The Museum Studies minor provides students with an interdisciplinary appreciation for the ways that museums collect, preserve, interpret and document our world. Museums are a major part of modern life and support more than 726,000 American jobs. Ripon College’s interdisciplinary minor in museum studies prepares students to join this robust cultural world. Students will develop skills related to curating exhibitions, analyzing objects, communicating with the public, doing public history, managing nonprofit organizations, educating the public, interpreting materials and thinking ethically. Coursework from multiple departments is incorporated.

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Faculty

Nicholas Eastman

Eastman, Nicholas

Assistant Professor of Educational Studies

Matt Knoester Portrait

Knoester, Matthew

Associate Professor of Educational Studies

Steve Martin '96

Martin, Steven

Professor of Communication, Chair of Communication Department, Mentor for Oral Communication and Collaboration Skills (Catalyst Curriculum)

Becky Matzke

Matzke, Rebecca Berens

Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Ralph Hale Ruppert Distinguished Professor of History

Travis Nygard

Nygard, Travis

Associate Professor of Art History, Director of the Caestecker Art Gallery

Mollie Oblinger

Oblinger, Mollie

Professor of Art

Ann Pleiss Morris

Pleiss Morris, Ann

Associate Professor of English

Andrew Prellwitz

Prellwitz, Andrew

Library Director and User Services Librarian Departments: Instruction, Archives, Electronic Resources

Rafael Francisco Salas

Salas, Rafael Francisco

Professor of Art and Chair of Art Department

Herve Some Portrait

Some, Touorizou Herve

Associate Professor of Educational Studies, Chair of Educational Studies Department

Advising

Ripon College faculty and professional staff are dedicated to helping you reach your goals, whatever they may be and however often they may change along the way. It’s part of our value statement to you.

As a student at Ripon, you will be assigned a faculty adviser based on your area(s) of interest. You will meet with your faculty adviser throughout your time as a student to discuss your current aspirations, plan your course schedule and plot a future trajectory. We also work collaboratively with Ripon College Career and Professional Development to help match your interests and skills to concrete goals and construct a plan for professional success offering personalized career counseling, off-campus learning opportunities and an online job board with potential to connect with local, national and international employers. Our collaboration with Student Support Services provides tutoring and additional academic and skill development, as well as tools to help with note-taking, exam preparation, goal-setting and time management. Likewise, Mentors in the Franzen Center provide in-depth, one-on-one or group mentoring for students about class projects and college-level writing, and can share problem-solving strategies to overcome academic obstacles.

Advising at Ripon

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN MUSEUM STUDIES: 20 credits. Four credits of MST 115: Museums, Artifacts and Cultural Heritage. Twelve elective credits relevant to the study of museums, taken in consultation with the advisor, from the following list: ART 377: Arts Management; BSA 110: Introduction to Management; BSA 208: Introduction to Marketing; BSA 223: Business and Society; BSA 310: Nonprofit Management; CMM 248: Media and Society; EDU 190: School and Society; EDU 250: Psychological Foundations of Education; EDU 260: Diversity in American Education; ENG 251: Foundations of English Literature; HIS 214: Greek and Roman Society; HIS 340: Public History; HIS 383: Mapping the World; PHL 202: Business Ethics; PHL 245: Professional Ethics; POL 212: Introduction to Law; POL 246: Morality and Public Policy. Internships also may be counted as elective credits at the discretion of the academic advisor. Four credits of MST 215: Controversies in Museum Studies.

Career Tracks

Students with a minor in museum studies will be qualified to work in various positions in museums, historic sites and other cultural institutions. This can include work as a curator, museum educator and nonprofit administrator. Graduates with a background in art studies can assume a critical standpoint and interact with the art world, whether producing visual art; preparing for further education, writing and research; working in arts institutions, art therapy or art education; or assuming a lifetime attitude of art appreciation. Graduates are well-prepared to enter graduate programs in museum studies.

Unique Opportunities

  • Field trips to major museums and cultural events are taken
    each semester, such as excursions to museums and galleries
    in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Oshkosh and Sheboygan.
  • Off-campus study of art is encouraged.
  • Caestecker Art Gallery, adjacent to the Department
    of Art and Art History, features shows by artists
    with national and international reputations.
  • Students have opportunities to exhibit their own work,
    help curate campus exhibits and participate in campus
    art projects such as a decorative tiled sink in a restroom
    and creating scale models of objects in the solar system
    for a Planet Walk on the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy.
  • Complementary offerings in the Department of
    Art and Art History include a major in Art History
    and Cultural Criticism; a major in Art History and
    Museum Studies; and a minor in Art History.