Advanced training in arts and culture management will prepare you for careers in museum and gallery curation, exhibition design, collections management, and the foundations of museum education and public programming.
Program Overview
Accelerate your career in the arts.
Our interdisciplinary program offers you the foundations of the field and specialized, hands-on training in your specific area of museum work. Working with our experienced faculty, you will gain hands-on experience in collections management, exhibition development and installation, curatorial practice, and nonprofit administration and leadership.
We offer a flexible, online curriculum that you can complete part- or full-time anywhere in the world, a one-week summer practicum on Western’s campus, and an arranged internship. Our competitive, in-state tuition, available scholarships, and student-focused faculty ensures you receive career advising and mentorship to help you meet your professional goals.
Accelerate your career
Transform your passion for art, culture, and history into a career in museums with students and faculty from across the globe.
Program Requirements
At Western, course rotations are crafted to encompass a variety of subject fields for a comprehensive education and versatile degree. For required courses and degree plans, visit the official University Catalog. Below is a general overview of courses at Western Colorado University related to this area of study.
The M.A. in Gallery and Museum Management (MGMM) is a professional terminal degree specifically focused on the content understanding, methods, and skills necessary for professions in arts and cultural heritage management. This includes art gallery, museum, and collections management, directorship, and sales. The program emphasizes the development of practical, managerial, and entrepreneurial approaches to the increasingly complex demands in the professional sector of exhibiting and collecting art and cultural heritage objects. The MGMM offers a "hybrid" low-residency learning environment of on line courses, combined with residencies in both the program practicum on the Western campus and an arranged internship at an art gallery, cultural heritage site, or museum.
Program Goals
- Improving student understanding in the demanding professional world of gallery and museum management, including practical, managerial and entrepreneurial solutions.
- Developing students' capacity for inter-disciplinary critical thinking, innovation, and collaborative problem-solving with diverse stakeholders in the gallery and museum management sector.
- Enhancing career opportunities in arts and cultural heritage related disciplines.
Student Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Integrate previous related academic studies, experience, and interests with the education and professional training of this degree program.
- Effectively support the realistic demands of art gallery and museum management, in both the artistic and the business dimensions of the field, in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
- Be fully proficient as exhibition specialists for art and cultural heritage venues, including a wide variety of contemporary, historic, and antique art and material culture objects, in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
- Plan, develop and execute gallery and exhibition design and layout, synthesizing and implementing knowledge of aesthetic and design principles, theory and best practices, CAD design tools, and relevant federal and state laws and regulations.
- Continue to develop knowledge and experience in areas of interest beyond graduation, implementing the program readings, tools, and educational materials.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Two weeks prior to fall semester start date. | ||
| MGMM 600 | Orientation and Practicum | 3 |
| Regular Fall Semester | ||
| MGMM 601 | Exhibition Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 612 | Business Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 621 | Curatorship Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 631 | Curating the Past | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MGMM 602 | Exhibition Principles II | 3 |
| MGMM 613 | Business Principles II | 3 |
| MGMM 622 | Curatorship Principles II | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| MGMM 691 | Master's Project | 3 |
| MGMM 699 | Program Internship | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Spotlight
Torrie Nickel
Alumni
“It all comes down to the fact that Western professors are very good at noticing when someone can excel,” says Nickel. “They see the possibility in someone and they foster and take people under their wings.”
Stephanie Edwards
Alumni
“At Western I got to work with professors and people from all over the country. This made for a more holistic understanding.”
Careers
Take the first steps toward your dream career.
Career preparation is the primary focus of every academic program at Western. Our professors and Office of Career Services will help you identify your strengths, hone your skills, define your goals, and prepare for a fulfilling role in hundreds of professional fields after graduation.
The data is automatically collected by Lightcast, a firm that sources job market data. The statistics illustrate general trends in U.S. careers, but do not precisely represent every job and salary.
News & Research
Additional Resources
Department Information
Master of Art in Gallery and Museum Management (MGMM)
Campus Location
Western Colorado University
1 Western Way
Kelley Hall 225
Gunnison, CO 81231
