School of Liberal Arts

Departmental E-mail: museum@iu.edu

Departmental URL: liberalarts.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/museum-studies

(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

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

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. The program offers a master’s degree 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.

As an urban university, IU Indianapolis 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.

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., Anthropology, 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

Course Requirements

The Museum Studies Graduate Certificate consists of 18 credit hours of course work, including an introductory course MSTD A503 (3 cr.), an internship MSTD A508 (3 cr.), four courses (12 cr.) from the Museum Studies curriculum which may include an approved course from outside the program including those in Public History, Anthropology, Education, Sociology, Public Relations, Philanthropic Studies, Non-Profit Administration (SPEA) and Herron School of Art and Design (min. 9 cr. from the MSTD curriculum). All these courses must be passed with a grade of B– or above in order to count for the certificate. Internships must be approved by a faculty advisor prior to registration. Certificates are only awarded in the months of May, August and December.

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.)
• Courses (12 cr.)

For students in the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate program and M.A. History program who choose public history as their area of concentration (18 cr.):

In order to complete the certificate while simultaneously completing the M.A. in History (Public History concentration), students must apply and be admitted to both the History MA program and Museum Studies Graduate Certificate program and complete the requirements for both the degree and the certificate. Students should consult with advisors in both programs to establish their program plan to follow the approved course of study within both programs. The certificate must be awarded before or at the same time as the master’s degree in History. Certificates are only awarded in the months of May, August and December.

The following courses fulfill requirements in both programs:

• Taking HIST H543 Internship: Practicum in Public History when focused on museums(4 cr.) counts as an equivalent for MSTD A508
• Taking HIST H548 Historic Administration/Museum Administration (3 cr.) counts as an equivalent for MSTD A548
• Taking HIST H542 Public History (4 cr.) may count as an equivalent for MSTD A503
• Any HIST H547 Special Topics in Public History (3 cr.) classes are approved electives for the museum studies graduate certificate curriculum
• History MA (Public History concentration) students may use up to two museum studies courses to count as the “6 credits outside the department of History” requirement.

Master’s Degree in Museum Studies

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.

M.A. requirements (36 cr.)

• The Master’s degree program consists of 36 credit hours of course work, including a required introductory course (A503) (3 cr.), core courses (A510, A512, A516, A548) (12 cr.), an internship (A508) (6 cr.), a colloquium (A530) (3 cr.), and a choice of elec­tive courses (12 cr.) selected from the Museum Studies curriculum or approved courses from outside the program including those in Public History, Anthropology, Education, Sociology, Public Relations, Philanthropic Studies, Non-Profit Administration (SPEA) and Herron School of Art and Design. All these courses must be passed with a grade of B– or above in order to count for the degree. Internships must be approved by a faculty advisor prior to registration.
• 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.)