Natural History Museum Curation Certificate (undergrad & grad)

Natural History Museum Curation Certificate

The 12-14 credit-hour Natural History Museum Curation Certificate will prepare undergraduate and graduate students for employment as museum curators or curatorial assistants. It is designed to provide both disciplinary expertise and curatorial training in museum curation. 

Note: Certificates are not offered online – they are strictly in-person.

Guidelines

  • 12-14 required credit hours
  • Maximum of 50% overlap with degree program (i.e. major, minor, other certificate, or GE)
  • Minimum C- for course to be listed on certificate
  • Minimum 2.00 cumulative point-hour ratio required for certificate (3.0 for graduate students)
  • X193 credits not permitted
  • If the certificate is not complete on the DAR, the student must consult with the College of Arts and Sciences Coordinating Advisor
  • The certificate program form must be filed at least by the time the graduation application is submitted to a college/school counselor
  • Once the certificate program is filed in the college office, any changes must be approved by the College of Arts and Sciences Coordinating Advisor

Required Coursework

Disciplinary courses (6-8 units)

  • EARTHSC 4421: Earth Materials (3 units)     
  • EARTHSC 4423: Introductory Petrology (3 units)     
  • EARTHSC 4501: Paleontology (4 units)     
  • EARTHSC 4502: Stratigraphy and Sedimentation (4 units)     
  • EEOB 2210: Biodiversity of Ohio – Plants (2 units)     
  • EEOB 2220: Biodiversity of Ohio – Birds (2 units)     
  • EEOB 3310: Evolution (4 units)     
  • EEOB 3320: Organismal Diversity (3 units)     
  • EEOB 4210: Focused Study of Ecology and Evolution – Vertebrates (2 units)     
  • EEOB 4220: Focused Study of Ecology and Evolution – Mammals (3 units)     
  • EEOB 4230: Focused Study of Ecology and Evolution – Invertebrates (2 units)

**Students with demonstrated knowledge of the identification and classification of natural samples at the advanced undergraduate level may instead replace up to 6 credit hours with additional internship and museum curatorial practice/management hours.

A museum internship (3 units minimum; 6 units maximum)

  • EARTHSC 5191.01: Museum Internship (3 units)     
  • EEOB 5610: Translating Evolution (3 units)

Curatorial and/or museum management experience (3 units minimum)

  • EARTHSC 5501: Museum Data Curation (3 units)     
  • ARTEDUC 5671: Organizational Leadership in the Nonprofit Arts (3 units)     
  • ARTEDUC 5682: Nonprofit Arts Institution Governance and Board Leadership (3 units)     
  • ARTEDUC 5685: Arts/Cultural Organizations: Resource Management & Revenue Streams (3 units)     
  • ARTEDUC 5686: Cultural Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation (3 units)    
  • ARTEDUC 7748: Museum Practicum (3 units)

Advising information

Director of Undergraduate Studies (Earth Sciences): Professor Ann Cook, cook.1129@osu.edu

Undergraduate Academic Advisor (Earth Sciences): Dr. Karen Royce, royce.6@osu.edu, 614-292-6961

Director of Graduate Studies (Earth Sciences): Professor Mike Durand, durand.8@osu.edu

Graduate Student Specialist (Earth Sciences): Angie Rogers, rogers.399@osu.edu