Museum Management, Certificate

College of Arts and Sciences

Curate your career with skills and practical experience. Combined with your USC graduate degree, this certificate prepares you to work in a museum, archive, gallery, library or cultural heritage site.

Learn all aspects of working in a museum, including collections management, exhibition curation and presentation, and solving ethical challenges. By working in museums, archives and collections on campus or in Columbia, you will build proficiency in written and verbal communication, collaboration and leadership.

Program Highlights

Fast Track

Take up to four 3-credit-hour courses and a 3- or 6-credit-hour internship. Two classes from your M.A. or Ph.D. work can count for credit.
Interdisciplinary Approach

Study different perspectives from the fields of anthropology, art history, public history, library science and studio art.
Marketable Skills

Enjoy coursework that provides an overview of administration, collections management and exhibition development.
Practical Experience

Use McKissick Museum collections, as well as other on-campus special collections and exhibition spaces, to master hands-on tasks.

What You’ll Study

Build leadership skills, evaluate governance documents, and produce organization management policies in museum administration. Execute the processes necessary for museum registration and collections management. Study theories and principles of exhibition development and interpretation. The program is open to current USC graduate students or those with an advanced degree.

Program Website Degree Details Admissions Info

Building Skills

Gain the professional and personal intelligence it takes to have a successful career.

Critical Thinking

Analyzing and evaluating information to make informed decisions or judgments

Interpersonal Skills

Communicating and interacting effectively in a variety of social and professional situations

Problem Solving

Identifying, analyzing and resolving problems or challenges using creative and effective strategies
Project Management

Organizing and overseeing tasks to achieve specific goals

Flexibility

Adapting to changing circumstances and being open to new ideas and approaches

Responsibility

Being accountable for one's actions and decisions and fulfilling obligations and duties