Since MSP admitted its first cohort in 2003, more than 185 students have completed the Museum Studies Certificate. The chart below includes information on the current placement of the 172 MSP Certificate graduates who have also completed their Masters, Ph.D., MFA, or J.D. degrees.
Students enter the MSP certificate program with many different interests and career goals. Some seek careers in museums; some in academia; and others in K-12 education, libraries and archives, non-profit art organizations, and for-profit companies and firms. Whatever their goals, students have found pursuing the certificate a rewarding and productive experience that has helped them to clarify and prepare to meet their career goals. Today, 42 of our graduates hold teaching appointments in universities; 37 work in a variety of capacities in museums; and 15 are employed in libraries or archives.
Quotes from Our Graduates
“LOVED the proseminar and the students I met in my cohort. The internship experience also changed my life and jumpstarted my career connections.”
“I found the site visits very rewarding. It was nice to see behind the scenes at many museums, see how things worked, and be able to make connections with staff and members of the museum field….My internship at the Adler Planetarium in particular solidified my desire to work in museums.”
“I loved the proseminar—it was great to talk with others who had a great enthusiasm for museums, to share our knowledge and points of view on the readings and museum site visits.”
See more comments about how the Museum Studies program enhanced the professional lives of our alumni.
Please visit the kudos section of our web site to see what our graduates are doing. Here are just a few highlights:
Mark Ramirez
MSP19, MLIS, School of Information, 2020
Mark is a NAGPRA Project Associate at the University of Michigan
Lisa Cakmak
MSP04, PhD, Classical Art & Archaeology, 2009
Lisa is Chair & Curator, Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium at the Art Institute of Chicago
Rebecca Kon
MSP16, MA, School of Education, 2017
Rebecca is a Curriculum Development Specialist at the Huntington Library.
Lauren Stamm [Brady] MSP15, MSI, School of Information, 2016
Lauren is a Reference and Access Specialist at The Henry Ford.
Caroline Braden
MSP13, MA, School of Education, 2014
Caroline is the Accessibility Coordinator at The Henry Ford.
Taylor West
MSP21, MS, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2022
Taylor is a Micro-CT Scanning Specialist at Core Research Laboratories of Natural History Museum in London
Marisa Szpytman
MSP12, MSI, School of Information, 2013
Marisa is the Senior Registrar for Collections at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago
Shannon Schmoll
MSP11, PhD, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Education, 2013
Shannon is Director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.
Jennifer A. Scott
MSP08, MFA, Art & Design, 2010
Jennifer is the Collections Manager of NAGPRA at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology.
Monica Patterson
MSP07, PhD, History, 2009
Monica is the Director of the Curatorial Studies Program and an Assistant Professor at Carlton University.
Katharine Raff
MSP05, PhD, History of Art, 2011
Katharine is an Associate Curator of Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Erica Lehrer
MSP04, PhD, Anthropology, 2005
Erica is a Professor of History and Sociology/Anthropology at Concordia University. She is also the Founding Director of the university’s Curating and Public Scholarship Lab.
