Museum and Curatorial Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines the practices associated with the collection, analysis, and exhibition of art, artifacts, specimens, and interpretive displays for the purpose of preservation, interpretation, and public engagement. It also considers the practices associated with the governance, administration, and responsible fiscal management within the professional world of museums and other collection and exhibition spaces. Finally, the field of museum studies seeks to understand the dynamic role museums, galleries, and collecting play in history and culture.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Museum and Curatorial Studies minor, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of approaches to work performed in museums and galleries including operations, collections management, interpretation, exhibition, and museum education.
• Analyze the role of public exhibitions in culture, for example, as institutions embedded in historical contexts and as sites of cultural production.
• Apply interdisciplinary methods and theories appropriate to the various aspects of museum and curatorial studies to an aspect of museum work that could include operation collections management, interpretation, exhibition, or museum education.

Study Plan

To obtain the optional minor in Museum and Curatorial Studies, a student must complete at least 18 hours of designated Museum and Curatorial Studies coursework, including both required and elective courses. Required courses include:

Students will work with the director of the Museum and Curatorial Studies to create a study plan of 9 additional credit hours in elective courses that satisfy the program's learning outcomes and complement a student's major area and interests. These electives must be taken in at least two disciplines, and at least 6 hours of electives must be at the upper-division level. This study plan must be approved before a student completes coursework in the minor program.

Course Offerings