Museum Studies at Central!

The Museum Studies minor provides students with a firm foundation in the theory and practice of museums. We give particular attention to community-oriented approaches to museum and exhibitionary practice, and help prepare our students for employment in a wide spectrum of museums and cultural institutions.  Our students gain first hand, practical familiarity with exhibition design and installation; database, registration and conservation skills; and museum public programs.  In addition to coursework in museum theory, exhibition design, and collections management, students undertake internships in professional museum settings. Some students do internships at the university’s own Museum of Culture and Environments, while others do internships off campus in many different kinds of museums, galleries, and non profit organizations

Although the museum studies minor is administered by the Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies, the minor may be taken by students in a great range of majors across the university.  Recent minors have majored in such disciplines as Anthropology, Art, Creative Writing, History, and Theater.

Please contact the museum studies advisor, Dr. J. Hope Amason (Hope.Amason@cwu.edu) or any other Museum Studies faculty if you have any questions about the minor or a career in museums!  To apply for the minor, contact Dr. Amason.

Required Courses

Upper level museum courses (18 credits):

ANTH 360 - Introduction to Museum Studies (4 credits)
ANTH 361 - Museum Exhibit Design (4 credits)
ANTH 362 - Museum Curation and Management (4 credits)
ANTH 490 - Cooperative Education (6 credits)

Introductory anthropology course (take one, 5 credits):

ANTH 107 - Being Human: Past and Present, or
ANTH 110 - Bones, Ape and Genes: Exploring Biological Anthropology, or
ANTH 120 - Archaeology: Science of the Past, or
ANTH 130 - Cultural Worlds

Approved electives (7 credits):

ANTH 351 - Visual Anthropology (4 credits), &/or

ANTH 460 - Meaning in a Material World (4 credits), &/or

ANTH 463 - Learning in Museums (4 credits), &/or

Consult the Museum Studies advisor for more elective options

Total Credits: 30

Museum Studies Faculty

Museum Studies Internships

Museum Studies Students and Alumni

Learning about Museum Education

Museum Education is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing fields in museums. Many museum educators concentrate on K-12 informal education, but others are committed to life-long learning approaches, or to working with persons with disabilities, to broaden accessibility and inclusiveness within museums.

Students may wish to enroll in the Learning in Museums course, offered alternate years. Other opportunities for building skills in Museum Education are available through Independent Study courses and through internships and volunteer activities at the MCE and other museums and cultural institutions in the region.