University College

Courses

Museum Studies

The University of Iowa has offered courses in museum studies continuously since 1910. Museum Studies Program students have become directors, curators, educators, and exhibit specialists in museums throughout the country. University College provides administrative and program support for museum studies. Both graduate and undergraduate students may take courses offered by the Museum Studies Program; the Certificate in Museum Studies is offered for undergraduate students.

A major in one of the natural sciences (e.g., biological sciences or geoscience), anthropology, science education, art history, American studies, or history is recommended for students preparing for museum careers; see the appropriate department sections (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in the Catalog. Undergraduate students may add the museum studies certificate to any of these majors or use the interdepartmental studies major (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) to design their own plan of study by coordinating course work relevant to their academic concentration areas and professional interests.

Courses offered by the Museum Studies Program provide an introduction to fundamental museological subjects, including background in the history, organization, function, and management of museums as well as experience in exhibition planning and design, collection management, and education outreach development.

Museum studies courses are of value not only to students intending to pursue careers in museums but also to those with related interests in the arts, sciences, or humanities. Museum studies is useful in many career areas, including archaeology, anthropology, history, American studies, communication studies, elementary and secondary education, historic preservation, library science, recreation and leisure, art history and studio art, and science education.

Certificate

All students take 024:102 Introduction to Museology (3 s.h.), which provides a historical overview of museum development and function and introduces students to issues such as museum governance and financing, ethics and law, collection management, exhibition and educational programming, interpretation, and audience research. Ideally, this is the first course students take in the certificate program.

Students select three courses (minimum of 9 s.h.), typically one from each of three of the following categories, and one additional course (minimum of 3 s.h.) from any of the categories.

Museum administration and management
History, theory, and culture
Exhibition development and public education
Collection management and care

After completing the 15 s.h. of foundation course work described above, students complete an internship (minimum of 3 s.h.). The Museum Studies Program director works closely with students and affiliated faculty members to ensure that internships provide students with the instruction and experience they need.

The Museum Studies Program web site lists courses that count toward the certificate. Students also may request permission to use courses not on the program's list, providing the content of the course and the student's work in the course fits into one of the program's defined areas.

Courses applied toward the museum studies certificate also may be used to complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program or requirements for a major or minor. Students may count a maximum of 6 s.h. of course work completed for another major, certificate, or minor toward the requirements of the Certificate in Museum Studies.

Students interested in the museum studies certificate are encouraged to meet with the Museum Studies Program director.

Museum Facilities

The University of Iowa Museum of Art houses significant collections of more than 12,000 objects and several outstanding collections, including African and pre-Columbian art, prints, and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Old Capitol housed Iowa's territorial and state government offices from 1842 until 1857. A National Historic Landmark, the building now is Old Capitol Museum, dedicated to early Iowa and American history.

All three campus museums present public programs and events.

Students can gain first-hand experience through supervised internships. They also can learn from a number of smaller collections that are available on campus and in the Iowa City area.

Courses