Open Forum

Colleen,

If you have the chance, I would say a combination of work-experience (likely volunteering, maybe once a week?) and a Certificate program could be good, especially if you can join your State Association of Museums.

Our online Northwestern Certificate might be a good way to add a museum-specific qualification without the huge expense of a Masters, but show that you are serious about a museum career?

3-class online Museum Studies Certificate

Northwestern University's 3-class online asynchronous certificate program begins again on March 31, and registration closes March 25. These three classes each cost around $1,300 and you can take one or more per term. A good opportunity for possible career development/career change and access to great readings/media without making a major commitment. Quote from a recent student: "This was my first experience with a fully asynchronous class, and I was shocked how much I enjoyed it. The discussion posts and being required to respond to your fellow classmates truly created a community. Everyone came from such different backgrounds but were all able to come together for this class."

https://sps.northwestern.edu/professional-development/museum-studies/

Hello Collen, 

I appreciate your question and applaud you for doing some research. As director of a graduate program that offers both an MA and a Certificate in Museum Studies,  I hear this question a lot. My first response is it depends on your goals. Some students already have an MA in another discipline. Hence, a Certificate provides foundational knowledge and skills that can be applied directly to museums and integrates nicely with their previous degrees and coursework. If a student does not have an MA yet and believes they are likely to go after an MA in the future, then I recommend applying your valuable time and resources to starting the MA degree now. Of course, museum studies degrees, whether Certificates or MA/MS differ significantly in the courses and benefits they offer. I recommend researching what classes and professional experiences (internships, assistantships, or employment) and benefits the program provides and ensuring they align with your career goals.

For example, our program at Western Illinois University, located in Moline, IL, allows students to take classes in person or online from anywhere. Classes are offered in a hybrid format, with some students attending in person and others attending synchronously on Zoom. Classes are in the evenings, allowing students to work during the day. Thus, you could complete your degree in four semesters while gaining professional experience working in a museum. The total cost of the 38 credit hour MA, with tuition and fees, is $18,527. The program has partnerships with more than eight area museums where students can work as part of their coursework.  Students hold professional memberships in state and regional organizations and have access to various professional networking opportunities with these organizations. Our program packs much into the 24 months and prepares students for the industry. Because of all these different components, our students have successfully found jobs in the field; placement was 100% in 2023-24. You can learn more about our program here: https://www.wiu.edu/cofac/qc/museumstudies/

As you can see, programs can differ, and not every program is right for everyone. You are on the right track, asking questions. Good luck and museum on!

Dear Colleen

I just want to mention that AAM has a way to look up programs in your area and see witch schools have what types of museum studies programs. I did this when I was looking for a grad program. I went for the masters but thats me. 

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Rachel

I am a 'boomer', so my 26+ years of experience working in the museum field is somewhat old.  I obtained a certificate from a Canadian university museology programme.  I worked hard at this, attending every class & writing 40-page extensively documented course papers evaluated as 'A'-worthy.  This effort was sufficient for me to get jobs, operate various museum mission & management positions in a professional manner & obtaining a curator's position in an American college museum as well as taught in its museum studies programme, including developing its first exhibit design & development course.  In my view, a certificate would serve you well--as long as you are prepared to keep up with reading the museum studies literature & attend professional development opportunities.  I never felt limited in obtaining museum jobs, publishing in museum journals, gaining regional museum funding for my museum in exchange for providing advice to other museums, nor inadequate to carry out my museum responsibilities effectively to the point of winning a professional museum organisation heritage award & scholarships to pursue my museum studies.  Dedication, intense ongoing hard work, writing articles for museum publications & 2 museum-related blogs, teaching museum organisation professional development courses, & basing my practice on the current museum literature were keys to my success in the museum field.  Ongoing museum studies education is key.

As a former student of Caroline Goldthorpe (see comment below), I highly recommend Northwesternʻs Museum Studies certificate program! I transitioned from the traditional classroom to museum education and am loving it.

I entered the museum field awhile ago.  Back in the late 80s there weren't many museum related post graduate courses in Canada.  I chose to do an MA in History with a post graduate diploma in Material History.  This laid the groundwork for my career.  I think if you have a MA in a related field then do just a museum studies course but don't get bogged down in course work versus hands on experience, that is the key.  Volunteer or do paid internships and never stop learning.

HI Colleen 

One of the key benefits of a full master’s program is the opportunity to explore ideas in greater depth. For those interested in the educational role of museums, the University of British Columbia offers a unique Master of Museum Education program focused on teaching and learning in informal settings.

This part-time program is designed for working professionals and is delivered 90% online, with a one-week intensive course at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, British Columbia. It attracts museum educators from around the world, many of whom work full-time in various educational roles.

As a graduate-level program, it also provides students with the opportunity to conduct original research. For examples of student research projects, see:

• Lucy, A., & Anderson, D. (2025). Breaking Silence on Quiet Spaces: Museum Visitors’ and Educators’ Perceptions.Visitor Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2024.2435075
• Anderson, D., De Cosson, A., & McIntosh, L. (Eds.). (2015). Research Informing the Practice of Museum Educators: Diverse Audiences, Challenging Topics, and Reflective Praxis. Springer.

The current tuition fee for international students is $17,501.61 CAD.

Good luck in your search for a program that will help you further your career as a museum professional.

Museums and the companies that contract for museums are always looking for people with sales skills who are passionate about the museum field. That mix is not easy to find. I'll broaden that to say much of the non-profit sector is hungry for people who understand sales but are dedicated to the mission of a given non-profit. 

Everybody's unique, and I don't know you, but you are very likely more marketable with a sales degree with an interest in serving museums, than you are with a museum studies degree. Look for the "MuseumPro" subreddit and see a long list of messages from discouraged, disillusioned museum studies graduates.

Additionally, should you decide to change paths again in the future, your sales degree will be far more versatile than museum studies.