Museology

Keys to the secret of museums and collections.

Degree programme objectives

Bachelor’s studies in museology are targeted at crucial theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of museology. The study is focused in a comprehensive way on all areas of museum activities and involves the disciplines of historical museology (evolution of the museum phenomenon, collections and museums), theoretical museology (theory of selection, thesaurisation and presentation) and applied museology (museum legislation, protection and safety of collections, museum conservation, museum marketing and management, collection building activity, museum exhibitions and lecturing practice). Studies in this field offer a comprehensive preparation for a qualified work in museums and galleries and forms the inevitable base for further museological education.

Study plans

Museology

full-time, single-subject

combined, single-subject

Admission Procedures
Admission to Bachelor's and long-cycle Master's degree programmes in 2025/2026
Submission deadline until midnight 28/2/2025

Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
This programme is taught in Czech.

The criteria for admission for studies are the results of the oral Field of Study Examination. Applicants may also be admitted based on other criteria, see Admission without the Entrance Examination. The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University disregards the results of SCIO National Comparative Examinations.

You can file your e-applications for studies from 1 November to 28 February.
Field of Study Examinations will be held from 22 April to 27 April.
The date and time of the examination will be stated in the electronic invitation for the examination, which will be uploaded to your e-application. The faculty will not be sending paper invitations. Applicants applying for the major study plan and minor study plan in a combined study must comply with the conditions for admission into both plans.
Learning Potential Test (TSP)

For admission for studies in this degree programme, you do not need to take the TSP.

Field of Study Examination
This examination is only in Czech. It is intended to check the applicants’ knowledge of the given field of study. It is done in the form of an oral interview.

Basic description of the Field of Study Examination:
Candidates should demonstrate a basic orientation in the field of museology and museum studies. They should be able to paraphrase basic ideas and theses from at least one title listed in the Literature section and at least one article in a periodical in a world language (see list). In addition, they should be able to describe their impressions of visits to museums and galleries or present their own activities in museum institutions. They should also explain why they want to study museology and what they expect from their studies. The length of the interview will be about 15 minutes.
Literature
- BENEŠ, Josef. Základy muzeologie. Opava: Slezská univerzita, 1997. ISBN 80-901974-3-4.
- STRÁNSKÝ, Zbyněk Zbyslav. Úvod do muzeologie. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2000. ISBN 80-210-1272-2.
- KAČÍREK, Ľuboš – RAGAČ, Radoslav – TIŠLIAR, Pavol. Múzeum a historické vedy. Krakov: Spolok Slovákov v Poľsku/Towarzystwo Słowaków w Polsce, 2013. ISBN 978-83-7490-585-5.
Recommended articles
- CASTEJÓN IBÁÑEZ, Magdalena. El museo como catalizador cultural: una revisión desde la museología social, la educación no formal y la comunicación. Diferents. Revista de museus, 2022, no. 7, pp. 52–69. ISSN 2530-1330 (print), 2659-9252 (online).
  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/diferents.6463
  fulltext: https://www.e-revistes.uji.es/index.php/diferents/article/view/6463/7232
- FOLGA-JANUSZEWSKA, Dorota. Might the museology be a part of neurosciences? Museologica Brunensia, 2016, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 5–14. ISSN 1805-4722 (print), 2464-5362 (online).
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.5817/MuB2016-1-1
  fulltext: https://digilib.phil.muni.cz/_flysystem/fedora/pdf/135576.pdf
- КОНЬКОВА, Л. В. – СПЕШИНСКАЯ-ЗОРИЧ, М. В. Роль коллекционеров русско-византийских древностей в формировании музейных собраний на рубеже XIX–XX веков. Вопросы музеологии, 2022, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 78–96. ISSN 2219-6269.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu27.2022.106
  fulltext: https://museology.spbu.ru/article/view/spbu27.2022.106/9549
- OVERDICK, Thomas. Kontaktzonen, Dritte Räume und empathische Orte: Zur gesellschaftlichen Verantwortung von Museen. Hamburger Journal für Kulturanthropologie, 2019, vol. 10, pp. 51–65. ISSN 2365-1016.
  fulltext: https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hjk/article/view/1435/1263
- POPADIĆ, Milan. The beginnings of museology. Muzeológia a kultúrne dedičstvo, 2020, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 5–16. ISSN 1339-2204 (print), 2453-9759 (online).
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.46284/mkd.2020.8.2.1
  fulltext: https://www.muzeologia.sk/index_htm_files/mkd_2_20-2_popadic.pdf
- SOARES, Bruno Brulon. L’invention et la réinvention de la Nouvelle Muséologie. ICOFOM Study Series – Nouvelles tendances de la muséologie, 2015, no. 43A, pp. 57–72. ISSN 2306-4161.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/iss.563
  fulltext: https://journals.openedition.org/iss/563
- SUAREZ, Andrew V. – TSUTSUI, Neil D. The Value of Museum Collections for Research and Society. BioScience, 2004, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 66–74. ISSN 0006-3568 (print), 1525-3244 (online).
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0066:TVOMCF]2.0.CO;2
  fulltext: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/54/1/66/234633
Admission without the entrance examination
You may be exempt from the entrance examination based on participation in competitions launched by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and guaranteed by the National Institute of Children and Young People (central rounds) in the following fields: Theory of Culture, Arts, and Artistic Creation and Pedagogy, Psychology Sociology, and Leisure Time Issues.
Please upload the officially certified documents directly to your e-application in the section Application for the Exemption from the Entrance Examination no later than 28 February.
Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
- Total number of points in the Field of Study Examination: 100
- Limit for successfully passing the Field of Study Examination: 60

Studies

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Objectives
Bachelor’s studies in museology are targeted at crucial theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of museology. The study is focused in a comprehensive way on all areas of museum activities and involves the disciplines of historical museology (evolution of the museum phenomenon, collections and museums), theoretical museology (theory of selection, thesaurisation and presentation) and applied museology (museum legislation, protection and safety of collections, museum conservation, museum marketing and management, collection building activity, museum exhibitions and lecturing practice). Studies in this field offer a comprehensive preparation for a qualified work in museums and galleries and forms the inevitable base for further museological education.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- being knowledgeable about the basic development of collecting activities and museums,
- knowing the key rules of creation, maintenance, protection, conservation and presentation of museum collections,
- being knowledgeable about other fields of protection of cultural heritage,
- applying the acquired theoretical knowledge to practical museum activity,
- independent planning and management of museum activity in the field of public relations,
- knowing the theory and terminology of museology
Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Graduates with Bachelor degree in Museology are qualified for jobs in institutions responsible for the preservation of cultural heritage, including museums, historic preservations offices, etc. They are also qualified for positions in local and regional government offices concerned with cultural heritage preservation, in foundations, private institutions, etc., as well as in private museums, galleries, auction houses and similar institutions.
Practical Training
Museological studies comprise specialized practical internships in museums and other cultural institutions accompanied by professional supervision. A compulsory part of Bachelor’s full-time study is a museological internship in the extent of 100 hours focused on acquirement of professional experience by the contact with all specialized professions participating in the operation of a museum institution. This type of practical internship is compulsory, but as an option the students can enrol it repeatedly at their discretion and acquire further professional experience and contacts. The other, optional, type of practical professional training is the internship in museum pedagogy in the extent of 100 hours, which is open to students in both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes and is focused on a deeper insight into the work of a museum pedagogue. During the internship, the students come into contact with all types of museum pedagogical activities and acquire gradually the competences which are necessary for this profession. The internship also can be enrolled repeatedly.
Goals of Theses
A standard scope of a Bachelor's thesis ranges from 70,000 characters including footnotes, cover sheet, content, index, list of sources and literature, and summary written in English. Students can work with already published texts and data accessible for secondary analysis. They should demonstrate the ability to work critically with specialized texts, process the concepts and theories discovered there, and find relevant answers to the given question.
Access to Further Studies
After completion of the Bachelor's studies, it is possible to continue further studies in any Master's degree programme (after satisfying the admission requirements). At the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, students can apply for admission to a follow-up Master's degree in Museology.