University Catalog 2015-2016

University of Colorado Boulder
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Museum and Field Studies

    Museum courses listed in this catalog may be taken with the approval of the student’s major department and the course instructor, although no undergraduate major is offered in museum studies.

    The interdisciplinary Museum and Field Studies Program leading to a master of science degree 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. Two tracks are available: a collection/field track and an administrative/public track.

    • The collection/field 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.
    • The administrative/public 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.

    Course code for this program is MUSM.

    Graduate Degree Program(s)

    Graduate Study in Museum and Field Studies

    Graduate training in anthropology, art history, history, botany, entomology, paleontology and zoology is provided under the direction of museum faculty in cooperation with cognate departments and the museum and field studies program. Areas of study include, but are not limited to:

    • anthropological interpretation
    • diatom taxonomy, systematics and ecology
    • southwestern archaeology and ethnology
    • plant taxonomy, evolution and phyto­geography
    • vertebrate paleontology and Cenozoic mammals
    • biology of aquatic invertebrates
    • systematics and population biology of insects of the Rocky Mountain Region
    • plant–insect interactions
    • mammalogy

    Museum assistantships include support from the Walker Van Riper fund and research support from the Collie and William Henry Burt museum funds. Other financial assistance is available to selected students. Students interested in working toward advanced degrees under the direction of museum faculty should write the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Museum and Field Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, 218 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0218, e-mail mfsinfo@colo­rado.edu, or visit cumuseum.colorado.edu/graduate-program.

    Master of Science Degree in Museum and Field Studies 

    Admission. 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

    Requirements. The degree in museum and field studies is a two-year program requiring a total of 32 credit hours. Students may choose either the thesis or nonthesis plan. 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. A museum internship of 150 hours is required. The thesis plan requires the completion and successful defense of a thesis; the non-thesis (or project) plan requires the completion of a paper or a project.

    For current course information, consult the Museum and Field Studies section under the College of Arts and Sciences. For new course or admissions information, write the Museum and Field Studies Program, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado Boulder, 218 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0218; call 303-492-5437; email mfsinfo@colorado.edu; or visit cumuseum.colorado.edu/graduate-program.

    Certificate Program(s)

    Professional Certificate in Museology

    Providing professional museum training for CU-Boulder graduate students and for museum professionals who seek to upgrade their skills and credentials, the Professional Certificate in Museology serves a range of disciplines in the arts and sciences, education and engineering, as well as the Colorado museum community.

    The curriculum for the professional certificate consists of the core museology sequence for the Museum and Field Studies degree program:

    • MUSM 5011 Introduction to Museum Studies
    • Three of the following five courses:
      MUSM 5030 Museum Education
      MUSM 5031 Exhibit Development
      MUSM 5041 Museum Administration
      MUSM 5051 Collections Management
      MUSM 6110 Seminar in Museum Issues

    The Professional Certificate in Museology requires a minimum of 12 credit hours. It is supplemented by a 75-hour internship, which may be waived if comparable professional experience is demonstrated.