Museum Studies Certificate

Key program features:  

• There is no price differential for residents and non-residents.  

• Applications to the program should be submitted directly through the Museum Studies Application Page; an additional application through the UM Graduate School including a $70 fee is necessary if applying as a non-UM student seeking academic credit. 

• The Museum Studies program has its own application, course enrollment, billing deadlines separate from UM deadlines, and add/drop dates which may include some additional fees. Please see our Deadlines page for further info on our timeline. 

• Course registration and billing will not appear on GrizPortal. Course enrollment can be completed by emailing the MMAC directly to request signup for courses posted on the Museum Studies webpage at museum@mso.umt.edu, once your application is approved. Billing will be issued as an invoice through the MMAC, rather than a charge on GrizPortal.  

• The program offers an option to enroll without receiving academic credit. 

• Student financial aid does not automatically apply, but some types of aid may be possible with additional paperwork. Please see the Financial Aid tab below for further information. 

• Whether Museum Studies Courses count toward any degree requirements is up to your advisor/degree program chair, who may also require committee approval of the decision. Please consult with your advisor when considering Museum Studies enrollment.    

The following groups are eligible:  

• UM graduate students  

• UM undergraduate students and post-baccalaureates  
  • Under UM Grad School Policy A9.000, post-baccalaureate undergraduate students and seniors holding a 3.0 (or greater) grade point average may, with consent of instructor, enroll in 500-level courses for undergraduate credit. 
  • Graduate credit for courses completed in undergraduate status cannot be granted retroactively. Undergraduates will not be able to utilize courses taken as undergraduate credit to go towards receiving official certificate designation on a transcript, but students will receive a digital certificate of completion once they have completed the program. 
  • As per UM Grad School Policy A10.000, undergraduate students within six credits of completing their bachelor’s degree may be provisionally admitted to graduate school, with a successfully approved Slate form through the UM Grad School ahead of the semester’s Museum Studies enrollment deadline, including a $70 application fee. Under this status, the UM senior would be ineligible for Financial Aid and would pay the graduate tuition rate for all courses taken in that semester. 
  • Undergraduate enrollment for some courses may require additional consent of instructor.
  • Admittance to the program for UM undergraduates under their senior year may be permitted without the option to receive academic credit, on a case-by-case basis. 

• Non-UM students who have received a bachelor’s degree are eligible to participate. If they are interested in receiving academic credit and the official certificate designation on their transcript, they must complete graduate admission to the Museum Studies Certificate program through Slate.  

• Non-UM students who have not received a bachelor’s degree are not eligible to receive academic credit for the program, but admittance to the program without the option to receive academic credit may be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

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)

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.

• 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. 

Student Financial Aid does not automatically apply, but some types of aid may be possible with additional paperwork.  Please see our Financial Aid page for further info.