The interdisciplinary museum and field studies program is administered by the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, in conjunction with the departments of anthropology; history; art history; ecology and evolutionary biology; and geological sciences; as well as other departments. The program provides a strong background in a chosen field as well as theoretical and practical grounding in museology.
Internships are offered at a variety of museums in the region, including natural history, history and art museums. Students completing the MS are trained as collection managers, curatorial assistants, registrars, museum educators, exhibit technicians and administrators.
Program Tracks
Three tracks are available: a collections/field track, a public/administration track and an art history track.
Collections/Field Track
This track offers training for students interested in the curatorial and research aspects of museum work, such as floristic or faunistic studies of the past and present, material culture of the past and present and biological inventory. The curriculum gives students academic training as well as experience in all areas of museum work. Field experience is offered through the curatorial and field practica.
Public/Administration Track
This track offers education for students interested in the public aspects of the museum such as program development and evaluation, exhibition planning and design, education and the organization and management of museums. The curriculum offers both academic training in a discipline and hands-on experience with all aspects of the public museum.
Art History Track
The art history track in the MFS program is open to applicants who hold a BA degree in the liberal arts, preferably with a major in art history. This track addresses issues specific to the research and curation of artworks. The curriculum provides students with academic training in art history and offers students firsthand museum experience in curatorial and collections work through exhibitions practica and collections research.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Students must meet all university requirements for admission to graduate school and have a baccalaureate degree and at least a B (3.00) grade-point average in previous academic work. The baccalaureate degree should be in anthropology, biology, geology, geography, history (including archival studies), classics, fine arts or education, although other majors will be considered. Acceptance to the program is decided by the admissions committee of the University Museum in consultation with the student’s department. The student must be accepted by an advisor in his or her discipline. Applicants accepted for graduate work by museum faculty must be admitted to the Graduate School.
Course Requirements
The degree in museum and field studies is a two-year program requiring a total of 32 credit hours, plus 150 hours of internship. Depending on the track and plan, students complete from 9 to 15 credit hours in a department and from 13 to 22 credit hours in museology courses. View the Program Tracks tab for more information.
Internship
A museum internship of 150 hours is required.
Committee
A committee of at least three graduate faculty will be selected during the first semester in residence, by consultation between the student, the student's advisor, and the director of the MFS program. At least one member of the committee must be a tenured or tenure-track member of the museum faculty. The committee will serve as program advisors for the comprehensive exam and as the defense committee for the thesis or project. A student and advisor may apply for an exception in writing, which must be approved by the MFS program director.
Degree Plans
Students may choose either the thesis or non-thesis plan.
Plan I: Thesis Option
This plan requires the completion and successful defense of a thesis.
Plan II: Non-Thesis Option
This plan requires the completion of a project and paper.
Program Tracks
Collections/Field Track
Thesis Plan Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MUSM 5011 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 4 |
| MUSM 5051 | Museum Collections Management | 3 |
| MUSM 6110 | Advanced Seminar in Museum Issues | 3 |
| At least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Museum Education | ||
| Museums and the Public: Exhibit Development | ||
| Museum Administration | ||
| Further course work | 19 | |
5000+: Cognate Hours 1 | ||
| Master's Thesis in Museum and Field Studies | ||
Seminar, Independent Study, Practicum (1-3 credits) | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 32 | |
| 1 | Cognate (or specialty) hours may include 5000+ level courses, practicum work, field methods courses, and up to six hours of 3000- or 4000-level classes, if appropriate. Cognate hours may be taken in more than one department or school. Some Museum courses may count as cognate hours with advisor approval. |
Project Plan Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MUSM 5011 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 4 |
| MUSM 5051 | Museum Collections Management | 3 |
| MUSM 6110 | Advanced Seminar in Museum Issues | 3 |
| At least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Museum Education | ||
| Museums and the Public: Exhibit Development | ||
| Museum Administration | ||
| Further course work | 19 | |
5000+: Cognate Hours 1 | ||
| Master's Project or Paper in Museum and Field Studies | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 32 | |
| 1 | Cognate (or specialty) hours may include 5000+ level courses, practicum work, field methods courses, and up to six hours of 3000- or 4000-level classes, if appropriate. Cognate hours may be taken in more than one department or school. Some Museum courses may count as cognate hours with advisor approval. |
Public/Administration Track
Thesis Plan Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MUSM 5011 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 4 |
| MUSM 5041 | Museum Administration | 3 |
| MUSM 5051 | Museum Collections Management | 3 |
| MUSM 6110 | Advanced Seminar in Museum Issues | 3 |
| At least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Museum Education | ||
| Museums and the Public: Exhibit Development | ||
| Further course work | 16 | |
5000+: Cognate Hours 1 | ||
| Master's Thesis in Museum and Field Studies | ||
Seminar, Independent Study, Practicum (1-3 credits) | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 32 | |
| 1 | Cognate (or specialty) hours may include 5000+ level courses, practicum work, field methods courses, and up to six hours of 3000- or 4000-level classes, if appropriate. Cognate hours may be taken in more than one department or school. Some Museum courses may count as cognate hours with advisor approval. |
Project Plan Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MUSM 5011 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 4 |
| MUSM 5030 | Museum Education | 3 |
| MUSM 5031 | Museums and the Public: Exhibit Development | 3 |
| MUSM 5041 | Museum Administration | 3 |
| MUSM 5051 | Museum Collections Management | 3 |
| MUSM 6110 | Advanced Seminar in Museum Issues | 3 |
| Further course work | 13 | |
5000+: Cognate Hours 1 | ||
| Master's Project or Paper in Museum and Field Studies | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 32 | |
| 1 | Cognate (or specialty) hours may include 5000+ level courses, practicum work, field methods courses, and up to six hours of 3000- or 4000-level classes, if appropriate. Cognate hours may be taken in more than one department or school. Some Museum courses may count as cognate hours with advisor approval. |
Art History Track
Thesis Plan Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MUSM 5011 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 4 |
| MUSM 5051 | Museum Collections Management | 3 |
| ARTH 6929 | Seminar: Methods/Theories of Art History | 3 |
| At least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Museum Education | ||
| Museums and the Public: Exhibit Development | ||
| Museum Administration | ||
| Further course work | 19 | |
5000+: Cognate Hours 1 | ||
| Master's Thesis in Museum and Field Studies | ||
Seminar, Independent Study, Practicum (1-3 credits) | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 32 | |
| 1 | Cognate (or specialty) hours may include 5000+ level courses, practicum work, field methods courses, and up to six hours of 3000- or 4000-level classes, if appropriate. Cognate hours may be taken in more than one department or school. Some Museum courses may count as cognate hours with advisor approval. |
Project Plan Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MUSM 5011 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 4 |
| MUSM 5051 | Museum Collections Management | 3 |
| ARTH 6929 | Seminar: Methods/Theories of Art History | 3 |
| At least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Museum Education | ||
| Museums and the Public: Exhibit Development | ||
| Museum Administration | ||
| Further course work | 19 | |
5000+: Cognate Hours 1 | ||
| Master's Project or Paper in Museum and Field Studies | ||
Seminar, Independent Study, Practicum (3 credits) | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 32 | |
| 1 | Cognate (or specialty) hours may include 5000+ level courses, practicum work, field methods courses, and up to six hours of 3000- or 4000-level classes, if appropriate. Cognate hours may be taken in more than one department or school. Some Museum courses may count as cognate hours with advisor approval. |