The University of Iowa has offered professional training for work in museums since 1910.

The Museum Studies Certificate program combines history, theory, and experiential learning to create a forward-looking curriculum preparing professionals for graduate school or work in a wide range of museums and cultural institutions. 

Courses are offered online and face-to-face each semester to meet your education and professional development needs.

What can a student do with a Certificate in Museum Studies?

A certificate prepares students for entry-level positions in museums or for advanced studies in graduate school.  Employment in zoos and botanical gardens; historical houses and science centers; local, state and federal parks and monuments; and libraries and archives are all possible. 

In large institutions a graduate with a BA/BS degree combined with a Museum Studies certificate may find employment supporting the head of department (e.g., assistant collection manager, education coordinator, exhibit artist); in smaller institutions, the same credentials may enable entry with a higher title (e.g., curator, exhibit manager, director).

Graduates of the University of Iowa’s Museum Studies Program have become directors, curators, educators, and exhibit specialists in museums throughout the country. The Museum Studies program offers courses that are of value not only to students intending to pursue museum careers or continue their education, but also to those with a general interest in the arts, sciences, or humanities, as well as to those students who simply wish to know more about the workings of museums.

What can I expect to learn and gain from Museum Studies courses?

Whether you are taking online or face-to-face courses, you can expect to engage in a variety of activities. Through lectures, discussions, visits to museums, hands-on learning, professional guest speakers, and museum-based projects students will learn about:

  • The history and origins of museums
  • Collections management and care best practices
  • Audience and community engagement
  • Nonprofit fundraising, grant writing and management
  • Strategic planning and organizational structure
  • Ethics and professionalism in the field
  • Communication and collaboration best practices

Museum Studies certificate students also are required to complete an internship of 150 experience hours that gives them the opportunity to engage in professional work at a museum, gallery, archive, historical center, and/or historical home of their choice and in the location that is best suited for them.

Who can earn the Certificate in Museum Studies?

The Certificate Program is open to any student, either non-traditional or undergraduate, with a minimum 2.0 GPA who is not enrolled in a graduate program in the United States. Students who have already earned a Bachelor’s degree or partial credit toward a Bachelor’s degree are also eligible to apply. Students can complete the coursework for the certificate online and/or on campus. You do not have to be admitted into a bachelor’s program or have earned a bachelor’s degree to enroll in the undergraduate, online Museum Studies certificate program.

Graduate students are welcome to take Museum Studies courses, but currently the Certificate is only offered at the undergraduate level.  Graduate students have the option to enroll in the Certificate program after completing the graduate degree.

Can I complete the Museum Studies Certificate completely online?

Many of the courses for the Museum Studies Program are offered online, allowing a distance-learning student to earn the Certificate in as little as three semesters. It is also possible to take a mix of online and face-to-face courses to meet the certificate requirements. For more information, please visit the Online/Distance Learning page.

For more information about the certificate, watch this recording of our information session (from fall 2023): https://uicapture.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=bf5bb039-8d75-48b7-8649-b09d0112910d