United States

Museum Studies at Florida State University is a certificate program with a broad understanding of museums and practical experience in museum work. The program prepares students for museum careers by adding specific museum instruction to their departmental studies. Students gain critical intelligence and the ability to analyze and achieve objectives in the professional museum field through a combination of discipline-based knowledge and practical training.

The certificate is granted as a supplement to a graduate degree program. This dual approach follows the American Association of Museums’ recommendations that specialized museum training be combined with one or more academic disciplines as the ideal preparation for a professional career.

The program includes students from the arts, humanities, and sciences. The following degree programs grant the certificate: Art, Arts Administration, Art Education, Art History, Classics, Dance, History, History and Philosophy of Science, Information Studies, Interior Design, Recreation and Leisure Services Administration, Retail Merchandising and Product Development, and Theatre. Graduates of the program will be qualified to seek employment in science centers, art museums, history museums, historic sites, ethnographic museums, natural history museums, and related institutions. Those who have already obtained a graduate degree may enter the program as a non-degree seeking student.

The program enjoys a collaborative relationship with museums in London, Florence and cities throughout Belgium. FSU’s extensive network of international study programs affords additional opportunities for course work and internships. Students in the program can also benefit from the unique opportunity of studying at the FSU Ringling Center for the Cultural Arts in Sarasota, with its world-renowned fine arts museum, circus collection, historic home, and Asolo Theater.

FIU Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies is an 18 credit program intended to prepare individuals for employment in museums, historic preservation, and collection management. The programs offers graduate level courses in various associated academic disciplines with special project and on-line courses appropriate for specific museum work. Courses are for students interested in museum careers and for people currently employed in museums who want to expand their theoretical base and their knowledge of best professional practices. The program is designed to provide the students with a strong theoretical basis and a broad understanding of museum practice and history.

The goal of the program is to provide, in a museum environment, the basic scholarship and functional training to equip the student with the skills necessary to assume professional entry-level museum positions in museums, galleries, archives, historical societies, and related institutions. Coursework is structured to develop a high degree of professionalism and responsibility, skills in problem solving, critical thinking and evaluation, writing, oral presentation, decision-making, and teamwork.

The program is listed and administered through the Anthropology Department at UW-Milwaukee and taught off-campus at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) by museum professionals. The program is designed to supplement a student's graduate degree requirements and it is anticipated that each student will have a firm footing in his/her academic field to support the course of museum study. The Museum Studies Program provides an overview of museum work, including philosophical and contemporary issues, museum history and methodology, collections care and management, curation, interpretation, preventive conservation, and exhibition.

Students may complete a minor in museum studies to supplement any major. Class work is combined with experience in the Beloit College museums (Logan Museum of Anthropology and Wright Museum of Art) and off-campus museums. Museum studies students use this background to build the basis for a variety of possible museum careers or graduate programs.

The staff of the Beloit College museums teach the core courses of the minor and, in conjunction with other academic departments, work with students to create a program stressing (1) understanding of the contexts and uses of cultural and natural objects and collections, (2) awareness of the legal, moral, social, and other roles and responsibilities of museums as educational institutions, and (3) practical experience in on- and off-campus museums.

The University of Delaware offerings for those seeking training for a career in museum work: a Certificate in Museum Studies to students enrolled in a number of Masters' or Ph.D. programs, Undergraduate Material Culture Preservation Major in the Arts Conservation Program, an MS in Art Conservation in the Arts Conservation Program, a PhD in Preservation Studies. The School of Public Policy and Administration offers an MA in Historic Preservation and a twelve-credit hour Certificate Program in Historic Preservation.

• The Certificate of Museum Studies (a 12-credit program) is available to students enrolled in a degree granting graduate program at the University, such as a Masters’ or Ph.D. program in History, Urban Affairs and Public Policy (UAPP), Education, Art History, Art Conservation, Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts Liberal Studies (MALS), Fashion Apparel, the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, and the Longwood Graduate Program.  Students take a minimum of 9 credit hours of classes and complete a three - credit internship to receive the Certificate in Museum Studies. Instructors include distinguished professionals from area museums as well as university faculty. Ensuring Quality in the Future Our mission is to help ensure the future of museums and related cultural institutions by educating graduate students who either plan careers in public arts and humanities or will collaborate with cultural institutions as part of future academic careers. While receiving excellent training in their home academic disciplines, Museum Studies students also develop their understanding of the ethical frameworks that guide museums and other cultural not-for-profit organizations. They become knowledgeable in administrative, curatorial, and educational practice. Most important, they understand the challenges faced by cultural institutions in the twenty-first century.

• The Art Conservation Department offers an undergraduate degree in Material Culture Preservation that prepares students for graduate-level study in conservation, historic preservation, museum studies, library science, or other allied fields. Material Culture includes objects made or modified by humans, such as photographs, archival documents, decorative and fine arts, clothing, domestic possessions, toys, tools, machines, motion pictures and videotape, ethnographic materials, archaeological remains, and architecture.

• The MS in Art Conservation is offered in collaboration with the Winterthur Museum & Country Estate.  It is a three-year course leading to a Master of Science in Art Conservation. The curriculum is designed to educate and train conservation professionals who can carry out the examination, analysis, stabilization and treatment of art and artifacts, speak to general principles of collection care, and have a broad academic background in science and the humanities.

• The PhD  program in Preservation Studies is in collaboration with the Center for Material Culture Studies at the University of Delaware.  The Preservation Studies Program (PSP) is an interdisciplinary doctoral course of study that will teach the philosophies, research methodologies, and policies informing preservation efforts focused on art, architecture, landscapes, and material culture. It is distinct from other discipline-based courses of graduate study in that it provides a mechanism to combine cross-field expertise toward doctoral study in preservation. The PSP prepares students to address questions regarding individual objects and works of art, collections, buildings and structures, and sites and landscapes.  The Preservation Studies doctoral program builds on unique and distinguished programs at the University of Delaware and is administered within the College of Arts and Sciences. The PSP may involve collaboration with faculty and physical resources in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Engineering, Human Services, Education, and Public Policy, Marine Studies, and the Winterthur Museum (which is already a collaborative partner with the University of Delaware for two graduate programs related to this new Ph.D. program).

• The Master of Arts in Historic Preservation prepares professionals for the successful practice of historic preservation in public, private, and non-profit venues.  Students are prepared in the theory and practice of historic preservation.  The specific skills that will be developed are: analysis and documentation of historic resources, practice of preservation planning, contextual research design, and advocacy. The program is designed to meet the needs of both traditional graduate students and working professionals, with graduates having the skills and knowledge to work with a wide variety of populations and in diverse settings.  The program provides opportunity to pursue specific areas of emphasis within historic preservation, including (but not limited to): planning, museum studies, material culture, documentation and analysis, non-profit leadership, vernacular architecture and landscapes, geographic information systems, and design.

Denver University offers several degrees that prepare students for working in a museum environment: a BFA in Pre-Art Conservation, an MA in Anthropology with a concentration in Museum and Heritage Studies, or an MA in Art History with a concentration in museum studies. 

The course of study to earn a BFA in Pre-Art Conservation students desiring to enter graduate programs to train to become art conservators or to enter an art materials safty profession. It requires intensive work in chemistry, languages, art history and studio art, as well as training in the senior year under the supervision of the chief conservator at the Denver Art Museum. One semester in Florence, Italy during the junior year is highly recommended in order to continue conservation studies under the conservators at Studio Art Centers International.  Students participate in the group BFA exhibition at the conclusion of their studies.

Both the Anthropology and Art History Museum Studies Concentration programs have joint course offerings in conservation, information technology, and museum management. Both programs benefit from institutional ties between DU and the Denver Art Museum and Denver Museum of Nature and Science, providing students with research, internship and job opportunities. Other Denver-area museums and cultural organizations offer ampleinternship and job opportunities.

The majority of students seeking an MA in Art History choose to complete the museum studies concentration. Alumni have gone on to diverse and rewarding careers in the museum world. Our partnership with the Denver Art Museum forms a central part of the museum studies program.

Candidates for an M.A. degree in Anthropology with a concentration in MHS are expected to achieve graduate competence in anthropology as a whole, along with their specialization in MHS.  Ideally, we train students to be practicing anthropologists in museums and related cultural institutions.  Both generalist and specialist training in museum and heritage studies are provided for students interested in working in different sizes and types of museums, cultural institutions, archaeological and heritage sites.  The program's goal is to train museum professionals, but to also provide students with an understanding of the larger sociocultural, economic, and political contexts in which museums exist and how they influence museums and museum practices.  The Museum Studies concentration in the Department of Anthropology prepares students to be both scholars and practitioners. The program rests on the philosophy that anthropology should be in service to both science and the public, and that cultural work is an essential and valuable part of social life. Students are trained, both academically and professionally, to meet the many challenges of cultural work in contemporary society.

Program offers a Master's of Science in Museum and Field Studies, as well as a Professional Certificate option for museum professionals and graduate students in other departments.  Not only does a student choose a track in either Public/Administration or Collections/Field, he or she also chooses a cognate in which to focus; examples are anthropology, art, architecture, botany, paleontology, zoology. 

JFK University offers three distinguished Museum Studies programs:

• The Master of Arts is the preferred credential and recommended for students who intend to pursue a full-time career in the museum field.
• The MA and MBA dual degree is recommended for students interested in deepening their knowledge and skills in museum leadership and management.
• The program’s certificate option is designed for professionals who have extensive experience in the field and do not require a master’s degree.

The Museum Studies program at JFK University is one of the nation’s most recognized museum studies programs and is committed to preparing museum professionals to meet the demands of an increasingly complex profession. Today’s museum professionals must have the knowledge and skills to serve diverse audiences, create collaborative partnerships with communities, design innovative exhibitions and programs, and develop a sustainable financial base of support.

The curriculum covers a wide range of issues and provides fundamental skills while challenging students to critically analyze and creatively reform museums for a diverse society. The training is applicable to all types of museums, historical sites, natural parks, and cultural and discovery centers.

All Museum Studies students are required to complete one or more internships to put their classroom knowledge to practice. Recent internship sites include the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences, the Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand, the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage,  the Walt Disney Family Museum, among others.  A list of recent student internships and alumni positions is included under "Related Downloads" on the right.

All Museum Studies faculty members are practicing professionals. Their ranks include conservators, registrars/collections managers, educators, exhibit designers, and museum administrators. Students have close contact with other experts in the field through museum visits, guest speakers, and internships. During the academic year professionals from many of the more than 250 Bay Area museums work with JFK University students.

The Master of Arts Program is highly practical, building upon students' previous academic studies in Anthropology, Art History, Classics & Classical Archaeology, Design, Education, History, the Sciences, Public Administration, or related disciplines. Find out more about us by accessing the left sidebar links.

The Program also explores alternatives to museum employment in a variety of professional contexts such as: private galleries, city/state arts commissions, historical associations, auction houses, libraries with exhibition programs, corporate galleries and museums, private art collections, archives, civic art centers, science centers, planetaria, natural history/environmental education centers, and living collections.

Students working toward a M.A. or Ph.D. in Cultural Studies may choose to complete a concentration in Museum Studies. The master's and doctoral degrees in Cultural Studies with a concentration in Museum studies gives students the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary graduate work within the humanities and between the humanities, social sciences, and management. Students learn about the history and political role of museums, the interpretation and display of a wide variety of cultural productions, and topics of special concern to museums as cultural organizations. The program emphasizes critical, theoretical, and practice-related developments in the ever-changing field of museums, exhibitions, and sites of public memory. Students will acquire the knowledge and expertise to meet the challenges confronting arts and cultural organizations today.

Students are trained in both field-based work and text-based work. This convergence of methods produces a fully engaged analysis of culture. Outstanding research topics that have recently emerged from CGU's Cultural Studies Department include: Video Art and Documentary Production; Representing the Holocaust in Contemporary Jewish Museums; Sociology of Art; Critical Theories of Space and Geography; Afro-feminism; Asian American Political and Social Movements; Hip-hop Culture, Gender Studies, and Ethnography.