Advanced training in arts and culture management will prepare you for a career in museum curation, collections management in arts centers, museums and cultural institutions around the world.
Program Overview
Accelerate your career in the arts.
Through this program, you’ll build essential skills in museum and non-profit operations and administration, curation, collections care and research, fundraising, and marketing. Working with MGMM’s experienced faculty, you will also gain hands-on experience in registrar and collections management, exhibition development and design, and principles in museum education.
We offer a flexible, “hybrid” low-residency program that consists of online courses you can complete from anywhere in the world, combined with a two-week summer practicum on campus and an arranged internship at a cultural institution of your choice. You can progress through the program at a customized rate and intensity that fit your life and work commitments. If you enroll as a full-time student, you can complete the degree in just 15 months. If you choose to undertake the studies part-time, you can complete in two to four years. MGMM is offered at a competitive state-university tuition, with scholarships and financial aid available. International students may apply for visas.
Accelerate your career
Enhance your career in arts and culture management and learn with students from across the globe in our low-residency, online format.
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" lowresidency 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.
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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