Museum Studies

The MA in Museum Studies consists of both academic preparation and practical experience. Students select and pursue a disciplinary emphasis of their choice (for example Anthropology, Art Education, Art History, Education, English, History, Historic Preservation, or Tourism, Recreation, and Sports Management) while participating in comprehensive museum studies seminars, practica, and internships. At the same time, students complete a concentrated study in professional museum practices. Upon completion of the program, graduates will have attained the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue careers in a variety of institutions, including art museums, natural history museums, history museums, anthropology museums, children's museums, historic sites, and various other interpretive sites and institutions.

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.

Victoria University's Museum and Heritage Studies Programme produces graduates with the knowledge, skills and critical and creative thinking which are demanded in today's cultural sector. The Programme offers a range of flexible qualifications and courses which balance taught classes and work experience, academic research and professional skills. Students will acquire a broad grasp of this interdisciplinary field which combines history, theory and practice with opportunities for independent research and workplace projects.

The Programme offers three specialist qualifications as well as an MA by thesis and PhD by thesis. The Graduate Certificate in Museum and Heritage Studies consists of two core courses, and it is the ideal introduction to the Museum and Heritage sector and a platform for further study. The Graduate Diploma in Museum and Heritage Studies is a four-course diploma, comprising an introductory course, practicum, elective and research essay or project, and it provides a flexible qualification for working professionals or graduate students seeking a career in the field.

The Master of Museum and Heritage Studies is a postgraduate degree which requires four taught courses, two practicums and a dissertation based on original research. The unique combination of theoretical and applied study at an advanced level prepares graduates for a career in museums, art galleries and a range of cultural and natural heritage organisations in New Zealand. Taking advantage of Wellington' rich cultural resources, classes incorporate numerous field trips and input from senior staff of local organisations.

Museums and Cultural Heritage is an interdisciplinary program. It draws on museums and heritage-related courses taught by the departments of Anthropology, Art History, History, Māori Studies and Sociology. Museums and Cultural Heritage is available for postgraduate study and is coordinated by the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Art History. Museums and Cultural Heritage will give you an excellent foundation for a career as a curator, education officer, art gallery registrar or manager, and for careers in museums and heritage institutions in the private and government sectors, and in tourism.

Both the Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies (PGDipMusStud) and the Master of Arts (MA) in Museum Studies are open to students who have a first degree (or equivalent knowledge and experience) and who intend to pursue a career in museums and other heritage institutions. The courses are available extramurally and delivered from the Palmerston North campus.

The master of Museology provides graduates with a wide range of theoretical knowledge, an academic attitude towards museology combined with applied professional competencies, equipping them for careers at policy-making, curatorial or managerial level within heritage organizations. Making the decision to study at the Reinwardt Academy means opting for intensive contact with cultural heritage – a heritage that is visible not only in objects, but in stories and recollections too. Students at the Reinwardt Academy are curious about heritage and aim to develop this curiosity to a professional level. Student develop skills which will enable them to actively take part in the public discourse about heritage and to look at heritage from a wide range of perspectives.

The master's degree program combines a high academic level with practical skills and is based on the theoretical and practical experience of lecturers, students and museum staff. The academic development of museology is closely connected with current developments in the heritage and museum field. 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 University of Leicester's School of Museum Studies is the only department in the country solely devoted to the study of museums and galleries; it has played an influential role in the reinvention of museum theory and practice.