Museum Studies
Why choose Museum Studies at UVic?
Explore how museums shape culture, tell stories and engage communities—while building practical skills you can use in your career. This flexible minor pairs easily with programs like Art History and Visual Studies, Visual Arts, History or Medieval Studies. You’ll learn from curators and industry professionals, work directly with real collections and gain hands-on experience through coursework and practicum opportunities. Whether you're interested in galleries, heritage or cultural organizations, you’ll graduate with experience—not just theory.
Hands-on learning
Learn by doing in real museum and gallery settings across campus and the city. You’ll work directly with objects, archives and exhibitions—building practical skills used by professionals.
- Handle museum objects, manuscripts and archaeological materials
- Explore over 18,000 objects in UVic’s art collection
- Learn on-site at the Legacy Maltwood Gallery (on campus), Legacy Gallery (downtown) and UVic Special Collections
- Volunteer or gain experience assisting with exhibitions and collections
Earn while you learn
Co-operative Education (Co-op)
- Through UVic’s Co-op program, you’ll apply what you learn in paid, career-related positions that count toward your degree—and give you a head start after graduation.
- Co-op is available to everyone, including international students with co-op work permits.
- On average, 70 percent of UVic Co-op students graduate with a job offer already in hand.
- Unlike at some universities, at UVic, you don’t have to compete for a spot in Co-op.
Access powerful visual research tools
Support your learning with specialized resources designed for art and museum studies. These tools help you analyze, research and present visual material like a professional.
- Use the Art Collections Classroom for hands-on study
- Access the DIDO image database with 68,000+ images
- Learn from a dedicated Visual Resources Curator
Student life & community
- Choose to live with like-minded friends in the Arts Collective -- the arts-themed residence on campus.
- Join the Art History & Visual Studies Student Association -- Enjoy movie nights, trivia and social events
- Access student discounts for local museums and galleries
Career opportunities
Turn your passion for art, culture and history into meaningful career paths. This minor helps you build transferable skills in research, storytelling, curation and public engagement. Possible career paths include:
- Archivist Curator
- Exhibit designer
- Gallery administrator
- Heritage consultant
- Museum educator
- Arts and culture coordinator
Sample courses
- Confronting the Object
- Art History and the Lens
- Digital Tools for Art History and Visual Studies
- Museum Principles and Practices I: Communities, Curatorship and Collections
Admission
This is a minor program that can be added to your primary degree to broaden your studies. You can declare your minor after one or more years of full-time study at UVic.
Your academic advisor can help you plan your courses to ensure you meet the requirements of both your major and minor programs.