Online Degree Programs in Museum Studies

Are you interested in earning your online degree in museum studies? Want to know more about this exciting field? Well, according to the world's largest museum, The Smithsonian Institute, museum studies encompasses the museum profession—from the practical, day-to-day skills needed to operate a museum to theories on their societal role. So, it's really a top-to-bottom field of study—the whole shebang and can be discovered through Online Degree Programs in Museum Studies.

There are opportunities to explore museum studies at various degree levels, including through enrolling in an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or even a PhD program. Exploring a museum actually makes a great analogy for museum studies programs themselves. Upon arrival at a museum you determine your path; map out your experience, accounting for the time, focus, and energy you want to dedicate to different exhibits, and especially noting any one that will largely be the focus of your experience; and then you execute on your plan. This foresight, organization, and planning in turn helps determine what you get out of exploring a museum. Likewise, when choosing which degree program might work for you, you need to do some research, thinking, and planning to find a program that may be perfect for you. One thing that's for sure is there may be opportunities for inspiring lessons either way.

What Exactly Is a Museum Studies Degree? The Basics

Degree programs in museum studies offer a mosaic of coolness in classroom possibilities. Consider the many aspects of museums: technical functionalities, communication of big ideas on tiny placards, and presentations with eye-catching panache. Because museums seem like self-contained wonder worlds unto themselves, classes in a museum studies program likewise potentially may span a range of fascinating topics. For instance, some of the fundamentals in a museum studies program might include topics such as Media Relations, Organizational Theory, and Principles of Visual Presentation. Those give you just a taste of the options feast that museum studies offers. Imagine delving into your passions while discovering new ways to share them with the world via a museum as your media. If that piques your interest, a museum studies degree online may be a helpful road for you to travel on that quest.

Museums Capture the World's Attention

Imagine you had the potential to make any topic fascinating fun, like some sort of information wizard. That's what museums do for millions around the world—creating hot spots of infotainment. And these days it's like there's a museum for everything and everyone. In fact, New York City alone can fill hundreds of knowledge gaps with museums for the mainstream—from free to suggested admission or full price; from natural history and modern art to Jewish history and maritime weaponry—and for even such unconventional concepts as Girl Scouts, tattoos, and ice cream. What makes museums so popular? For one thing, they give us new ways to look at things that we've seen many times before, like, well, ice cream. Even more importantly, museums make learning into a form of entertainment.

If you're one of the many museum lovers out there, you can tap into all that fun, insight, and more by earning an online degree in museum studies. Then, eventually, you can pursue a career in this field. For most archivist, curator, and conservator positions you need to have a master’s degree related to the position’s field. Museum technicians need to have a bachelor’s degree. Curators typically need a master’s degree in art history, history, archaeology, or museum studies.

Online Degree Programs in Museum Studies

Museum technicians, commonly known as registrars, typically need a bachelor’s degree. Because few schools offer a bachelor’s degree in museum studies, it is common for registrars to obtain an undergraduate degree in a related field, such as art history, history, or archaeology. Some jobs may require candidates to have a master’s degree in museum studies. Museums may prefer candidates with knowledge of the museum’s specialty, training in museum studies, or previous experience working in museums.

So, think carefully about your future goals when picking which online museum studies degree program to pursue. Check out some of our sponsored listings so you can get a more colorful picture of these Online Degree Programs in Museum Studies.


[i]bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators.htm#tab-4 [ii]bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators.htm#tab-4