Museum and Heritage Studies

In the Certificate in Museum and Heritage Studies, you’ll explore the preservation, interpretation, and presentation of cultural heritage. This focused, 18-credit program combines theory and hands-on experience to introduce the key practices of museum and heritage work. Courses span history, anthropology, business, and art history, and you’ll complete a work placement in a local museum or heritage organization to gain real-world experience.

This interdisciplinary program is perfect if you’re curious about how museum staff care for artifacts and shape historical narratives. Whether you're considering a future in museum work, archival research, cultural programming, or further graduate study, this certificate offers practical skills, academic grounding, and professional connections in the heritage sector.

Several courses in the program emphasize hands-on, applied learning. In the two upper-level workshops, you’ll gain practical experience in exhibit design and artifact care, often in collaboration with local museum professionals. The required internship (AWEI 300AA) places you directly in museums or heritage organizations, allowing you to apply your classroom learning in real-world settings, develop professional skills, and build industry connections.

What is Museum and Historical Studies?

Museum and Heritage Studies encompasses the theoretical and practical dimensions of museum and heritage work, leaving you with a strong foundation of museum and curatorial roles. You’ll explore key topics like the history and social role of museums, Indigenous approaches to heritage and display, the politics of cultural preservation, and the ethics of collecting and interpreting the past. You also gain introductory business skills relevant to museum management and cultural institutions.

You’ll apply what you learned through hands on experiences, including designing exhibitions, caring for historical artifacts, and engaging diverse audiences. Your required internship places your directly in a museum or heritage setting, giving you hands-on experience in the day-to-day operations of cultural institutions.

Some courses for this certificate are:

HIST 291 – History of the Museum

From temple to virtual exhibits, from cabinet curiosities to the age of appropriation – and restoration – this course examines the history of “the museum” and its changing role in society through a variety of readings and case studies. 

HIST 396 – Workshop in Museum and Heritage Studies

This course provides practical and experiential insight into the museum contexts in which curators work. Students learn about the history, objectives, activities, programming, and management of various types of museums through hands-on assignments that involve educators and professionals in the field.

HIST 397 – Workshop in Historical Artifact Conservation

Examines historical artifacts and their conservation within the context of cultural heritage institutions. Topics include the deterioration of artifacts, preventive conservation and documentation, the identification and mitigation of risks to collections, and the role of conservation in colonial systems. Additionally, the course provides an introduction to conservation terminology and literature.

INDG 270 – Introduction to Museums and First Peoples

This web-based course introduces the history and the role of museums and examines museum practices concerning First Peoples at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

ANTH 242AK – Cultural Heritage and Politics of the Past

Using local and international examples, this course explores the concept of cultural heritage and the dynamic issues surrounding its management. It examines theories and methods influencing the interpretation and protection of cultural heritage and how these impact conceptions of the past, contemporary society and the future of heritage.

AWEI 300AA – Arts Work Experience Internship

The Arts Work Experience Internship consists of a 13-week part-time placement at a host organization partner, in which the student intern performs work on designated projects.