Graduate
Degree Programs
Museum Studies
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.
The Master of Arts in Museum Studies 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.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing the Museum Studies M.A. curriculum will:
- Develop their abilities as critical thinkers by questioning the role of museums in society and think critically and creatively to evaluate and improve that role.
- Develop self-reflective understanding of their own vocations and professional ethics in the museum field.
- Develop mastery of professional skills through using a variety of approaches to create original products, such as educational programs, exhibit concepts, strategic plans, of relevance to museums in the community.
- Develop necessary knowledge and skills to meet professional standards in one or more areas of museum practice including collections, education, exhibit development, administration, curatorial practices, evaluation, and interpretive planning.
- Engage in and conduct creative research problems that, over time, yield new insights into museums, their missions, their collections, and their engagements with communities and
- Engage in hands-on learning in an area of the museum field through an internship experience.
- Become skilled at effectively presenting their work through oral presentations and in written work in formats relevant to the museum profession (ex. exhibit concept documents, object labels, press releases, research papers, catalogue entries, curriculum).
Program requirements (36 cr.)
The Master’s degree program consists of 36 credit hours of course work with a minimum grade of B- in each course.
Core courses (18 credits):
- MSTD-A 503: Introduction to Museum Studies (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 510: Museum Education (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 512: Exhibit Planning and Design (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 516: Collections Care and Management (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 548: Museum Administration (3 cr.)
Internship (6 credits): Proposals must be approved by internship advisor prior to registration.
- MSTD-A 508: Museum Internship (1-6 credits)
Capstone (3 cr.) MSTD-A 530: Museum colloquium
Electives (12 credits)
Select 4 courses from the following list of approved courses. Electives not included in the list below must be approved by your academic advisor.
- MSTD-A 509: Applied research in museums (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 514: Museums and Technology (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 518: Museums and Audiences (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 511: Object-based learning (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 513: Curatorial Practices (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 531: Critical Approaches to Museum Education (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 540: Issues in Cultural Heritage (3 cr.)
- MSTD-A 560: Current Topics in Museum Studies (3 cr.) (may be repeated under different title); Titles include things like: Community Curation, Caring for Native Objects, Museum Communication Strategies, Museum Education Research Methods, Museum Ethics
- MSTD-A 595: Indep.. Learning in Museum Studies (1-4 cr.) (may be repeated)
Approved electives from other departments
Please discuss electives with your advisor or other faculty member.
Anthropology
- ANTH-A 560: Variable Topics in Anthropology
- ANTH-A 565: Anthropological Thought
- ANTH-E 501: Fundamentals of Applied Anthropology
- ANTH-E 509: Modern Material Culture
- ANTH-E 521: Indians of North America
- ANTH-P 501: Community Archaeology
Herron
- HER-H 560: Visual Culture: A Visual Studies Approach
- HER-H 590 Topics in Art History
- HER-H 610: Art Theory and Criticism
- HER-V 501: Intro to Design Thinking (1.5 cr)
- HER-V 502 Introduction to Human Factors in Design (1.5 cr.)
- HER-V 511: People-Centered Design Research (1.5 cr)
- HER-Z 508: Issues in Art Education
NonProfit Management
- SPEA-V 522: Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations
- SPEA-V 525: Management in the Nonprofit Sector
- SPEA-V 526: Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations (V525 pre-req recommended)
- SPEA-V 557: Proposal Development and Grant Administration
- SPEA-V 558: Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations
- SPEA-V 652: Managing Workforce Diversity
History
- HIST-H 542: Introduction to Public History
- HIST-H 546: Topics in History
- HIST-H 547: Special Topics in Public History: Historic Preservation
- HIST-H 547: Special Topics in Public History: Archival Practices
- HIST-H 547: Special Topics in Public History: Historic Site Interpretation
- HIST-H 547: Special Topics in Public History: Digital Public History
Journalism/Public Relations
- JOUR-J 528: Public Relations Management
- JOUR-J 531: Public Relations for NonProfits
Library and Information Science
- LIS-S 502: Acquisitions and Management of Knowledge and Information
- LIS-S 511: Database Design
- LIS-S 548: Archives and Records Management
NonProfit Management
- SPEA-V 522: Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations
- SPEA-V 525: Management in the Nonprofit Sector
- SPEA-V 526: Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations (V525 pre-req recommended)
- SPEA-V 557: Proposal Development and Grant Administration
- SPEA-V 558: Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations
- SPEA-V 652: Managing Workforce Diversity
Philanthropic Studies
- PHST-P 521: The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
- PHST-P 535: Law of Non-profit Organizations
- PHST-P 532: Applying Ethics in Philanthropy
- PHST-P 556: Grant Making and the Role of Foundations
- PHST-P 558: Principles and Practices of Fundraising
- SOC-R 551: Quantitative Methods in Sociology
- SOC-S 659: Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology
