The Museum Studies BDP offers students the opportunity to develop an understanding of how museums, archives, libraries, galleries, and related institutions function as sites of collecting, education, and research. Course offerings spanning a wide range of disciplines allow students to learn about contemporary museum practices and their historical development, and to acquire skills and knowledge relevant to their own specific areas of interest within Museum Studies. Some courses focus on objects, collections, and their preservation or conservation; others will help students to think about how museums serve their audiences and publics and how they preserve and shape the histories, heritage, and identity of cultures and societies. Through the Connecting Experiences component of the BDP, students can gain first-hand experience working directly with professionals in the field at a variety of different institutions, both on and off the UT campus.
For a complete list of courses and requirements, view the Museum Studies BDP curriculum sheet.
Requirements
With 19 credit hours of coursework and Connecting Experiences, students may earn a BDP certificate in Museum Studies.
Courses counting toward a BDP in Museum Studies may also satisfy core, major, and elective requirements in a student’s degree plan. With planning, the BDP should not add time to students’ UT careers, but instead helps students choose the courses they already have to take in an integrated way.
Foundation Courses [4-7 hours]
- Forum Seminar
- Theory and Practice Course
- Optional Introductory or Survey Course
Courses in a Strand [6-9 hours]
Students select at least one course from each of the following two categories:
- Cultures, Societies, Audiences
- Objects, Collections, Preservation
Connecting Experiences [6 hours]
BDP advisors assist students in finding meaningful connecting research and/or internship experiences related to Museum Studies. For examples of Connecting Experiences Museum Studies students have completed in the past, read these Connecting Experience spotlights.
Integration Essay
3-4 page essay written at the end of the BDP experience, drawing together the different pieces of the BDP.
Faculty Panel
An interdisciplinary faculty panel guides students in choosing courses and identifying connecting research and internship experiences that allow them to explore issues related to museum studies as they relate to their majors and career goals.