Programs by Campus
Indianapolis
Museum Studies
School of Liberal Arts
Departmental E-mail: museum [at] iupui [dot] edu
Departmental URL: liberalarts.iupui.edu/mstd/
(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)
Curriculum
Museum Studies Program
The Museum Studies Program provides an integration of museum history and theory with hands-on instruction in museum techniques and practices. It encompasses the scholarly exploration of museums, including their history, operations, ethics and role in society from interdisciplinary perspectives, while also training students in the technical aspects of museum work such as collections care and management, administration, education, exhibit planning and design, curatorial practices, visitor studies and technology.
As an urban university, IUPUI is part of a community with a rich heritage of museums and cultural arts. Faculty appointed as Public Scholars of Civic Engagement craft relationships and sustainable partnerships with area museums and cultural institutions and involve undergraduate and graduate students in meaningful ways in those collaborations. The Museum Studies Program has an extensive network of adjunct faculty and guest lecturers who bring state-of-the-art museum practice to the curriculum. The program also offers opportunities for student learning through the resources of the museum community with experiences such as internships; collaboration on exhibit development and design; exhibition- and collections-focused projects; collections research; collaboration with faculty on museum research projects; and participation in museum-sponsored seminars, lectures, and professional meetings. The integral role of Indianapolis museums in the Museum Studies curriculum fosters a critical, reflective, and scholarly discourse on museums that is applied to current practices and issues in the field.
The program offers a master’s degree and both an undergraduate and a graduate certificate. Students considering application to the certificate or degree program are welcome to take classes prior to formal admission. Students admitted to the graduate program may apply to count credits earned as a non-degree student toward their graduate credential (up to 6 credits toward the graduate certificate and up to 9 credits toward the Master's degree). Please see the Web site for admissions deadlines and current course offerings.
Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies
The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies (18 credit hours) provides students with interdisciplinary training in museum practice and knowledge of contemporary issues in the museum field. It trains students in specialized aspects of museum practice such as education, exhibit planning and design, collections care, curatorial practices, philanthropy, and nonprofit management by combining Museum Studies course work with curriculum in other IU schools (e.g., Public History, Philanthropic Studies, Education, SPEA, Library Science). Students are given an introduction to the history and philosophy of museums and an opportunity to focus on particular aspects of museum practice.
The Graduate Certificate may be taken as a freestanding credential or paired with graduate work in another related discipline. Because it offers an opportunity to focus on specific areas of museum practice, the graduate certificate is also a suitable credential for current museum professionals who wish to enhance their professional training or develop new specialties. For specific requirements and options for cross-listed courses, see the Museum Studies web site or meet with an academic advisor. Students in other graduate programs who wish to add the Graduate Certificate to their program of study must formally apply to the Museum Studies program separately.
Students in the Public History Program who add the Museum Studies Certificate can combine certain Public History Courses with Museum Studies offerings to complete the certificate with just one additional course. Students should consult with advisors in both programs to establish their program plan.Master’s Degree
The Museum Studies M.A. curriculum (36 credit hours) consists of a required introductory course, a set of integrated core courses which provide a broad-based interdisciplinary training in museum practice, a choice of elective courses that allow the student to develop a particular specialty, and a capstone colloquium course preparing students for entry into the museum workforce. The course work is complemented by an internship that provides an opportunity for an intensive applied learning experience in a museum. The interdisciplinary curriculum and flexible structure allow students to achieve either a generalist breadth suitable for those working in smaller museums or to focus on a particular area of museum practice appropriate for a specialist on the staff of a larger museum.
Team-based and applied projects form a core learning experience in all classes and present opportunities to work with community partners as well as peers in the program. Team projects such as exhibit development and visitor studies prepare students for the collaborative approach that is central to the museum field.
Course Requirements
The Museum Studies Graduate Certificate consists of 18 credit hours of course work, including a required introductory course (3 cr.), an internship (3 cr.), two core courses (6 cr.), and a choice of two additional courses (6 cr.) from a list of museum studies electives. The Master’s degree program consists of 36 credit hours of course work, including a required introductory course (3 cr.), four core courses (12 cr.), an internship (6 cr.), a colloquium (3 cr.), and a choice of four courses from a list of electives (12 cr.) All these courses must be passed with a grade of B– or above in order to count for the certificate or the degree. Internships must be approved by a faculty advisor prior to registration.
All students should file a curriculum plan with the Museum Studies office before the end of their first semester.
Graduate Certificate requirements (18 cr.)
- MSTD A503 Introduction to Museum Studies (3 cr.)
- MSTD A508 Museum Internship (3 cr.)
- Core courses (6 cr.)
- Elective (6 cr.)
For Public History Students: In order to complete the certificate while simultaneously completing the M.A. in History, students must be admitted to the graduate programs in history (public history track) and museum studies and complete the requirements for both the degree and the certificate. The following courses may be used to fulfill requirements in both programs.: HIST H543 Internship: Practicum in Public History focused on Museums (4 cr.) will count as an equivalent for MSTD A508. HIST H548 Historic Administration/Museum Administration (3 cr.) counts as an equivalent of MSTD A548. HIST H542 Public History (4 cr.) may be substituted for MSTD A503. In addition, any HIST H547 Special Topics in Public History (3 cr.) classes are approved electives for the museum studies graduate certificate curriculum, and students may use up to two museum studies courses as electives in their History MA requirements. Students must apply to both programs in order to enroll in this joint M.A. in History/Certificate in Museum Studies program. GRE scores are required for admission to the graduate programs in history and museum studies.
M.A. requirements (36 cr.)
- MSTD A503 Introduction to Museum Studies (3 cr.)
- MSTD A508 Museum Internship (6 cr.)
- MSTD A530 Museum Colloquium (3 cr.)
- Core courses (12 cr.)
- Electives (12 cr.)