Museum Studies Minor

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Affiliation: Interdisciplinary Studies

The interdisciplinary minor in Museum Studies combines practical courses in exhibit preparation and object study with theoretical and liberal arts approaches to museum interpretation and management. Those students for whom this minor is appropriate include those interested in museums of all sorts, from art to history, from national parks to zoos and botanical gardens, to many other types of educational display facilities. The minor requires one or two courses that are dedicated to museum studies utilizing facilities and materials at Truman, one required internship in a museum setting of the student’s selection, and two or three more courses chosen to fulfill competencies identified by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) as required components for the education of a well-trained museum professional.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

A 2.00 GPA in minor requirements.
At least nine hours of the program requirements must be completed at Truman State University.
No more than 8 credit hours may double count with a student’s major or any single minor.

Program Requirements: 15-18 Credits

The Museum Studies Minor requires the successful completion of one or both of the following courses:

IDSM 360 - Museums: Object and Collections Management Credit(s): 3
IDSM 361 - Exhibition and Museums: Planning and Practice Credit(s): 3
The Museum Studies Minor also requires the completion of this requirement:
Practicum/Internship (3-4 credits, credit and assessment overseen by department of supervisor and/or major)

Competencies:

Two (min. 6 hours) or three (min. 9 hours) additional courses, to bring the total hours in the Minor up to the required total of 15-18 credits - no more than one per category and one per disciplinary prefix (several disciplines have courses in more than one category) to encourage breadth of experience and competency.

[NOTE: Courses listed below have prerequisites required, indicated by an asterisk (*). These courses may not be appropriate for non-majors, and may have multiple prerequisites. Few or no seats may be available for non-majors.]

Museology Competencies

Knowledge and skills in the application of intellectual foundations of museum work.

A second museum-based internship may be used to fulfill this competency if the initial internship required for the minor has been fulfilled. These internships should be different from each other (in other words, a six credit hour internship cannot be used to fulfill both requirements). The two internships should either be in different museums, or in different departments, or focused on different tasks/learning goals, so that the intern will gain a new experience and competence in addition to that from the first internship.

Management Competencies

Knowledge of and skills in the theory and practice of museum operations.

Select one of the following (3 or more credit hours):

ACCT 221 - Introduction to Management Accounting Credit(s): 3 *
BSAD 131 - Introduction to Business Credit(s): 3
BSAD 234 - Legal Environment of Business Credit(s): 3
BSAD 325 - Principles of Marketing Credit(s): 3 *
BSAD 349 - Organizational Behavior Credit(s): 3 *
COMM 420 - Intercultural Communication Credit(s): 3 *
COMM 480 - Organizational Communication Credit(s): 3 *
PD 541 - Grant Writing Across the Disciplines Credit(s): 3
POL 344 - Principles of Public Administration Credit(s): 4 *
THEA 301 - Arts Administration Credit(s): 3

Public Programming Competencies

Knowledge of and skills in serving the museum’s communities, including communications and exhibitions.

ART 201 - Design, Software and Process Credit(s): 3
ART 219 - Illustration Credit(s): 3 *
COMM 251 - Media Writing Credit(s): 4 *
COMM 273 - Oral Interpretation Credit(s): 3
COMM 353 - Introduction to Public Relations Credit(s): 3 *
COMM 430 - Social Media: Theory and Practice Credit(s): 3 *
COMM 453 - Magazine and Feature Writing Credit(s): 3
COMM 454 - Advertising Credit(s): 3 *
ENG 227 - Communicating Controversy: Topics Credit(s): 3 (Science instantiation only)
ED 389 - Foundations of Education Credit(s): 3
NASC 331 - Science for Elementary Teachers Credit(s): 4

Information and Collections Management Competencies

Knowledge of and skills in creating, preserving, and sharing museum resources and collections.

AGSC 321 - Animal Nutrition Credit(s): 4 *
AGSC 322 - Animal Health Credit(s): 3 *
ART 221 - Photography I Credit(s): 3
BIOL 301 - Introduction to Ecology Credit(s): 4 *
BIOL 302 - Comparative Anatomy Credit(s): 5 *
BIOL 312 - Local Flora Credit(s): 3 *
BIOL 316 - Entomology Credit(s): 4 *
BIOL 320 - Homo sapiens: a biological perspective Credit(s): 4 *
BIOL 504 - Herpetology Credit(s): 4 *
BIOL 506 - Ornithology Credit(s): 4 *
BIOL 517 - Mammalogy Credit(s): 4 *
ENG 359 - Digital Humanities: Techniques and Topics Credit(s): 1-4
ENG 365 - Folklore Credit(s): 4
HIST 3910 - Digital and Public History Credit(s): 4
JINS 354 - Insects, Disease, and Human Affairs Credit(s): 3
SOAN 220 - World Prehistory Credit(s): 3
SOAN 297 - Introduction to Indigenous Americas Credit(s): 3

Note:

In addition to the listed courses, students may petition the committee to have an additional course fulfill a competency requirement. This could include a course from a study abroad program, a Topics section that deals with a specific approach to (for example) material culture or management, or an independent study or directed readings, and/or a JINS class that falls under a template that is not always focusing on relevant material, among other possibilities. The decision will be made with the approval of the majority of the voting members of the Museum Studies committee. For any course that a student wants to use that is not on the pre-approved list, the student must provide a description of the course, relevant supporting documentation, and a statement explaining how the course fulfills the competency category with which the student would like to be credited. The petitioning letter and accompanying documentation will be reviewed by the Museum Studies Committee, which will vote to approve, disapprove, or reconsider the application after additional supporting material is provided.