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Undergraduate Programs of Study

Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental 
Majors and Minors

Back to the list of Interdisciplinary/Interdepartmental Majors and Minors

Interdisciplinary
Museum Studies Minor
B.A., B.A.A., B.F.A., B.S., and B.S. in B.A. degrees

NOTE:  CMU is not presently accepting new students to this program.

Why Study for the Museum Field?
Museum Studies at CMU
Admission, Retention, and Termination Standards
Program

Contact:  The Museum of Cultural and Natural History
774-3829 (103 Rowe Hall)

Why Study for the Museum Field?
Museums offer a variety of exciting job opportunities in work environments that are dynamic, creative and fun. While some museums are specific to a particular academic discipline many are interdisciplinary, combining two or more academic fields . Most work assignments are non-routine and offer the variety that makes museums the kind of facilities they are. Museums are wide and varied in nature and include such facilities as Museums of Art, History, Anthropology, and Science; Art Galleries and Centers; Aquariums; Zoos; Botanical Gardens; Nature Centers; Historical Houses, Villages and Sites; Corporate Archives; Historical Monuments; and National, State, County, and City Park Interpretation Centers.

Regardless of their discipline all museums: collect relevant objects, catalogue collections to link objects with their data, conserve objects to prevent deterioration, conduct research to increase knowledge about the collections, educate the public using collections as an information source, and prepare exhibits for the public's enjoyment.

Museum Studies at CMU
This 24-credit-hour minor, when matched with an appropriate academic major such as geology, earth science, art, teacher education, geography, recreation, history, biology or anthropology, is designed to give you the necessary background to pursue a career in the museum field. Your courses will give you the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to work in these facilities planning and installing exhibits, preparing educational programs for the public and caring for the collections. Through your studies you will develop an awareness and appreciation for cultures and lifestyles different from your own. You will gain an understanding of the many purposes museums serve.

A required core of nine credit hours will introduce you to the areas of collection management, administration, educational programming and exhibit design. To strengthen your individual talents, you select nine credit hours of elective courses from an approved list in consultation with your advisor. A six-credit-hour internship at a professional museum or interpretive facility is required. The courses may also be taken at the graduate level in conjunction with work in a related field.

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Admission, Retention, and Termination Standards
It is essential that students interested in a Museum Studies minor meet with the program advisor as early in their educational career as possible. They are also encouraged to take Introduction to Museum Work, MST 546, before signing a minor.

1. Grade Point Average (GPA):

1. Prior to applying for admissions for the minor, students must have completed 45 hours of university work with an overall GPA of 2.0.
2. MST minors are required to earn a minimum of C in all courses on their minor.

2. Course Information:

1. Students minoring in museum studies must select an additional nine hours of elective courses in consultation with MST advisor.
2. Courses on the MST minor cannot be taken on a credit/no credit basis.
3. Field trip expenses for any MST class are prorated among the students.
4. Students who enroll for MST courses without the prerequisites or permission of the instructor will be dropped from that course.

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Required Courses (15 hours):
MST 546 (3) Introduction to Museum Work
MST 550 (3) Museum Collections Management and Care
MST 551 (3) Museum Education and Interpretation Techniques
MST 598 (6) Museum Internship

Electives (9 hours): Nine hours selected from the following in consultation with the advisor. (Other electives may be substituted with consent of advisor.):
ACC 201 (3) Principles of Accounting I
ANT 171 (3) Physical Anthropology
ANT 174 (3) Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology: From Stone Age to Civilization
ANT 240 (1-4) Archaeological Field and Laboratory Techniques
ANT 500 (3-6) Field School in Archaeology
ART 135 (3) Introduction to Graphic Arts
ART 384 (3) Arts of Non-European Traditions
ART 386 (3) American Art from the Colonial Period to 1913
BIO 229 (3) Nature Study
BIO 306 (3) Natural History of Vertebrates
BIO 538 (2) Anatomical Preparations
GEL 102 (1) Physical Geology Laboratory
GEL 320 (3) Rocks
HEV 155 (3) Introduction to Textiles
HEV 239 (3) History of Interior Design II
HEV 355 (3) Textiles
HST 111 (3) United States to 1865
HST 112 (3) United States 1865 to Present
HST 301 (3) The Craft of History
HST 323 (3) History of Native Americans
HST 333 (3) History of Michigan
IET 143 (3) Introduction to Graphic Arts
IET 160 (3) Wood Technology
IET 170 (3) Metal Technology
IET 365 (3) Plastics Technology
MGT 312 (3) Introduction to Management
MKT 300 (3) Introduction to Marketing
MST 547 (3) Museum Science Laboratory
PSC 210 (3) Introduction to Public Administration
RPL 505 (3) Administration of Recreation and Parks
TAI 170 (3) Fundamentals of Interpretive Reading
TAI 177 (4) Stagecraft and Stage Lighting
TAI 182 (3) Acting I
TAI 377 (3) Costuming I

Total: 24 semester hours

Note: Students planning to pursue a museum career should elect a major in an appropriate academic discipline (e.g., biology, geology, history, anthropology, art, etc.).
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