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UNM Museum Studies

The Museum Studies Program is an interdisciplinary course of study designed to provide students with academic training in essential aspects of museology.  The curriculum equips students with a range of museum skills and enables them to tailor learning to their career objectives.  The Program offers several courses of study:

1. An undergraduate certificate
2. An undergraduate minor 
3. A professional development graduate certificate 
4. A graduate minor 
5. A graduate degree in museum studies

The Program prepares students for a variety of museum related occupations, including: collections managers, registrars, museum educators, exhibit developers, park interpreters, curators, and administrators. The Museum Studies Program also is valuable to students who wish to become outdoor educators, interpreters, or naturalists. Some graduates may choose to pursue a Ph.D. to prepare for advanced curatorial work in museums. 

The Museum Studies Program brings together a unique consortium of UNM Museums, courses, laboratories, researchers, museum professionals, and educators in a statewide and national network to train qualified students for teaching, research, curation, and public service in museum contexts.

Program Goals:

1. Provide a formal educational program to meet the need for trained museum professionals
2. Strengthen New Mexico’s contribution to the nation's visitor industry
3. Increase the quality of museum based public education
4. Support and provide training for tribal and pueblo museums and cultural centers
5. Encourage and facilitate object-based scientific and humanistic research

Core learning objectives will dovetail with the student’s cognate discipline and include:

1. Collection management - acquisition, organization, stabilization, conservation, and research
2. Security, risk management, and environmental controls
3. Exhibit design and development
4. Museum law, ethics and professionalism
5. Service to underrepresented groups
6. Informal and object-based education and interpretation in museum contexts
7. Other topics relevant to museum theory and practice 

The Museum Studies program is supported by UNM's five museums: the Harwood Museum of Art, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, the Meteorite Museum, the Museum of Southwestern Biology, and the UNM Art Museum.