IUPUI offers two degree options for Graduate level students: a Master of Arts degree, and a Graduate Certificate. The two programs involve many of the same courses, and certificate students may choose to continue on for the MA and apply those credits to the master’s. The certificate may be done as a free-standing program, or you may take it concurrently with graduate work in another field such as Public History, Education, or Philanthropic Studies.  

 For a detailed description of the course offerings, please see our Course Listings page.  For details about campus housing, transportation, and local museums, please see our Resources Page. 

Program Requirements: Graduate Certificate

The program is 18 credit hours; 3 hours core curriculum, 12 hours elective courses, and 3 hours of internship. Note: an internship is strongly recommended unless the certificate student has extensive museum experience. The internship may count as a core course.

• Required Course: MSTD A503 Introduction to Museum Studies (3 cr.)
• Core courses (12 cr.) (see below for course titles)
• Elective (3 cr.) (see below for course titles)

Program Requirements: Master’s Degree

The program is 36 credit hours: 15 hours core curriculum, 15 hours elective courses, and 6 hours of internships.

• Required Course: MSTD A503 Introduction to Museum Studies (3 cr.)
• Core courses (12 credits): Select 4 of the following core courses
  MSTD A510 Museum Education (3 cr.)
  MSTD A512 Exhibit Planning and Design (3 cr.)
  MSTD A514 Museums and Technology (3 cr.)
  MSTD A516 Collections Care and Management (3 cr.)
  MSTD A518 Museums and Audiences (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Museum Ethics (3 cr.)
  HIST H547 Historical Administration/Museum Administration
  MSTD A560 Special Topics in Museum Studies (3 cr.) (when designated as a core course; may be repeated)
• Internship (6 credits): Proposals must be approved by internship advisor prior to registration.
  MSTD A508 Museum Internship (1-6 credits)
• Electives (15 credits)
  Select 5 courses from the following list of approved courses and from MSTD core courses not being counted for the 12 cr. taken for the core requirement. Electives not included in the list below must be approved by the Museum Studies Director prior to registration. Additional New Media Courses, Anthropology, and Herron Visual Communication and Fine Arts graduate courses will be added as electives as their courses are approved. See the Student Resources menu for current lists and course schedules.
  MSTD A560 Special Tpcs. in MSTD: Allies & Adversaries (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Caring for Native Objects (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Curatorial Practices (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Design Studio (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Museum Theatre (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Native Americans and Museums (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Object-based learning (3 cr.)
  MSTD A560 Current Tpcs. in MSTD: Eiteljorg projects (3 cr.)
  MSTD A595 Indep.. Learning in Museum Studies (1-4 cr.) (may be repeated)

  Electives from other departments
  ANTH P340 Modern Material Culture (grad. section – course # TBA) (3 cr.)
  ANTH E320 Indians of North America (grad. section – course # TBA) (3 cr.)
  ANTH A401 Cultural Resources Management (grad. section course # TBA) (3 cr.)
  ECON E514 The Nonprofit Economy and Public Policy (3 cr.)
  EDUC H520 Education and Social Issues (3 cr.)
  EDUC H530 Philosophy of Education (3 cr.)
  EDUC P514 Life-span Development (3 cr.)
  EDUC P640 Thinking and Learning in Social Contexts (3 cr.)
  HER R511 Visual Culture (3 cr.)
  HER Y501 Design I (3 cr.) [MSTD course numbers TBA]
  HER Y502 Design II (3 cr.) [MSTD course numbers TBA]
  HIST H542 Introduction to Public History (4 cr.)
  HIST H547 Special Tpcs. in Public History: Archival Practices (3 cr.)
  HIST H547 Special Tpcs. in Public History: Historic Site Interp. (3 cr.)
  HIST H547 Special Tpcs. in Public History: Historic Preservation (3 cr.)
  PHST P512 Human and Financial Resources for Philanthropy (3 cr.)
  PHST P521 The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector (3 cr.)
  PHST P542 Ethics and Values of Philanthropy (3 cr. )
  SLIS L505 Organization and Rep. of Knowledge and Information (3 cr.)
  SLIS L528 Collection Development and Management
  SLIS L566 Digital Libraries (3 cr.)
  SPEA V522 Human Resource Mgmt. in Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.)
  SPEA V525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector (3 cr.)
  SPEA V526 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.)
  SPEA V557 Proposal Development and Grant Administration (3 cr.)