The Museology Program is designed to provide the generalized training, knowledge, and skills necessary to pursue a professional career in museum work. The program is directed toward the training of a broad range of museum professionals interested in curation and management of collections in anthropology, art, botany, geology, zoology, and history as well as in interpretive programs and museum administration. Originally established in 1972 as an interdisciplinary program offered through the Department of Anthropology, the Museum Program was reorganized on a much broader multidisciplinary basis in 1992. Administered through the Graduate School by an interdisciplinary faculty group, the program awards a Master of Arts in Museology. Courses include required core museology subjects as well as a range of classes offering students the chance to specialize in areas of their interests.
Course work is divided between the theoretical and practical aspects of museum operations.
Classes take the form of lecture courses, seminars, special lectures by guest speakers, field trips, laboratory and collection management courses, practicums and internships. Since admission to the program is highly selective, classes are small and students have close contact with faculty. Practical experience, an essential component of the program, is provided by several museological institutions at the University of Washington, including the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, the Henry Art Gallery, the Herbarium, the Arboretum, the Fish Collection, and the University Library. The Burke Museum acts as the coordinating unit of the program. Located on the campus of the University of Washington, the Burke Museum is Washington State's natural history and anthropology museum and is the oldest and largest natural history museum in the Northwest.