Museum Studies is an interdisciplinary program that serves multiple departments in the Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Fine and Applied Arts and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. It is housed in the Department of Anthropology. The program offers a graduate minor in museum studies, effective Fall 2009. It also offers an undergraduate curriculum and serves as an informal hub of museum-related research on campus.
Museum Studies courses are offered each fall and spring term. The full range of courses is described below. Please check the university course information pages to see which courses are available for a specific term. If you become aware of other course offerings relevant to museum studies, please contact us at museumstudies@illinois.edu.
UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN MUSEUM STUDIES
The Certificate in Museum Studies is designed for undergraduates in Liberal Arts & Sciences, Fine & Applied Arts, Information Science, or Education who wish to complement their degree program with interdisciplinary study in museum theory and practice. The certificate is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of museum institutions and operations and promotes museum-related perspectives and skill sets that cross-cut disciplines.
Total Hours: 18 credits
Requirements
MUSE 200: Introduction to Museums 3 hrs
ANTH 462: Museum Theory and Practice (cross-lists as ARTH 462/LA 472) 3 hrs
Three elective courses from the approved list 9 hrs
MUSE 390: Museum Internship (substitutions allowed by petition) 3 hrs
The student’s course plan must be approved by the Museum Studies office and must include at least nine hours of 300- or 400-level coursework. A minimum grade point average of 2.50 within the course plan is required in order for a certificate to be issued. The certificate will not appear on a student’s transcript, although all applicable coursework will be listed. The certificate generally takes two years to complete based on current cycles of elective offerings.
To Enroll in the Certificate
Dr. Susan Frankenberg, Museum Studies Program Coordinator
Department of Anthropology
University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign,
109 Davenport Hall (MC‐148)
607 Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: 217/244‐1984
E‐mail: museumstudies@illinois.edu OR sfranken@illinois.edu
Courses for Undergraduate Students
- MUSE 200 Introduction to Museums (every fall)
- ANTH 462/ARTH 462/LA 472 Museum Theory and Practice (every spring)
- MUSE 250/ANTH 250 The World through Museums (gen ed; every spring)
- MUSE 330 Learning in Museums (every other year)
- MUSE 389 Seminar in Museum Studies
- MUSE 390 Museum Internship
- MUSE 420 Collections Management (every other year)
- MUSE 440 Museum Registration (every other year)
- ANTH 460/LA 460 Heritage Management (every fall)
- ANTH 473 Museums and Communities
- ARTE 260 Museums in Action (every year)
- HIST 314 Material Culture
- LIS 490 Museum Informatics (every year)
- THEA 457 Model Making for the Stage
- ANTH, ARTE, ARTH, LA, LIS undergraduate seminars specifically about museums