The Museum Studies concentration in anthropology provides students with a solid background in the theoretical and practical sides of museum studies.

Theoretical course work is complemented by hands-on training in the Museum of Anthropology (a "teaching museum"), and through supervised internships. The program emphasizes:

• critical approaches to the study and representation of material culture, art and cultural expressions
• the history and philosophy of museums and their role in society
• cross-cultural approaches to museology
• public interest anthropology

Students are expected to achieve graduate level competence in anthropology as well as museum studies. Our goal is to train students to be practicing anthropologists in museums or related institutions and organizations.

Designed for Diversity

The Museum Studies program is designed to accommodate the diverse academic and professional interests of students. Students are encouraged to be creative in structuring their own course of study, drawing on the many resources available at the University of Denver and in Denver-area museums.

The program works closely with the Museum Studies Program in Art History, offering joint courses in conservation, information technology, and museum management. Both programs benefit from institutional ties between DU and the Denver Art Museum and Denver Museum of Nature and Science, providing students with research, internship and job opportunities. Other Denver-area museums and cultural organizations offer ample internship and job opportunities. The Museum Studies program also periodically offers guided inter-term and summer study tours to expose students to museums and museological practices in diverse cultural and national settings.

Department of Anthropology colloquia and a Gallery Talk Series, which feature presentations by faculty members, students and visiting speakers, provide a forum for discussion of current issues in the field.

For Science and the Public

The Museum Studies concentration in the Department of Anthropology prepares students to be both scholars and practitioners. The program rests on the philosophy that anthropology should be in service to both science and the public, and that cultural work is an essential and valuable part of social life. Students are trained, both academically and professionally, to meet the many challenges of cultural work in contemporary society.