects of your subject, along with discussing module themes with your peers, and the staff weekly office hours.
Facilities
We have a fully equipped and custom-designed stained glass conservation studio at King's Manor - the Nicolas Barker Conservation Studio.
There is a specialist library collection for stained glass and conservation studies at King's Manor, and further History of Art resources available.
Teaching location
You will be based in the Department of History of Art on Campus West. Most of your contact hours will be in King’s Manor in the city centre.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Assessment and feedback
You'll write 4,000 word essays, technical reports and project designs, reports on the masterclasses, complete a placement report of 7,000-8,000 words and a weekly placement log. Your final assessment will be in the form of your 10,000-12,000 word dissertation.
Careers and skills
This course is for students who want to work in stained glass conservation, collections management, museum curation or heritage management. Potential employers will value the experience you'll gain on your placement. Our graduates are now leading figures in the discipline in the UK, Germany, Belgium and the USA. The course also prepares you for doctoral research.
Career opportunities
- stained glass conservator
- archivist
- history teacher
- project manager for a heritage conservation company
- heritage manager
- historic buildings officer
Transferable skills
- the ability to apply theoretical approaches to a diversity of practical contexts
- the capacity to work efficiently, effectively and to a consistently high standard in a workshop/professional practice environment
- the ability to work to timescales and within budgets
- project creation, planning and management
- interdisciplinary work
- strategy relating to stained-glass conservation in major conservation projects
- advocacy and presentation skills
- the ability to conduct significant, sustained and original research
- intellectual independence
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent |
| Other qualifications and experience | Applicants without a degree, but with exceptional experience or demonstrable skills may also be admitted, subject to an entrance test. Previous experience in glass conservation is desirable. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
Additional requirements
You will need to submit an example of written work with your application. Please see our guidance on submitting written work.
English language
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 136, minimum 126 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478-509, with 444-477 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
If you haven't met our English language requirements
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
Next steps
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