Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Museum Studies certificate program unites history, theory, and practical learning in a curriculum that prepares participants for professional or volunteer careers in administration, collections, and specialty disciplines within museums, zoos, aquariums, parks, and botanical gardens.

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Museum Studies Certificate — Online Program

The Museum Studies certificate program is useful for a wide range of careers within museums, zoos, aquariums, and gardens, including curatorial, administrative, collections management, education, and board roles. Whether you want to advance your career as a current museum professional or break into the field from another industry, this program provides the knowledge and skills essential to achieving your goal in a timely manner.

Program Audience

The Museum Studies certificate program is designed for:

• Current museum professionals seeking to advance their careers
• Individuals looking to break into the museum field from another industry
• Those considering a graduate degree in museum studies

Program Topics

The Museum Studies faculty have designed this program to cast a wide net regarding critical topics in the museum world. Through lectures, guest speakers, discussions, and field trips to their local museums, students will gain relevant information and build applicable skills related to the following areas:

• History of museums
• Ethical challenges
• Building audiences
• Maximizing learning opportunities for museum visitors
• Fundraising, finance, and management
• Organizational development
• The ways collections and community inform museum missions

Museum Studies Program Courses

To earn a certificate of completion in Museum Studies, students must successfully complete three courses. Students typically earn their certificate in one year. Classes can be taken in any order and may be completed concurrently.

The required courses are:

• Museum Origins & Issues (MUSEUM 370-DL)
• Successful Museum Management in Today’s Environment (MUSEUM 371-DL)
• Learning and Museums (MUSEUM 372-DL)

Faculty

• Caroline Goldthorpe is the director of SPS's Museum Studies certificate online program and the instructor for Museum Origins and Issues and Learning and Museums.
• Jack Ludden is a Digital Experience and Innovation Strategist at Balboa Park Online Collaborative and co-professor of Successful Museum Management.
• Debra Kerr is the current president and CEO of Intuit Art Museum and co-professor of Successful Museum Management.

Optional Two-day Exhibit Symposium

The Journey of a Museum Exhibition: From Vision to Reality is a supplement to the Museum Studies certificate program or can be a stand-alone experience for museum professionals and those who are interested in furthering their knowledge of the exhibit process. This two-day symposium presents a comprehensive overview of the critical components that make a museum exhibit successful.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Details can be found on the tuition and financial aid for Museum Studies certificate page.

Museum Studies Career Options

Read more on the Museum Studies career options page.

SHRM Recertification Credits

Northwestern University School of Professional Studies is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification activities. Some courses in this program are valid for PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. Refer to each course description for requirements and the number of PDCs awarded.

Related Professional Development Programs at SPS

Learn more about related certificate programs:

• Leadership certificate
• Essentials of Project Management certificate

Why Northwestern Museum Studies?

• Competitive tuition: Earn a resume-building credential at a fraction of the cost of a degree. Northwestern’s Museum Studies program tuition is comparable to or less than similar programs at peer institutions.
• Flexible online format: Online and asynchronous, the courses in this certificate program can be completed when your schedule allows, from anywhere in the world.
• Faculty with industry experience: The online Museum Studies program is taught by faculty members with years of industry experience at some of the world’s most renowned museums.
• Evolving curriculum: Northwestern’s Museum Studies certificate online offers relevant, practical information that equips students with skills directly applicable to the museum field. Faculty consistently review and update their courses to incorporate the most recent issues and theories in this dynamic field.
• Networking opportunities: Build your professional network by engaging with museum professionals from across the country. In addition to learning from esteemed guest lecturers, you’ll have the chance to forge strong connections with your peers through the program’s discussion boards, sync sessions, and resume-building group projects.