Graduate Certificate

PLEASE NOTE: Per federal financial aid guidelines, students enrolled only in the Museum Studies graduate certificate are NOT eligible for federal or institutional financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships or work-study positions.

The Museum Studies graduate certificate requires 15 credit hours to complete.

Enrollment is open to students admitted to a degree-seeking KU graduate program as well as those not currently enrolled at KU. It provides a grounding in the histories, concepts and practices of the museum studies discipline, and enables students to integrate knowledge of museum studies into their own academic disciplines or professional training.

The certificate represents an additional credential for students from a variety of academic fields to prepare for doctoral study, as well as for employment in museums and related fields such as historic preservation, cultural resource preservation, archives and government agencies.

Application Deadlines

Spring 2025: December 15, 2024
Fall 2025: August 1, 2025

Minimum admissions requirements include a bachelor’s degree.

Current KU Students

Current graduate students will complete the online application and submit these required materials:

  • a letter stating your interest in Museum Studies and its relationship to your graduate course of study;
  • a current advising report;
  • a letter of support from your graduate degree program.

You must be in good standing with your graduate degree program to participate in the certificate program. 

Non-KU Students

If you aren't currently enrolled at KU, you'll complete an online application, pay a $30 application fee and submit these required materials:

  • a letter stating your interest in the Museum Studies graduate certificate;
  • a copy of your college transcript;
  • two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic work or potential for graduate study.

You can take as few as one course per semester or enroll full time to complete the certificate in two semesters.

The required 15 credit hours break down as:

Required Courses (6 credits)
MUSE 801 The Modern Museum: Institutions, Knowledge and Audiences (offered each fall)
MUSE 802 The Museum Profession: Ethics, Standards and Cultural Awareness (offered each spring)

Professional and Museum Topical Areas Courses (6 credits)
You must take one MUSE course focusing on one of the Museum Professional Areas, and one course that focuses on a Museum Topical Area.

Museum Topical Area courses generally are taken outside of the MUSE program. They address the conceptual and theoretical foundations of museums in depth, placing museological subjects in broader historical and intellectual frameworks and are often taken in disciplines represented in their museums/institutions of specialization. Courses will be selected based on the general relevance of the course and assurance that the student’s work will be applicable to museum studies.For instance, our students have taken courses in anthropology, art history, curriculum & teaching, educational technology, evolutionary biology, film & media studies, geology, history, women, gender & sexuality studies, and more.

MUSE 798 Capstone OR MUSE 799 Museum Internship (3 credits)
You’ll finish the certificate either by developing a museum-related research project or completing an internship of at least 250 hours.

You must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in all courses taken for the Museum Studies graduate certificate. MUSE’s graduate academic advisor will verify you’ve met the certificate requirements.

Graduate Studies will award certificates consistent with guidelines and timing of degree awards.

The graduate certificate will appear on your transcript.