Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage

Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage

Upon completing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage, students will be able to:

  1. Understand the historical, changing uses and meanings of art/cultural objects and collections in museums, particularly with regard to the concept of heritage.
  2. Explain the historical and contemporary issues that affect art objects and cultural heritage, including recovery and preservation, and presentation to the public for education, research, and continued practice/use.
  3. Work with primary sources relating to art and cultural heritage focusing on visual analysis, recovery and preservation methods, or archival research.
  4. Conduct independent and collaborative research in museums and cultural heritage based in a specific disciplinary methodology and communicate it to a public audience through oral, written, visual, or other practical means.

Requirements for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage

Students pursuing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage must complete:

  • A minimum of 7 courses (19-22 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy minor requirements.  
  • A minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above. 
  • A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional program guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab. 

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary 

Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage19-22

Minor Requirements

Core Requirement
ANTH 341MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE: EXHIBITING ART, EXHIBITING CULTURE3
Elective Requirements 1
Museums or Preservation
Select 2 courses from the Museums or Preservation category (see course list below).6-7
Cultural Heritage
Select 2 courses from the Cultural Heritage category (see course list below).6-8
Practicum Requirement 2
Select 1 course from the following: 33
MUSEUM INTERNSHIP I
MUSEUM INTERNSHIP II
BAYOU BEND UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP I
BAYOU BEND UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP II
ARTS AND CULTURE INTERNSHIP
ARTS AND CULTURE INTERNSHIP 2
PRACTICUM IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
Capstone Symposium 4
MUCH 424MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM CAPSTONE SYMPOSIUM1
Total Credit Hours19-22

Footnotes and Additional Information 

Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements 

Students must complete a total of 4 courses (12-15 credit hours, depending on course selection) from the Museums or Preservation and Cultural Heritage categories as listed below to satisfy the Museums and Cultural Heritage minor's Elective Requirements. Please note that a maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from the same subject code can be counted toward the Elective Requirements.

Elective Course Category: Museums or Preservation

Select 2 courses from the following:6-7
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNIQUES
AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD TECHNIQUES
ARCHAEOLOGICAL LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS
FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE II (1850-1950)
FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE III (1950-2000)
EXHIBITION DESIGN
THE CHEMISTRY OF ART
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ART I: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL
ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT ROME
CITIES, SANCTUARIES, CIVILIZATIONS: INTRODUCTION TO GREEK ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY
SPECIAL TOPICS IN MUSEUM CURATORIAL STUDIES
ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY: FIELD SCHOOL
HART IN THE WORLD FIELD STUDY
MUSEUMS IN WORLD HISTORY
HISTORY OF AFRICA IN THE MUSEUM
SPECIAL TOPICS
ADVANCED STUDY IN MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE: ARTS OF ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN AT THE MENIL COLLECTION
MEDICINE AND THE MUSEUM: CLINICAL AESTHETICS AND THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

Elective Course Category: Cultural Heritage

Select 2 courses from the following:6-8
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF AFRICA
CERAMICS AND SOCIETY
THE POLITICS OF THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY IN SOCIAL CONTEXT
SPACE, PLACE, AND LANDSCAPE
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CITIES AND STATES
KINGS, QUEENS, AND COMMONERS: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICA
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL THINKING
FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE I (1450-1850)
FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE II (1850-1950)
INTRODUCTORY ARCHITECTURE SEMINAR
FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE III (1950-2000)
ART & WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA
IMAGINING THE PAST: FILM, FICTION, AND HISTORY
PERSIANATE ARTS OF THE BOOK

Policies for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage

Program Restrictions and Exclusions

Students pursuing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage should be aware of the following program restriction:

  • As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities. 

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:

  • No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing may apply toward the minor.

Distribution Credit Information

The determination of distribution credit eligibility is done initially as part of the new course creation process. Additionally, as part of an annual roll call coordinated each Spring by the Office of the Registrar, course distribution credit eligibility is routinely reviewed and reaffirmed by the Dean’s Offices of each of the academic schools.  

Faculty and leadership in the academic schools are responsible for ensuring that the courses identified as distribution-credit-eligible meet the criteria as set in the General Announcements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet graduation requirements by completing coursework designated as distribution-credit-eligible at the time of course registration. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Museums and Cultural Heritage website: https://much.rice.edu/.

Opportunities for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage

Academic Honors

The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Museums and Cultural Heritage website: https://much.rice.edu/.