Museum Studies Degree Requirements

• MUSE 100 Introduction to Museum Studies
• MUSE 102 Proseminar: Intro to Graduate Research in Museum Studies
• Two museum studies core courses
• Four museum studies electives from any of the following areas:
  • Business of museums
  • Collections care
  • Exhibition design
  • Museum education
  • Technology
• Applied active learning elective (see on-campus experience)
• Optional internship or additional museum studies elective
• Museum Futures: Innovation and Impact Precapstone
• Museum Futures: Innovation and Impact Capstone

Learn how to search and register for courses.

The precapstone/capstone is a two-course, two-semester sequence where you work closely with your instructor and peers in a classroom setting. You receive as well as give expert advice and support creating a collaborative research environment.

Your capstone project will focus on one of the following five concentrations. You complete at least two courses in that concentration before registering in the precapstone.

• Business of museums
• Collections care
• Exhibition design
• Museum education
• Technology

In the precapstone, you’ll engage in ideation, feasibility assessment, project scoping, and planning. Then in the capstone, you’ll execute the research while continuing to receive support from your cohort, plus an expert capstone reader.

Sequencing. You enroll in the precapstone and capstone courses in back-to-back semesters in your final academic year. The capstone is taken alone as your sole remaining degree requirement.

You can concentrate your degree requirements on a specific topic to earn one of the following graduate certificates along the way.

• Digital Storytelling
• Learning Design and Technology
• Nonprofit Management
• Microcertificate: Project Management Methodologies

To meet the on-campus requirement, you choose the Standard on-campus option and study with us in the summer. For more information, see International Student Study Options page.

Come to Cambridge for Convocation (fall) to celebrate your hard-earned admission, Harvard career fairs offered throughout the year, HES alumni networking events (here at Harvard and around the world), and, of course, Harvard University Commencement (May).

• Prior to enrolling in any degree-applicable courses, you must possess a four-year regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. Foreign bachelor’s degrees must be evaluated for equivalency.
• If English is your second language, you’ll need to prove English proficiency before registering for a course. We have multiple proficiency options.

With our performance-based admission process, you begin by taking courses with us first. You’ll simply register — no application required — for the following two 4-credit, graduate-level degree courses (available online).

These prerequisite courses count toward your degree once you’re admitted; they are not additional courses. They are investments in your studies and help ensure success in the program.

• MUSE 100 Introduction to Museum Studies
• MUSE 102 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Research in Museum Studies
  • Before registering for MUSE 102 you need to pass our online test of critical reading and writing skills or earn a B or higher in the EXPO 42a Writing in the Humanities (counts as an elective).
  • MUSE 102 cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

You need to perform well in the two courses earning a grade of B or higher without letting your overall Harvard cumulative GPA dip below 3.0.

You have two attempts to earn the minimum grade of B in both MUSE 100 and MUSE 102 (a withdrawal grade counts as an attempt).

The two courses don’t need to be taken in a particular order or in the same semester, and you can register for the courses in fall, spring, or summer. We offer three starts.

Learn how to search and register for courses.

During the semester of your second degree course, submit the official application to the program.

Don’t delay! You must prioritize the two degree courses for admission and apply before completing subsequent courses. By doing so, you’ll:

• Avoid the loss of credit due to expired course work or changes to admission and degree requirements.
• Ensure your enrollment in critical degree-candidate-only courses.
• Avoid the delayed application fee.
• Gain access to exclusive benefits.

Eligible students who submit a complete and timely application will have 10 more courses after admission to earn the degree.

Applicants can register for courses in the upcoming semester before they receive their grades and while they await their admission decision.

Prospective ALM students can expect acceptance into the program by meeting all the eligibility and academic requirements detailed on this page, submitting a complete application, and having no academic standing or conduct concerns.

GPA. You need to earn a B or higher in each of the two degree courses required for admission and a B– or higher in each of the subsequent courses. In addition, your cumulative GPA cannot dip below 3.0.

Withdrawal grades. You are allowed to receive two withdrawal (WD) grades without them affecting your GPA. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. Please note that a WD grade from a 2-credit course will count as one of your two allowed WD grades. See Academic Standing.

Repeat courses. We advise you to review the ALM program’s strict policies about repeating courses. Generally speaking, you may not repeat a course to improve your GPA or to fulfill a degree requirement (if the minimum grade was not initially achieved). Nor can you repeat a course for graduate credit that you’ve previously completed at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School at the undergraduate level.

You can complete an 4-credit internship in a museum here in Cambridge (e.g., in a Harvard University or Boston-area museum) or in a museum near your home in the United States. In lieu of the internship, you complete an additional 4-credit elective.

Expired coursework. Courses over five years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree. As stated above, the proseminar cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

Five-year degree completion timeline. Further, you have five years to complete your degree requirements. The five-year timeline begins at the end of the term in which you complete any two degree-applicable courses, regardless of whether or not you have been admitted to a degree program.

Don’t delay! Potential degree candidates must plan accordingly and apply to the program in a timely manner, or they risk losing degree credit for completed course work.

Admission eligibility will be jeopardized if, at the point of application to the program, the five-year degree completion policy cannot be satisfied (i.e., too many courses to complete in the time remaining).

When you have fulfilled all degree requirements, you will earn your Harvard University degree: Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Museum Studies. Degrees are awarded in November, February, and May, with the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony in May.

When you become an officially admitted degree candidate, you have access to a rich variety of exclusive benefits to support your academic journey. To learn more, visit degree candidate academic opportunities and privileges.