Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies

Florida International University's, Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, along with the Department of Art and Art History offers a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies.

FIU Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies is an 18 credit program intended to prepare individuals for employment in museums, historic preservation, and collection management. The programs offers graduate level courses in various associated academic disciplines with special project and on-line courses appropriate for specific museum work. Courses are for students interested in museum careers and for people currently employed in museums who want to expand their theoretical base and their knowledge of best professional practices. The program is designed to provide the students with a strong theoretical basis and a broad understanding of museum practice and history.

Students in the Certificate program are required to take the two core courses and to do an internship in an approved institution. The remainder of the required credits can be fulfilled from the elective courses listed below. Selected electives may also be taken in other approved disciplines including art history, education, history, public administration and communications.

The campus-based Frost Art Museum has garnered increasing recognition for its growing collection of from diverse cultures throughout human history. Additionally, the works that are recognized as one of the nation’s finest outdoor sculpture collections.

Located in the heart of Miami Beach's Art Deco District, The Wolfsonian-FIU boasts a 70,000-piece design and decorative arts collection. These works provide rich evidence of the cultural, political, and technological changes that swept the world between 1885 ad 1945. Consistent with its international reputation, the museum publishes an acclaimed journal and supports the work of visiting scholars.

Applying to the Certificate Program

Individuals interested in enrolling in the Museum Studies Program must complete a two-part application process. Fill out an online application for the FIU Graduate School (fee applicable), and an application for certificate program. Graduate School application requires fee and copy of transcript. Museum Studies application must be submitted with two letters of recommendation, current résumé and statement of intent. The application form for the Museum Studies Certificate program is available from the Frost Art Museum and on this web site and must be returned in hard-copy to the Museum Studies Coordinator, Dr. Annette B. Fromm. A bachelor's degree is required.

Candidates should allow eight to ten weeks for review, once all application documents are submitted to the Museum Studies Coordinator. Candidates who have not completed their application may register as non-degree seeking student until their admission to the Certificate Program has been established, and will be able to transfer up to 12 credits of approved courses once admission to the Certificate Program is granted.

Combining the Museum Studies Certificate with a graduate degree in a museum-related discipline - such as art history, history, anthropology or biology - will increase the students' eligibility for professional positions in museums. For more information, contact: Dr. Annette B. Fromm, Coordinator Museum Studies; fromma@fiu.edu

Two core courses, ARH 5850 - Intro to Museum Studies: History and Philosophy and ARH 5851 - Museum Ethics - are offered on alternate semesters. See the web for schedule and reference numbers. Refer to the FIU Graduate Catalog and online departmental semester schedules for course availability.

For more information contact:

Annette B. Fromm, Ph.D.
Coordinator Museum Studies
Associate Professor 

The Frost Art Museum
Florida International University
10975 SW 17th Street
Miami, FL 33199
(305) 348-6086
fromma@fiu.edu