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

Museum Studies Certificate

Museum Studies Graduate Certificate

Fall course registration is now open! The deadline for incoming students to apply for the program and for all students to enroll in courses is August 1, 2026. 

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 under the extended credit/specialty program model, 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. Contact museum@mso.umt.edu with any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Visit our Fall 2026 Courses page for info on current offerings. Courses take place in person unless otherwise specified.

    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. Students may view information on upcoming courses on our website, typically be posted close to UM's traditional schedule in opening course registration for the next semester. Students can then email museum@mso.umt.edu to request signup. 

  • 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 enrollment cost for each 2-credit course is now $800 for both MT residents and non-residents. (Under the previous state-run model, the cost for a resident was $938, and $3,240 for a non-resident.) 
    • If participants wish to get academic credit, they will be billed an additional $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 utilizing UM's online course management program, Canvas. Some courses such as the Field Project do not use Canvas and may utilize an alternative online program such as Sharepoint, for which there is no enrollment charge. 
    • Non UM students applying for academic credit must pay a $70 fee to apply through the UM Grad School Slate form. Please see further info on our Apply Today page.


     

     

  • 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. 
    • All academic credit students, including UM graduate students and non-UM students applying for academic credit, will need to complete a graduation application which includes a $70 fee at the beginning of their final semester for the certificate to appear on their transcript.
    • The Museum Studies Certificate graduate application must be submitted separately from the graduation application for the student's main degree program. 
    • Please view the current UM Grad School deadline and policy on graduation applications here, or contact the UM Graduate school at (406) 243-2572. 

  • Some types of financial aid can be used, including federal financial aid, PELL grants, loans, some scholarships, AmeriCorps Education Awards, and consortium agreements from another university. Students must meet all standard aid eligibility requirements and complete all regular aid procedures.

    Faculty tuition waivers, TA stipends/waivers, and American Indian Tuition Waivers may NOT be used. UM’s Academic Achievement Scholarship functions as a tuition waiver, so any courses listed in the Extended Credit semester do not count toward the requirements for the UMAAS.

    Veteran’s Education Benefits may NOT be used through UM. Some partner organizations have been approved independently by the VA.

    529 Tuition Savings Plans could potentially be used, but there is an additional administrative fee charged by UM.

    Degree-seeking University of Montana students taking one or more Extended Credit courses must complete the Extended Term Agreement with Financial Aid. This form helps UM Financial Aid Office count the credits and non-standard costs to your aid package for the appropriate semester. 

    Please note that Financial Aid will not be automatically applied to cover your Museum Studies costs. You will be issued a refund from Financial Aid for Museum Studies costs, and can then issue a check, cash, or online card payment to the MMAC.