The Museum Certificate Program

Earn professional credentials without costly travel.

- Level I provides you a basic understanding of many different facets of museums.

- Level II provides you in-depth knowledge of one area of museums.

Requirements:

  • Complete 10 full courses and two short courses for each certificate.
  • Attend one statewide, regional or national multi-day museum conference.
  • Complete a final project. This project can be in the form of an exhibition, a paper, a conference presentation, or other format approved by NSCC.
  • Attend a final chat session with instructors online to answer specific questions that test knowledge of the museum topics studied.
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Earn professional credentials without costly travel.

  • Level I provides you a basic understanding of many different facets of museums.
  • Level II provides you in-depth knowledge of one area of museums.

Requirements:

  • Complete 10 full courses and two short courses for each certificate.
  • Attend one statewide, regional or national multi-day museum conference.
  • Complete a final project. This project can be in the form of an exhibition, a paper, a conference presentation, or other format approved by NSCC.
  • Attend a final chat session with instructors online to answer specific questions that test knowledge of the museum topics studied.

How it Works:

  • $25 annual fee to register for and maintain your place in the program.
  • Three years to complete each certificate level. (suggested time to complete)
  • Successfully complete 10 full courses and 2 short courses for each certificate level. (One course cannot be used for different certificate levels.)
  • Each certificate has some required courses and a number of optional courses.
  • Former museumclasses.org students receive credit for courses they successfully completed.

Level I: General Museum Certificate

Provides students with an overview of all areas of museum work. Graduates understand what a museum is, how to register objects,  the agents of deterioration and how to use them to prevent damage to a collection, the fundamentals of exhibitions, and a basic overview of museum management. In addition, they will choose courses that will flesh out their interests in the museum field. Students end up with a solid background that should make them a skilled and valuable employee in any museum,  small or large.

Required Courses

  • MS101: Introduction to Museums
  • MS103: The Basics of Museum Registration
  • MS104: An Introduction to Collections Preservation
  • MS106: Exhibit Fundamentals: Ideas to Installation
  • MS109: Museum Management

Recommended Optional Courses (May be part of your 5 optional courses)

  • MS107: Introduction to Museum Security
  • MS108: Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs
  • MS213: Museum Artifacts: How they were made and how they deteriorate

Level II: Specific Expertise Certificates

IIA: Certificate in Collections Management and Care

Required Courses

  • MS008: Buy-In: Getting All of the Staff to Support Preservation
  • MS103: The Basics of Museum Registration (If level I is skipped)
  • MS104: An Introduction to Collections Preservation (If level I is skipped)
  • MS201: Storage for Infinity
  • MS205/6: Disaster Plan Research and Writing
  • MS207: Cataloging Your Collection
  • MS211: Preservation Environments
  • MS213: Museum Artifacts: How they were made and how they deteriorate

Optional Courses

  • MS010: Condition Assessments (short course)
  • MS202: Storage Facilities and Furniture
  • MS203: Storage Techniques
  • MS204: Materials for Storage and Display
  • MS208: Applying Numbers to Collection Objects: Materials and Methods of Object Numbering
  • MS209: Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions
  • MS210: Integrated Pest Management
  • MS212: Care of Textiles
  • MS214: Collection Management Databases
  • MS215: First Aid for Finds: Archaeological Collections Care
  • MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics
  • MS218: Collection Inventories
  • MS219: Opening and Closing a Seasonal Museum (coming soon)
  • MS220: Plastics in Museums (future course)
  • MS222: Care of Photographs
  • MS223: Care of Metals
  • MS224: Care of Leather
  • MS225: Care of Baskets
  • MS226: Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts
  • MS227: Care of Paintings
  • MS228: Care of Paper Artifacts
  • MS229: Photography, Digitization, Digital Images and Museums (future course)
  • MS233: Matting and Framing Artwork
  • MS234: Archives Management
  • MS303: Found in the Collection: Orphans, Old Loans and Abandoned Property

IIB: Certificate in Exhibit Practices

Required Courses

  • MS106: Exhibit Fundamentals: Ideas to Installation (If level I is skipped)
  • MS107: Introduction to Museum Security
  • MS110: Exhibit Design (future course)
  • MS221: Museum Lighting (future course)
  • MS235: Scripting the Exhibition - labels and interpretive panels
  • MS236: Education in Museums
  • MS237: Formative Evaluations for Exhibits and Public Programs (future course)
  • MS238: Design and Construction of Exhibit Mounts

Optional Courses

  • MS010: Condition Assessments
  • MS011: Gallery Guides
  • MS108: Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs
  • MS204: Materials for Storage and Display
  • MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics
  • MS239: Furnishing Plans for Historic Houses (future course)
  • MS240: Curatorial Research and Planning for Exhibits (future course)
  • MS241: Exhibits and Preservation (future course)
  • MS242: Museum Microclimates
  • MS014: Education Collections
  • MS233: Matting and Framing
  • MS243: Making Museum Quality Mannequins
  • MS244: Traveling exhibitions
  • MS259: The Volunteer Handbook
  • MS248: Visitor Studies (future course)

IIC: Certificate in Museum Administration and Management

Required Courses

  • MS002: Collection Protection - Are you Prepared?
  • MS007: The Mission Statement: Is it really that important?
  • MS107: Introduction to Museum Security
  • MS109: Museum Management (If level I is skipped)
  • MS249: Fiscal Management for Non-Profit Organizations (future course)
  • MS250: Museum Governance (future course)
  • MS251: Managing People and Projects (future course)
  • MS246: Marketing Your Museum (future course)
  • MS302: Fundraising and Grant Writing

Optional Courses

  • MS008: Buy-In: Getting All of the Staff to Support Preservation and other New Ideas
  • MS108: Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs
  • MS205/6: Disaster Plan Research and Writing
  • MS209: Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions
  • MS210: Integrated Pest Management
  • MS211: Preservation Environments
  • MS247: Building Community Support for Your Museum - Membership, Advocacy (future course)
  • MS248: Visitor Studies (future course)
  • MS252: Building New Museums (future course)

IID: Certificate in Museum Facilities Management

Required Courses

  • MS107: Introduction to Museum Security
  • MS202: Storage Facilities and Furniture
  • MS205/6: Disaster Plan Research and Writing
  • MS210: Integrated Pest Management
  • MS211: Preservation Environments
  • MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics
  • MS216: Fire Prevention for Museums, Historic Sites, Libraries and Archives (future course)
  • MS221: Museum Lighting (future course)

Optional Courses

  • MS219: Opening and Closing a Seasonal Museum (coming soon)
  • MS239: Furnishing Plans for Historic Houses (future course)
  • MS241: Exhibits and Preservation (future course)
  • MS242: Museum Microclimates
  • MS252: Building New Museums (future course)
  • MS265: The Green Museum