• Introduction
• Recognition
• Partner University
• Curriculum
• Course Delivery Format
• Admission
• Graduation Requirement
• Articulation to Master of Arts (M.A.) in Museum Studies

Introduction

The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies offered in partnership with The University of St. Andrews located in teh UK meets the needs of those who have earned a baccalaureate degree and wish to obtain an advanced certificate in museum studies without committing to a full master's degree program. The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies also offers the opportunity for students to continue their studies to complete the full master's degree program.

The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies provides a foundation in museum operation and management, exhibition design, and the ability to specialize in contemporary western art, Islamic design, or Emirati heritage. 

Graduates will:

• Be prepared to join the rapidly growing cultural institutions in Abu Dhabi and across the United Arab Emirates;
• Understand the historical development of collections, the fundamentals of current museum and collection management best practices, and the roles and functions of museum professionals;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of museum audiences and their needs, the services provided by museums and galleries and familiarity with the range of issues involved in museum management; and
• Demonstrate superior knowledge of one of the following specialization areas: the history of the United Arab Emirates and its tangible and intangible heritage; contemporary and modern art; or Islamic art, design and architecture.

Recognition

Zayed University's graduate programs are approved by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Zayed University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A. (267-284-5000).

Curriculum

At the beginning of the program, students take an intensive one-day orientation seminar. The orientation offers a number of workshops to introduce students to the program, during which students are introduced to Blackboard (virtual classroom software), case study and analysis, library resources, and the writing of reports and reference citations. The curriculum of the Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies consists of the following core and specialization courses:

Core Course

Theory and Practice of Museums, Galleries, and Associated Organizations

• MMS 600 Museums and Collections in Context

This course introduces the students to the history of museums and collecting, how museums are defined, the varied functions they encompass and the different jobs involved, types of museum by governance and funding in different countries, the development of standard schemes, and museum ethics.

• MMS 601 Museum and Collection Information Systems Management

The course examines collections; their development and management. Topics include collecting strategies and policies, assessing significance, information systems and management, and the physical care of collections.

• MMS 602 Audiences and Interpretation

The course reviews museum, collection, and heritage site audiences, and the services provided to them, including exhibition and interpretation policies and practice, education and events programs, and visitor studies.

• MMS 603 Projects, Planning, and Management

The course covers museum management, including planning and project management, financial planning, personnel and marketing.             

Specialization Courses

Students must select one of the following three specialization courses.  (Each specialization course includes a core survey and a professional practice module.)

Modern and Contemporary Art (post 1945)

• MMS 604 Core Survey Course: Modern and Contemporary Art

This intensive module is an overview of the development of Western art from the renaissance through to the modern period. The course starts with the examination of the artistic accomplishments of the Italian renaissance and continues from the 16th to the mid-20th centuries.

• MMS 605 Professional Practices: Modern and Contemporary Art

The course reviews the development of modern and contemporary art from expressionism to contemporary art. The course focuses on major art movements, and a selection of artists associated with them. The course also examines particular forms that artwork take in the contemporary period such as installation art, environmental art, etc. Students will conduct research on one artist and his or her artworks, examine and analyze them in regard to the art movement they are part of, and the social, historical and cultural contexts that led to the the creation of the work.

or

Islamic Design, Art, and Architecture

• MMS 606 Core Survey Course: Islamic Design, Art and Architecture

The course is a survey of the development of Islamic design principles from the earliest masjid at Medina to the later elaborations as demonstrated by Sinan Pasha and Ottoman architecture. The influence of Islamic art and design is traced through the Umayyad destiny in Spain (Al Andalus) and through the rest of Europe. The course gives particular focus to the design principles being re-articulated and re-defined in the new architecture of Abu Dhabi (especially the museums on Saadiyat Island).

• MMS 607 Professional Practices: Modern Islamic Art

This course reviews the development of modern and contemporary Islamic art from the early 20th century to the present with the particular focus on the UAE and countries in the nearby region. The course examine the relationship between western incursions into the region and the subsequent shift in the development of regional art and design practices.

or

The History and Heritage of the United Arab Emirates

• MMS 608 Core Survey Course: The History and Heritage of the UAE

The course begins with a brief review of the archaeological record of the country, and then moves quickly through the arrival of Islam, tribal organization, pearling and trading and British hegemony beginning in 1820. The tangible and intangible heritage of the country is surveyed within the context of the environment.

• MMS 609 Professional Practices: Emirati History and Heritage

The course examines the interpretation of Emirati history and heritage for museums and heritage sites by using the fundamentals of heritage analysis, interpretation, and exhibition. The course follows UNESCO's typology of heritage: tangible and intangible. The function, meaning and value of heritage and the process by which cultural elements become "heritage" is analyzed using perspectives and theories from anthropology and the sub-field of heritage studies.

Course Delivery Format

The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies is delivered over a period of 12 months at Zayed University located in Abu Dhabi and/or Dubai.

For more information on the admission deadline, please visit the Key Dates section of our website.

Admission

• Admission is open to males and females of all nationalities.
• Applicants must have earned a four-year baccalaureate degree with a GPA of 2.5 or higher from an accredited university.
• IELTS score of 5.50 (with minimum sub scores no less than 5.0 in reading and writing) or TOEFL score of 550 (CBT 213 - IBT 79).

For more information on the admission requirements, application procedure and program cost, please visit the Admissions and Fees section of our website.

Graduation Requirement

Graduate students must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in course work taken in fulfillment of the requirements of a graduate certificate. 

Articulation to Master of Arts (M.A.) in Museum Studies

Course successfully completed with a "B" or higher grade may be transferable into a subsequent Zayed University master's degree program; however, admission into the Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies program does not guarantee admission into the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Museum Studies program. Students, if admitted, must request transfer of completed graduate certificate course credits to the master's degree program.