Museum Studies Minor

Deadline to apply

Applications submitted by April 15 will be considered for Fall enrollment.

The Museum Studies Minor examines the intersections of art with the public sphere in practical and theoretical terms, with a commitment to explore the social dimension of museums.

The minor focuses your academic efforts while showing future employers or graduate schools that you have undergone the core applied training and conceptual coursework to become a museum professional. In addition, you will gain valuable hands-on preparator experience working at the Western Gallery on campus or at the Whatcom Museum in downtown Bellingham during a year-long (Fall, Winter, and Spring) internship in your last full academic year at Western.

The minor will provide you with a recognizable curriculum to help you step into career paths such as curator, assistant curator, museum educator, gallery attendant, collections assistant, museum administration, docent, or preparator. Though grounded in art history, the minor is designed to be of use both as an art student, and also if you are interested in a museum career in other disciplines.

Museum Studies Minor Student Learning Outcomes

  • Develop an understanding of the social dimension of museums
  • Gain valuable hands-on preparator experience working in galleries on- and off-campus
  • Learn how to organize art exhibitions

List of Courses

WWU Museum Studies Minor (20-26 credits) beginning Fall 2023

Museum Studies Minor List of Required Courses
Course code Course Name Credits
Art 109 Visual Dialogue 3
A/HI 388 The Museum 4
ART 384 Teaching in the Art Museum 5
A/HI 305 Western Gallery Workshop 9

Choose one of the following (or another elective with permission of the Museum Studies Minor Coordinator):

Museum Studies Minor List of Elective Courses
Course code Course Name Credits
A/HI 308 Visual Arts in the Community 5
A/HI 489 Architecture and Museums 5
A/HI 490 Seminar: Exhibition Theory and Practice 5
HIST 393 Intro to Public History 5
A/HI 348 Art and Ecology 5
A/HI 450 Decolonizing Visual Culture 5
A/HI 401 Contemporary Issues and Post-Modern Critiques 5
A/HI 440 New Media and Digital Art 5
A/HI 447 Art in the Public Sphere: Laws, Markets, Policy 5
A/HI 383 Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (WWII to the present) 5
A/HI 438 Art and Feminism 5
A/HI 446 Aesthetics and Art Theory 5
A/HI 358 Postwar Art and Culture 5

Museum Studies Minor application process

Students from any major can apply for the Museum Studies Minor.

Please also note that the minor takes at minimum a full academic year to complete (beginning Fall quarter through Spring quarter).

Ideally, students will have two years to complete all of the required coursework, including the Western Gallery Internship.

To apply, you must:

  • Have sophomore status
  • Complete one 200-level art history course
  • Have a 2.5 minimum GPA
  • Submit an unofficial transcript

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

Application Form

All Museum Studies minor applicants are required to have a current minimum GPA of 2.5. Please enter your current GPA here. It should be the GPA reflected on the unofficial transcript you will attach to this application.
Enter your major. If more than one, separate with a comma.

Student Information

Name
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Education Status

Year
Have you been admitted to Western?

What term do you expect to graduate in that year?

Why are you interested in a Museum Studies Minor?

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Additional Information

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Need more info?

For advising and information about the Department of Art & Art History, email us or call 360-650-3660.