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

Museum Studies Certificate

Museum Studies Graduate Certificate

The 猎奇重口 Museum of Art and Culture offers the only Advanced Certificate in Museum Studies in 猎奇重口 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. The 12-credit course of study offers a low-residential, hybrid certificate with some coursework available in-person and synchronously online.

Please note that as this is a non-traditional program, students will not be able to view, sign up for courses, and remit payment through UM. After signup, students enrollment will not be viewable on Griz Portal. 

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. 

Contact tracy.hall@mso.umt.edu with any further questions.

 

 

 

 

  • Visit our Spring 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 Capstone Project Seminar is held on campus or remotely from a recognized museum or gallery.

    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, 猎奇重口 Museum of Art and Culture)

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

    6. Field Project, Dr. Rafael Chacón (Director, 猎奇重口 Museum of Art and Culture)

     

  • After application approval (and the graduate school Slate form if a non-UM student seeking academic credit), students are approved for the program.

    Please note that courses are available for signup directly through the MMAC and will not appear on GrizPortal. Each semester, students can select courses and email tracy.hall@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 猎奇重口 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, when they submit the Payment Form they will add $155 per course to the $400 cost-per-credit enrollment fee (plus card processing fee).
    • For those who do not want/need academic credit, MMAC can provide a digital badge/certificate on request.
    • Credits do not automatically apply to a degree program, so students should ask their academic advisor before enrolling.
    • Certificate designation on transcripts (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 must contact the UM Graduate school at (406) 243-2572 well in advance of graduation for further info on the Graduation Application including deadline dates and current policy on adding the certificate to your transcript.
      • Non-UM participants with a bachelors degree can declare the full certificate 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.
    • See theUMOnline Community Partnerships page for further info on sponsored programs.


     

     

    • 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 one extra form: Extended Term Agreement with Financial Aid
    • Tuition/fee waivers may not be used in this funding model, and course credits do not apply to the tuition flat spot. TA stipends generally cannot be applied, though we encourage you to check in with Financial Aid if unsure. 
    • Aid is NOT available to non-credit participants.