inside of a gallery in the montana museum on the UM campus

Museum Studies Certificate

Museum Studies Graduate Certificate

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture offers the only Advanced Certificate in Museum Studies in Montana and the Inland Northwest, featuring graduate-level coursework and practical training in the burgeoning field of museums and galleries.

As of Fall 2025, the certificate is a specialty/extended credit program with an affordable cost per credit and no difference between resident and non-resident rates. 

Students can fill out the Pre-Approval Form on our Apply Page to sign up through the MMAC. The MMAC will then work with them on further steps and issue an invoice for course costs. Financial Aid may be possible but is not guaranteed; tuition waivers and some other forms of aid cannot be used. 

Please note that as this is an extended credit/specialty program, students will not be able to sign up for courses or remit payment through UM's Grizportal. After an application is approved, the MMAC will work directly with students on enrollment steps and billing. 

Our fall 2026 application deadline is August 1, 2026. Contact museum@mso.umt.edu for questions regarding applications, course registration, and billing. 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Visit our Fall 2026 Courses page for info on current offerings. 

    Students take five 2-credit seminars a-la-carte for 10 credits and one 2-credit Capstone Project Seminar to complete the certificate, with varying course duration and start dates which will be announced with each semester's new course catalog. Each seminar includes intensive courses tailored for museum professionals and focused on lectures, presentations, discussions, group assignments, and hands-on learning in the museum and gallery setting. The Museum Studies Field Project is held on campus or remotely from a recognized museum or gallery. 

    Please see our Certificate Requirements page in the UM Graduate School catalog for further info.

    Past courses have included:

    1. Introduction to Archives Theory and Practice, Donna McCrea (Head of Archives and Special Collections / Professor, UM Mansfield Library)

    2. Exhibition Design, Cathryn Mallory (Director, UM Gallery of Visual Arts)

    3. Museum Education & Administration, Kay Grissom-Kiely (Curator of Education, Missoula Arts Museum)

    4. Museum History & Theory, Dr. Rafael Chacón (Director, Montana Museum of Art and Culture)

    5. Leading and Communicating in Nonprofit Organizations, Dr. Betsy Bach (UM Emerita Professor in Communication)

    6. Museum Studies Field Project, Dr. Rafael Chacón (Director, Montana Museum of Art and Culture)

     

  • Once your application has been approved, courses are available for signup directly through the MMAC. Course registration, enrollment, and billing will not appear on GrizPortal. Each semester, students can select courses and email museum@mso.umt.edu to request signup. Once course signup is approved, students will receive a payment invoice.

  • Cost is the same for all applicants, with no formal admission to the University of Montana required. See our Apply page for further info on admissions. UM students are welcome to attend courses, although the fees for the course do not apply to the tuition "flat spot" or the minimum credits for student services such as health insurance or the campus recreation center.

    • The cost per credit is now $400 for both MT residents and non-residents. (Under the previous state-run model, per-credit-cost for a resident was $469, and per-credit-cost for a non-resident was $1,620.) 
    • If participants wish to get academic credit, the cost is $175 per course. 
    • Credits do not automatically apply to a degree program, so UM students should ask their academic advisor before enrolling. 
    • Credits do not apply to the tuition flat spot. 
    • For those who do not want/need academic credit, MMAC can provide a digital badge/certificate on request. Please note that this option requires a $35 payment for each course which requires enrollment on UM's online course management program, Canvas. 
    • See the Specialty & Extended Programming page for further info on the program model. 


     

     

  • This option is available only to students who have completed a bachelors degree, as graduate credit is only available to those who have graduate status. 
    • UM graduate students who would like the program to appear on their transcript as an official certificate rather than just individual courses will need to submit a graduation application separate from the graduation application for their main degree program, typically at the beginning of their final semester. Please view current UM Grad School deadline and policy on graduation applications here, or contact the UM Graduate school at (406) 243-2572. 
    • Non-UM participants with a bachelors degree can also receive official certificate designation by selecting ‘museum studies certificate’ in the Grad School Slate app as long as they already have earned a bachelor’s degree. They do not need to currently be enrolled at an academic institution. They will also need to complete the graduation application for the certificate to appear on their transcript. 
    • Depending on type of aid received, degree-seeking students at UM may be able to receive UM financial aid for these course credits. UM Financial Aid Office requires students to submit the following additional form: Extended Term Agreement with Financial Aid
    • Veterans benefits, TA stipend/waivers, American Indian Tuition Waivers, and Faculty/Staff Tuition Waivers cannot be applied. 
    • Aid is not available to non-credit participants.