100% Online Options
Self-Paced Independent Study Options
Video Introduction from
Dr. James Pappas
Dean of the
College of Liberal Studies
6:46 
Museum Studies e-journal
A leader in Museum Studies with our Journal of Museum Studies online: http://www.ou.edu/cls/jms/
You can complete the MALS Museum Studies program in approximately two years if you maintain the recommended rate of progress. All online courses are semester-long enrollments of 16 weeks in the fall and the spring; the courses are compressed into 8 weeks for the summer sessions. Note, however, that the Graduate College requires that all coursework applied to the degree be completed within five (5) years of the first enrollment. To access the Graduate College Bulletin, policies, forms, and other information, go to http://gradweb.ou.edu/.
You can enroll for classes online each semester until the final two semesters in the program. For directions to register online, go to https://enroll.ou.edu/. Your independent study research courses at the end of the program (Research Project, Internship, or Thesis) are individual enrollments that College staff will make manually and charge to your account in the Office of the Bursar with your emailed permission.
This 33-credit hour MA program option consists of 18 hours of required coursework, nine hours of electives and 6 hours of completion option.
MA Museum Studies students can complete the entire program online but they do have the option of attending on-campus seminars when available.
LSTD 5003 Introduction to Graduate Interdisciplinary Studies
Three credit-hour, letter-graded course.
Course provides orientation to advanced interdisciplinary study, appreciation of standards of performance and scholarship appropriate to graduate study, development of skills necessary for success in academic research and writing in a graduate interdisciplinary program.
LSTD 5013 Interdisciplinary Foundations
Three credit-hour, letter-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5003
Selected readings designed to reinforce the interdisciplinary approach to graduate studies and to introduce the concept of paradigms as an organizing principle for understanding and interpreting information.
LSTD 5523 The World of a Museum
Three credit hours, letter-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5013
Baseline course introducing all aspects of museums and museum careers including history, structure, operation, and theoretical underpinnings
LSTD 5560 Museum Project
Three credit-hour, S/U-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523 or permission of the CLS Dean
Students can develop a project in their museum or organization under the direction of an OU faculty member with on-site supervisor who will report on the work, or can chose to come to OU for a project or internship at one of the museums or collections on campus
LSTD 5903 Research in Interdisciplinary Studies
Three credit hours, letter graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523 or permission of the CLS Dean
Theories and techniques of research designed to prepare MLS students to carry out individual research on a topic within an interdisciplinary program of study.
LSTD 5553 History and Architecture of Museums
Three credit-hour, letter-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523
In this course, students will study the history, architecture, and special requirements of museum buildings, and how a museum building interacts with a museum’s mission, function, and operations.
LSTD 5563 Museum Management and Leadership
Three credit-hour, letter-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523
This course explores the philosophy, policies and practices of museum governance, including such topics as ethics, board development, institutional mission and organization.
LSTD 5570 Special Studies in Museology
Three credit-hour, S/U graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523 or permission of the CLS Dean
Education and Public Programs
Elements related to creation, development, funding of educational programs for schools, special populations and the general public; interaction with other museum departments.
LSTD 5573 Museums, Cultures and Communities
Three credit-hour, letter-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523
The complex issues between museums, diverse community populations, and other public factors will be the focus of this course; including such aspects as educational and public programs, fundraising, public relations and marketing, etc.
LSTD 5583 Collections Management
Three credit-hour, letter-graded course.
Prerequisite LSTD 5523
This course will consider the place of collections in the life of the museum; how collections mesh with the museums mission; collections policies and stewardship. It will relate theoretical ideas on collection development and maintenance to the actualities of museum situations.
LSTD 5980, 5940, 5950 Thesis, Research Project, Internship
Or six hours of additional coursework with a comprehensive exam.
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