Museology

The keys to secrets of museums and collections.

Degree programme objectives

The follow-up Master’s studies in museology are focused on acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of museology. Unlike the complex orientation of the Bachelor’s study programme, Master’s studies are specialized in the teaching of two key museological sub disciplines: museological exhibition making (theory and practice of exhibition making, museum architecture, museum exhibition criticism, exhibition didactics) and museum pedagogy (theory and practice of museum pedagogy, museum psychology, inclusive museum pedagogy, presentation didactics). The common theoretical and methodological base of the Master’s study programme consists of a series of lectures on general museology (theoretical museology, special museology, museum management, scientific research and museology). The completion of studies provides a complex training for qualified work mainly in leading positions and positions of professional staff in museums and galleries and creates potential for further education in related scientific disciplines.

Study plans

Museology

full-time, single-subject

combined, single-subject

Admission Procedures
Admission to Master's degree programmes in 2025/2026 (beginning: Autumn 2025)
Submission deadline until midnight 30/4/2025

Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30
Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of any Bachelor’s degree programme.
Subject matter of the entrance examination: oral examination. Applicants shall also prepare a Master’s thesis project. The submitted text should mainly include the basic objectives of the thesis, the methodology used, and an excerpt of the fundamental literature or sources. It is also expected that the applicant will evaluate the significance of their work in a museological context and describe the current approaches to the topic in the literature. The project must be uploaded into the e-application (rubric “Documents”) by 1 June. Applicants are required to include their full name and application number on all attached documents.
Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of Museology at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University with an excellent (A) or very good (B) result. The entrance examination may also be waived for applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of Museology at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed with excellent results”. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".
Web Department of Archaeology and Museology.
General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.
Recommended reading for the examinations under this field
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. JAGOŠOVÁ, Lucie, Vladimír JŮVA a Lenka MRÁZOVÁ. Muzejní pedagogika: metodologické a didaktické aspekty muzejní edukace. Brno: Paido, 2010. ISBN 978-80-7315-207-9. LORD, Barry a Gail Dexter LORD (eds.). The manual of museum exhibitions. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7591-0234-1.
Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 60 points (out of 100).

Studies

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Objectives
The follow-up Master’s studies in museology are focused on acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of museology. Unlike the complex orientation of the Bachelor’s study programme, Master’s studies are specialized in the teaching of two key museological sub disciplines: museological exhibition making (theory and practice of exhibition making, museum architecture, museum exhibition criticism, exhibition didactics) and museum pedagogy (theory and practice of museum pedagogy, museum psychology, inclusive museum pedagogy, presentation didactics). The common theoretical and methodological base of the Master’s study programme consists of a series of lectures on general museology (theoretical museology, special museology, museum management, scientific research and museology). The completion of studies provides a complex training for qualified work mainly in leading positions and positions of professional staff in museums and galleries and creates potential for further education in related scientific disciplines.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- acquiring knowledge in the fields of museum exhibition making and museum pedagogy
- learning the theory, terminology and methodology of museology
- knowing the key principles of museum management
- applying the acquired theoretical knowledge of exhibition making and pedagogy in museum practice
- independent planning and managing of museum activities in the fields of museum exhibition making and museum pedagogy
Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Students are mainly prepared for the work in memory institutions, which are engaged in protection and presentation of cultural heritage (e.g. museums, heritage institutes). The graduates can also work in departments occupied with protection of cultural heritage in state administration bodies and self-government authorities, various foundations, private museums, galleries, auction houses etc.
Practical Training
Museology studies also include practical training in museums and other cultural-educational institutions, which is supervised by professionals and enables to apply the knowledge acquired in lectures and seminars (e.g. preparation and realisation of a museum exhibition, educational programme and didactic tools, excursion). Individualised practical training (in the extent of maximum 100 hours) at the same time makes the students familiar with real operation of the institution and presents to them a complex spectrum of activities with special accent on the problems of exhibition making and education. Expected is a direct involvement of students in everyday museum practice with particular professional outputs, including the activities intended for the public.
Goals of Theses
Standard extent of a Master’s thesis is 100 000 characters inclusive of footnotes, front page, contents, list of sources and literature and a summary in English. The students can work with already published texts and data available for a secondary analysis. They should demonstrate their ability to critically approach professional texts, elaborate concepts and theories and find relevant answers to the given question. Expected is an adequate methodological approach to the selected problem, acquisition of new facts or elaboration of original projects and concepts. Preferred are topics from the area of museum exhibition making, museum pedagogy and theoretical museology.
Access to Further Studies
Students who complete the follow-up Master’s study programme (when meeting the conditions of admission) can continue with doctoral studies in scientific disciplines employed in museum institutions (e.g. history, archaeology, ethnology).