Graduate Certificate Programs in Museum, Museology and Curatorial Studies

Students in the Museum Studies Program include current and aspiring museum professionals from around the world. We have students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds, including those with degrees in areas such as art history, anthropology, history, economics, business administration, historic preservation, music, philosophy, and film and media arts.

The Museum Studies Program offers a structured curriculum of required and core courses augmented with electives. This curriculum provides opportunities for students to gain knowledge and skills in current professional museum practice with an eye to the future and an integration of past philosophies and practice. The program encompasses both theory and practice, focusing on providing real-world skills and training that enable students to move into the museum field or move up to jobs with responsibility and requiring greater skills and knowledge.

Each student must take a total of 10 classes (two required courses, three out of four core courses, and five electives). Nine of the ten classes required for the degree may be taken and one class, a two-week intensive seminar, will be held in Washington, DC, or in another location organized by the program.

The Museum Studies certificate program unites history, theory and practical learning in a curriculum that prepares participants for professional or volunteer careers in administration, collections and specialty disciplines within museums, zoos, aquariums, parks and botanical gardens.

We offer courses online every quarter, so you can complete your Museum Studies certificate on your own terms.

The Graduate Certificate Program in Museum Studies is situated in the Rackham Graduate School. Students who have been admitted to or who are currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Michigan, or who have received a graduate degree from an accredited institution within the last five years, are eligible to apply for admission to the Program.

The Program requires 12 credit hours of coursework plus an approved practicum experience for award of the Certificate in Museum Studies, a portion of which may be double-counted with coursework undertaken in the student’s primary field of study. The Program offers some financial assistance, primarily for the spring and summer. The purpose of this funding is to promote internships, research assistantships, field work at museums, independent study related to students’ programs, participation at professional meetings and conferences, and dissertation research for those MSP students who are writing dissertations that deal explicitly with museums. Enrollment in the Program is competitive and is limited to a maximum of 12 students per year. Decisions regarding admission are made by the Program’s Steering Committee.

Students interested in applying to the UMMSP are advised to contact the program at [email protected]. Program requirements and guidelines for admission are available on this website or may be obtained by contacting the UMMSP Office.

The Tufts museum studies certificate program is designed for recent college graduates, career changers, and those who currently work in museums. Courses teach new skills and address current trends in the field. Guest speakers, discounts to area museums, and membership in the New England Museum Association build valuable professional networks.

The Tufts museum studies graduate-level certificate program consists of five courses (including an internship). Museum studies courses are scheduled in the evening, and the certificate program can be completed on a part-time basis in as little as one year. The program is designed to be flexible and to allow you to go at your own pace. You do not have to enroll in a course every semester but are expected to complete the certificate requirements within four years of starting the program.

Part of the arts and humanities program in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Museum Studies combines traditional academic training and the practical experience necessary to begin a successful museum career. The program ranks among the top museum training programs in the United States. Students receive advanced study and practical working experience through internship affiliations with than 60 museums and cultural organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution.

The 42-credit M.A. program (36-39 credits of coursework and 3-6 credits of internships) offers concentrations in Collections Management, Exhibitions and Visitor Engagement, and Museum Management Leadership. Students also select a content area in which to concentrate (history, natural sciences, arts, social sciences or humanities).

The on-campus Certificate in Museum Studies is an 18-credit program (12 credits of coursework combined with 6 credits of internships) designed for U.S. students who already hold at least a Master’s degree in a related area or for foreign museum professionals who wish to study one or aspects of museum work in the United States. Areas of concentration include: Collections Management, Exhibitions and Visitor Engagement, Museum Management and Leadership.

The Certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care features 12 graduate-level credits designed for U.S. museum employees or volunteers who have collections management responsibilities and desire formal museum studies training. Students generally complete the four three-credit graduate courses over four consecutive semesters.

Students interested in the Museum Certificate Program but must be concurrently accepted into any Masters program at BYU in order to be accepted to the certificate program. The Museum Certificate Program provides training in collections management, exhibit preparation, museum education, and legal issues elated to maintaining museum collections. These skills provide career opportunities in museum work suitable for students who do not plan to continue in archaeology at the Ph.D. level, and or are interested in archaeology as an academic discipline but do not wish to pursue a career that requires field work.

Students will gain graduate level hands-on experience in collections interpretation and exhibition. This experience will include in-depth research and writing with relation to a museum collection or cultural heritage site all aspects of collections related writing including grant proposals and exhibition texts and publications gaining a professional awareness of the cultural and legal sensitivities related to exhibition development and finally, the practical skills needed to design and launch a public exhibition. (ANTHR 511 ANTHR 512 ANTHR 522 ANTHR 524 ANTHR 525 ANTHR 526, ANTR 596, ANTHR 599).

The Museum and Field Studies program offers a Graduate Professional Certificate in Museology for graduate students. This program provides professional training and certification for students at the University of Colorado Boulder whose primary enrollment is in a graduate program in another museum-related discipline (e.g., anthropology, art, art history, biology, business administration, education, geological sciences, history, etc.). For graduate students in other university departments, the coursework in a cognate discipline is provided by MA/MS or PhD programs in their home department.

Additionally, the professional certificate program is open to museum professionals in Colorado and the surrounding Rocky Mountain region. The program provides an avenue for early and mid-career museum staff to upgrade their skills and credentials in order to better meet the challenges and opportunities that museum work affords in the 21st century. For museum professionals, additional disciplinary work is available as appropriate upper division undergraduate or graduate coursework taken as electives under the nondegree study plan available in the ACCESS program through Continuing Education.

The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies (GCMS) is a transdisciplinary program open to UO graduate students interested in pursuing a career in a museum or in any profession that involves exhibition or curation. It addresses the demand for a deeper understanding of the guiding principles behind a museum’s mission and its practical day-to-day operations.

Today, the practice of exhibiting is not just the purview of art and cultural museums. Exhibition history and practice is integral to museums of science, medicine, natural history, ethnography, theater, and music as well as institutions such as zoos, aquariums, art galleries, botanical gardens, and libraries.

Housed in the the History of Art and Architecture (HA A), the GCMS collaborates with departments, programs, and museum professionals across campus to provide foundational theoretical and practical training in the museum field, while allowing students the freedom to explore museum operations from a variety of perspectives.

Prospective students should consult with the certificate director:.

To understand the guiding principles of museum operations.

To engage in theoretical and practical training relevant to museum careers.

To gain first-hand experience in museum operations through an internship.

Learn to curate your research. At its core, museum practice is effective communication. Understanding how a museum conveys the importance of its collection and activities in an intelligent but accessible manner to specialists, the general public, and donors will help you better communicate your own research in a competitive job market.

Explore your career paths. There are many museum professions one could pursue, each requiring its own specialized knowledge and skill set. GCMS has a flexible curriculum that allows you to explore diverse careers in museums or museum-like institutions in your field.

Meet professionals who can guide you. A 120-hour internship is an important core requirement for this certificate. It provides you with an opportunity to think seriously and realistically your career options in a museum and to meet professionals who can show you the ropes and discuss the pros and cons of the path you intend to pursue.

Be a part of acollaborative community of peers. Today, there are museums or museum-like institutions in almost every field. However, not everyone in your field of study might be interested in museum work.

The Museum Studies Certificate Program is a transdisciplinary program open to graduate students enrolled in any graduate program at UO. The curriculum is designed to provide both scholarly engagement with issues related to museums and an introduction to the specialized skills pertinent to museum professionals.

The new requirements (below) will formally take effect in Fall 2019. During the transitional period, students will have the option to complete the certificate with the old requirements or begin the certificate under the new requirements.

If you have further questions, please contact the certificate director.

Among the minimum 24 credits, 4 credits must come from the core course, ARH511 (Museology), and 3 credits from DSGN604 (Internship). The remaining 17 credits are devoted to Electives.

Museology is a common seminar that familiarizes students with the history and theory of museums. You do not need to be formerly enrolled in the certificate to take the course. NOTE: The required museology seminar is offered on a biannual basis, so you should be sure to register immediately in the term in which it is offered.

In consultation with the certificate director and College of Design Student Services, students should secure their internship positions prior to enrolling in DSGN 604. Make sure to meet with the certificate director at least one term prior to the term you plan to enroll in DSGN 604. The earlier you make contact, the likely it will be for you to secure the type of internship you seek.

DSGN 604 is repeatable. You may choose to complete the 120-hour internship within one term or spread it across multiple terms. One graduate-level credit hour is equivalent to 40 hours of work per term. You will register for one, two, or three credits in DSGN 604 depending on the number of hours you intend to work as an intern in any given term.

GCMS requires a minimum of 17 Elective credits. Elective courses provide students the opportunity to explore issues surrounding museums today and to familiarize themselves with skill sets expected of the specific museum careers they are interested in. Students may choose courses from any of the preapproved elective courses, or may petition to the certificate director to substitute other courses when they are germane to their specific interests. See below for the petition process.

Topics in Museum Studies (at least one course): A topics-based course involves historical, theoretical, or philosophical exploration of issues surrounding museums, for instance a course on museum ethics (PPPM 571 Cultural Policy, for instance).

At the end of every Spring term, a list of GCMS preapproved elective courses for the following academic year will be posted. Due to the transdisciplinary nature of this certificate, there may be last-minute changes or additions to our course offerings. The list will be updated as necessary, but please do not hesitate to contact the certificate director if you have any questions.

This certificate is designed to allow students to take elective courses from departments and programs across campus. If a course you are interested in taking is not on the GCMS course offerings for the current academic year, you may petition to the certificate director to receive approval to have the course counted toward the certificate’s Electives requirement. In order to be applicable toward the certificate, a course must have at least 50% content on museum-related issues or skills applicable to the operation of the three central units commonly involved in planning the intellectual content of a museum: Curatorial, Education, and Registrar Collections Care.

You may petition at any time prior to the beginning of the term you are planning to file your application to graduate. However, it is strongly advised that you petition by the end of the first week of the term in which you plan to take the course to make sure that it can count toward the certificate.

A brief explanation on how the course relates to your specific interest in museum studies .

A Confirmation of Museum-Related Content form signed by the instructor of the course.

Please download the Confirmation of Museum-Related Content form and attach the signed form to your petition.

For academic inquiries and information on making an application, please contact the certificate director.

For general information pursuing a graduate certificate at the University of Oregon, including important policies, procedures, and deadlines, please visit the Graduate School Pursuing a Graduate Certificate webpage.

Students in the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate program are required to complete at least 250 hours in an approved, professionally supervised internship. The internship forms a critical component of the student’s total program and gives the student valuable training in the field as well as a chance to work closely with professional museum staff on meaningful projects to prepare for a career as museum professional.

The Museum Studies Certificate offers students from a variety of disciplines and majors the opportunity to develop general knowledge of museum operations and practices. This multi-disciplinary approach recognizes the diverse nature of the museum field. The program distinguishes itself by emphasizing the visitor experience throughout all aspects of museum decision-making and planning processes.

The certificate is designed to add value to existing degrees in multiple disciplines by providing students with skill sets required by institutions including, but not limited to museums, educational and interpretive centers, and similar organizations promoting public outreach and education. The program also provides a foundation for students pursuing advanced studies in the field of Museum Studies. Students are exposed to the inner operations of non-profit arts and cultural heritage organizations are provided an opportunity to work hands-on with objects and artifacts are immersed in current museum methods and cultural heritage literature and are provided networking and resumé-building opportunities.

Students representing a broad range of disciplines will participate in the Museum Studies Certificate Program. This program helps prepare students interested in working in museums, in educational and interpretive centers, or in similar organizations promoting public outreach and education. In addition, the program provides a foundation for students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in Museum Studies.

For complete program requirements please see the Ohio University catalog: Museum Studies Certificate Program Requirements.