Program Requirements
Museum Studies Certificate
To earn the certificate in museum studies, the student must complete each course declared to be part of the program with a grade of at least a "C" (2.00) and achieve a grade point average of 2.50 for all five courses. A student may transfer only two courses from another institution to be applied to the certificate, and the internship course may not be transferred.
All students pursuing the certificate in museum studies must take two required courses and three elective courses. The certificate normally requires 15 credit hours.*
Requirements
Introductory Course – 3 credits
- ARTS/MSTD 228D – P3 Introduction to Museum Studies (3)
Internship – 3 credits
- MSTD 490 – Internship (3)
This course may be taken in the student’s major or minor department. The internship must take place with a museum, archive, or historic site; include an analytic research paper on a significant aspect of museum studies, as appropriate to the particular internship experience; and be approved in advance by the program director, regardless of what other requirements the internship course has for the department in which it listed.
Electives – 9 credits
Choose THREE courses from the following group.
- AMST/ARTS 201C – P1 Picturing the Past (3)
- ARTS/MSTD 229D – P3 This Old House - Historic Site Administration (3)
- COMM 269 – Web Design (3)
- HIST 202 – P1 Women and Gender in the 19th Century (3)**
- HIST 296D – History of Rochester (3)**
- HIST 298D – New York State History (3)**
- HIST 390 – Public History: Historians and the Community (3)
- HIST 395 – The Usable Past (3)
Total: 15 credits
*Students pursuing the certificate who have already earned a baccalaureate degree and who have at least one year of experience with the operation of a museum or archive (paid or unpaid) may petition the director to substitute a one–to–three credit MSTD 496 – Independent Study for the 490 Internship requirement. This course will consist of preparing an analytic research paper on a significant aspect of museum studies. The topic must be approved by the director, and the student must complete the Independent Study/Tutorial Authorization form. These students may complete the certificate with 13–15 credit hours.
**Only one course from HIST 202, 296D, or 298D may be applied to the certificate.