Museum studies has a long history at the University of Iowa, with courses offered continuously since 1910.
Museums embrace every aspect of human experience. Iowa's Museum Studies Program reflects this multiplicity and includes students from many fields, including American studies, anthropology and archaeology, art, biology, business, communication studies, earth, environment, and sustainability sciences, elementary and secondary education, English, world languages, history, and library and information science.
Instructors for museum studies courses reflect the program's interdisciplinary nature. They include faculty members from anthropology; art, art history, and design; business; classics and religious studies; history; journalism and mass communication; library and information science; and other related fields.
The Museum Studies Program holds academic memberships with the American Association for State and Local History and the Iowa Museum Association. These connections offer museum studies students opportunities for internships, professional networking, and career development. In addition to offering a wide range of on-campus courses, the certificate can also be earned online with a growing number of online courses.
The undergraduate Certificate in Museum Studies requires 18 s.h. Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in work for the certificate.
The certificate may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa who is not enrolled in a UI graduate or professional degree program. Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) students may earn the certificate when the undergraduate classification is primary.
Work for the certificate consists of one introductory course, a minimum of four courses on specific museum studies topics, and 3 s.h. from the internship and professionalism category. Students must request permission from the coordinator of the museum studies certificate to use courses that are not included in the program, and the proposed course content and requirements must fit into one of the program's defined areas. A maximum of 6 s.h. of coursework used to satisfy requirements for another major, minor, or certificate may be applied toward this certificate. Transfer credit requests are evaluated individually by the museum studies coordinator.
The Certificate in Museum Studies requires the following coursework.
Requirements Summary
| Requirements |
Hours |
| Introductory Course |
3 |
| Museum Studies Topic Areas |
12 |
| Museum Studies Internship and Professionalism |
3 |
Introductory Course
Students should begin the certificate with MUSM:2001/ANTH:2010 Introduction to Museum Studies, which is a prerequisite for some of the program’s more advanced courses. This course provides a historical overview of museum development and function while introducing students to issues such as museum governance and financing, ethics and law, collection management, exhibition and educational programming, interpretation, and audience research.
Museum Studies Topic Areas
Students complete a minimum of four courses in museum studies topic areas, choosing from the following lists. The areas are collection care and management; exhibition development and public education; history, theory, and culture; and museum administration and management.
Students must select one course each from three of the four topic areas (9 s.h. total). They must also complete a fourth course (3 s.h.) from any of the four topic areas.
Collection Care and Management
Exhibition Development and Public Education
History, Theory, and Culture
Museum Administration and Management
Museum Studies Internship and Professionalism
Students must complete either 2 s.h. in CCP:1201 Academic Internship plus 1 s.h. in MUSM:3091 Topics in Museum Studies or 3 s.h. in CCP:1201. Additionally, students should not take 3 s.h. of CCP:1201 in a single semester. Instead, students who opt to take 3 s.h. of the internship course should divide the s.h. over two or three semesters (e.g., 1 s.h. for three semesters or 2 s.h. one semester and 1 s.h. another semester).
It is highly recommended that students wait to begin their internship work until after they have completed the introductory course and at least 12 s.h. of coursework for the program.
The Certificate in Museum Studies coordinator and Pomerantz Career Center staff work closely with students and affiliated faculty members to ensure that the internship provides students with the instruction and experience they need.
Online Option
Those with an interest in furthering their education in museum studies and who live outside of the Iowa City area may be interested in pursuing the certificate online. This certificate can be completed entirely online with flexible internship options across the country. Please see the program website for details or contact the museum studies coordinator.
Museum studies students have become directors, curators, educators, and exhibit specialists in museums throughout the country.
The Pomerantz Career Center offers multiple resources to help students find internships and jobs.
