Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies

The Museum Studies graduate certificate requires 15 hours to complete.

Enrollment is open to students admitted to a degree-seeking KU graduate program as well as those not currently enrolled at KU. It provides grounding in the histories, concepts and practices of the museum studies discipline, and enables students to integrate knowledge of museum studies into their own academic disciplines or professional training.

The certificate represents an additional credential for students from a variety of academic fields to prepare for doctoral study, as well as for employment in museums and related fields such as historic preservation, cultural resource preservation, archives, and government agencies.

Admission to Graduate Studies

An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Admission to the Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies

Eligibility criteria for admission to the certificate program follow Graduate Studies' admission policy. To be considered for admission to the program, an applicant must hold a bachelor's degree. Non-native speakers of English must meet Graduate Studies' English proficiency requirements for admission.

Application requirements differ for current KU students versus non-KU students, so please visit the Museum Studies website for a full list of the required application materials. 

The Museum Studies Graduate Certificate requires 15 hours of course work including 2 core courses and a required internship or final product. The remaining 9 hours are selected from courses in which there is a demonstrable component that has relevance to museum studies.

Courses must be taken at the 500-level or higher to count for graduate credit. Students pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies must take 50% or more of their course work at the 700-level or above. All courses, aside from the core, must be selected in consultation with the Director of Museum Studies. The Museum Studies Program maintains a list of professional area, conceptual domain, and elective course options, and it is available, along with the Graduate Student Handbook, on the MUSESTUDENTS Microsoft Teams site or upon request.

Students are encouraged to review Graduate Studies' policies related to graduate certificate programs for information about other requirements that may apply.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required		6
MUSE 801	The Nature of Museums
MUSE 802	Culture of Museums
Choose 1 course in a museum professional area		3
MUSE 701	Museum Management
MUSE 703	Introduction to Museum Exhibits
MUSE 704	Introduction to Collections Management and Utilization
MUSE 705	Introduction to Museum Public Education
MUSE 706	Conservation Principles and Practices
MUSE 707	Practical Archival Principles
MUSE 710	Natural Sciences Curation and Collections Management
Choose 1 course in a museum conceptual domain 1		3
The conceptual domains of museum work address in depth the conceptual and theoretical foundations of museums. Courses that emphasize conceptual domains will place museological subjects in broader historical and intellectual frameworks. Students may take a 500+ course offered in another discipline. Courses are selected in consultation with the Director of Museum Studies based on the general relevance of the course, and assurance that the student's work in the class will be applicable to museum studies.
Internship (MUSE 799) or Final Product (MUSE 798)		3
Total Hours		15