Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies

The departmental Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies is awarded to students who have completed four components that satisfy the certificate’s requirements. It is not a stand-alone certificate but is awarded in conjunction with a graduate degree. Courses must include CAS AH 520 and CAS AH 521. Students choose an elective course to reflect their specific course of study in conjunction with the Director of Museum Studies. Possible options include (but are not limited to) CAS AH 524, CAS AH 576, CAS AH 804 (when it is a conservation seminar), or suitable courses from other departments and the Metropolitan College’s graduate program in Arts Administration. Additionally, students must take a graduate-level internship at a museum or nonprofit arts organization. Both the elective and the internship require the approval of the Director of Museum Studies. The internship may be taken as CAS AH 501 or CAS AH 502. The courses may be taken either as part of or in addition to the courses required for the MA or the PhD. The certificate is also open to MA students in cognate disciplines of graduate study.

The Boston area has a wide range of institutions that offer internships, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; the Boston Athenaeum; the Boston Public Library; the Harvard University Art Museums; the List Visual Arts Center at MIT; the Photographic Resource Center; Historic New England; and several smaller historical house museums; the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover; and the Peabody-Essex Museum, Salem.

Learning Outcomes

• Acquire familiarity with different methodologies in museum studies.
• Develop a critical understanding of current principles and practice and contemporary debates in museum studies.
• Develop skills required to mount exhibitions and gain practical experience in applying those skills.
• Be prepared for a curatorial or museum career.