Our vision and values

Our vision

Over the past 50 years the University of Leicester has acquired a global reputation for its leading-edge thinking and experimental practice both in the field of museum studies and amongst cultural institutions of all types. Today, Museum Studies at Leicester is a place where researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students from around the world come together to think creatively and critically about museums, galleries and heritage; to explore and investigate, to experiment and create, to question and debate.

By working collaboratively with partners within and beyond the cultural sector, blending expertise and diverse perspectives, we aim to generate new insights that not only shape the way we look at, understand and experience cultural institutions but also influence the ways museums, galleries and heritage sites shape their priorities, values and practices.

We are enormously proud of, and committed to fostering, the School’s culture of inclusivity and collegiality, intellectual generosity, openness and good humour, which is built upon values that characterise and imbue all of our work.

Our values

• We are committed to excellence in all we do.
• We will give everyone who studies with us experiences that will transform their outlook and the way they think and work, through learning experiences that are challenging and enriching; richly supported and enormous fun.
• Our students and staff are engaged in world class research that not only shapes the field of museum studies but also benefits museums and their visitors and positively impacts society at large. We innovate, experiment and lead, whilst also being alert and responsive to shifting needs in the museums, galleries and heritage world.
• We are outward looking, open to diverse forms of expertise and experience that can enrich our work. We view the field of museum studies as unbounded; unrestricted by narrowly conceived disciplinary borders and restrictive professional codes and conventions that can inhibit creative ways of thinking about museums.
• In Museum Studies, staff and students learn together. We produce research of the highest quality that directly feeds and brings to life our teaching. Exploring ideas and approaches together, our students are empowered to become participants in expanding the field.
• We resist hierarchical ways of working and instead foster collaborative team working with and between students, staff and cultural institutions internationally.
• We value creativity in all that we do and continually challenge and support students and staff to explore imaginative new ways of thinking, acting and problem solving.
• We actively foster an inclusive environment in which people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs can thrive and achieve their potential. A commitment to diversity and accessibility for all is threaded throughout our curricula, our approach to teaching and research and our daily working practice.
• We seek to conduct all of our work with a generosity of spirit that fosters collegiality and collaboration, which nurtures an environment which is productive, energetic, equitable and enjoyable for everyone to work in.