Master of Museum Education
This unique graduate program focuses on the study of education that occurs in museums and other informal learning contexts.
The MMEd is a unique graduate degree program focusing on the study of education and learning that occurs in museums and other informal learning contexts (such as, art galleries, science centres, parks, historic sites, etc.).
This program draws together Museum professionals, educators and those with an interest in using the community to support teaching and learning to further their thinking and scholarship around museums as sites of education and learning.
As museums contemplate new roles within society it will be incumbent upon museum professionals, and particularly museum educators, to become catalysts for different ways of thinking about the educational roles and potentials of museums and other informal learning sites, teaching and learning in museum settings as well as exploring new relationships between museums and the broader community.
- For examples of the exciting research conducted by students in this program, see the recent publication of some of their work in Research Informing the Practice of Museum Educators: Diverse Audiences, Challenging Topics and Reflective Praxis.
This program is offered by the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy.
Start Date: Sept 2024
Length: 2.5 years | Part-Time
Format: 90% Online | 10% Face-to-Face
Domestic Tuition: $17,501.61 CAD
International Tuition: $17,501.61 CAD
Upcoming Info Sessions
There are currently no info session scheduled for this program
Past Info Session
Program Details
About
This program will provide the necessary skills and knowledge for careers as educators in informal settings such as museums, locally and globally, and to support classroom-based teachers in expanding their use of the community as a learning site. Furthermore, it is ideally suited for currently practicing museum professionals who seek recognized graduate-level qualifications and high-level professional development to progress their careers.
The program model is one that recognizes the need for contextualizing museum education curriculum in both home country context (which has its own unique social and political context) and in the Canadian cultural context of museum education, in which practices may be conceptualized in other beneficial ways to that of the student’s own country of origin. The end result is graduates that are then better able to influence the systems in their own countries with strengthened capacities to introduce beneficial reforms around museum education.
Upon completing the MMEd degree, students will be able to:
- Critically analyze dominant and alternative theories and discourses of learning and teaching in informal settings
- Identify the influences of multiple perspectives (i.e., Local, Aboriginal, International) in facilitating learning experiences in/within museums and communities
- Better understand to how to affect change (i.e., cognitive, affective, emotional, behavioural) among the diversity of audiences museums and cultural institutions server
- Develop learning opportunities to integrate learning within classrooms, and learning in informal settings such as museums and other informal learning sites
- Develop tools to implement and sustain educational programs outside the traditional classroom
- Develop skills and knowledge to understand and address the increasing complexities of issues facing informal learning settings
- Evaluate the potential for working with a variety of learning communities
- Analyze different approaches to teaching and program development, settings, and perspectives
Proposed Schedule
2024-2026
The UBC MMEd program is a 30-credit program (i.e., students will be required to complete ten 3-credit courses for the degree). The final 3-credits of the program may be a capstone project, which will be developed from original research conducted by students.
While you can complete this program entirely online you may take electives, such as the summer institutes, on campus. Courses are offered in each year across three terms, starting in September. Note this is the proposed schedule and is subject to change.
| Year | Course Title | Course Code |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learning in Informal Environments | EDCP 558 |
| 1 | Teaching in Museums | EDCP 565 |
| 1 | Curriculum Issues and Theories in Museums | EDCP 567 |
| 1 | Museum Methods | ANTH 518* |
| 1 | Elective | — |
| 2 | Education Programming in Museums | EDCP 545 |
| 2 | Research Methodology in Education (Focus on Museums) | EDUC 500 |
| 2 | Educational Design in Exhibitions | EDCP 585 |
| 2 | Elective | — |
| 3 | Elective | — |
*NOTE: ANTH 518 will be scheduled for July 2025 over a 6-day period, at UBC Vancouver Campus, Museum of Anthropology.
Elective Options
Approved electives may be taken at other universities, subject to the terms of the Western Deans’ Agreement.
There are wide variety of on-campus (UBC-Vancouver or Okanagan) and on-line course which are acceptable as electives and vary in the offering from year to year – Examples include:
Museology
- ANTH 431, Museum Practice and Curatorship (3 credits)
- ANTH 541, Advanced Seminar in Critical Museum Anthropology (3/6 credits)
- ANTH 341A, Museums, Heritage and Memory (3 credits)
- CCST 501, Contemporary Contextual Issues for Critical and Curatorial Practice (3 credits)
Art Education
- EDCP 504, Review of Research in Art Education (3 credits)
- EDCP 522, Psychological Foundations of Art Education (3 credits)
- EDCP 523, Seminar in Art Education (3 credits)
- EDCP 514, Arts-based Educational Research: A/R/tography (3 credits)
Research Methods
- EDCP 510, Video Ethnography in Educational Research: Culture, Technology and Interpretation (3 credits)
- EDCP 513, Case-study Research and Cross-Case Analysis (3 credits)
Environmental Education
- EDCP 538, Theory and Research in Environmental Education (3 credits)
- EDST 565A, Adult Environmental Education (3 credits)
History and Social Studies Education
- EDCP 541, Problems in Historical Understanding (3 credits)
- EDST 504A History of Educational Policy (3 credits)
Science Education
- EDCP 555, Critical Analysis of Curriculum in Science Education (3 credits)
- EDCP 557, Conceptual and Practical Issues in Teaching and Learning of the Sciences (3 credits)
- EDCP 559, Research in the Teaching and Learning of the Sciences (3 credits)
- EDCP 449, Earth and Space Science Beyond the Textbook (3 credits)
- EDCP 450, Life Science Beyond the Textbook (3 credits)
- EDCP 451, Physical Science Beyond the Textbook (3 credits)
First Nations Studies
- ETEC 521, Indigeneity, Technology, and Education (3 credits)
- EDUC 442, Critical Issues in Indigenous Education (3 credits)
Adult Education
- ADHE 412, An Overview of Adult Education (3 credits)
- ADHE 327, Teaching Adults (3 credits)
- ADHE 330, The Community Practice of Adult Education (3 credits)
- ADHE 329, Developing Short Courses, Workshops and Seminars (3 credits)
Library Education
- LIBE 465, Organization of Learning Resources(3 credits)
- LIBE 467, Information Services (3 credits)
Early Childhood
- ECED 421, Supporting Young Children Through Home, School, and Community Relationships (3 credits)
- ECED 405, Foundations of Early Childhood Education (3 credits)
Application Requirements
All students must meet the requirements for this program, which include:
- A completed four-year undergraduate degree and, for K-12 teachers, one year of teacher education; OR A 4- or 5-year Bachelor’s degree in Education OR other appropriate area with a minimum average of 76% (B+) on all senior-level credits, or equivalent
- A 600-word statement of intent about your career goals and explain clearly why you wish to take this particular program with this focus area
- CV / Resume
- Statements of support from three referees who can speak to your academic and professional background. Please provide one academic and two professional references.
- Evidence of English Language Proficiency, if applicable
The basic admission requirement to the Master’s program is an approved bachelor’s degree. In addition, successful applicants typically have high grades; a coherent, well-written statement of intent; and strong references. Teaching experience is preferred.
All students must meet the requirements set out by the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, which include:
- An approved Bachelor’s degree and, for K-12 teachers, one year of teacher education, OR
- A 5-year Bachelor’s degree in Education; OR
- A 4-year Bachelor’s degree in Education or other appropriate area.
- A GPA of B+ (76%) or equivalent.
- For transcripts from universities in China, this usually corresponds to an 85% on most PRC university grading systems. If applicant is from a Key University, the minimum grade requirement is B (=80% on PRC grading scale) or higher.
TOEFL Scores
Applicants are required to submit a satisfactory official score report from one of the following organizations, obtained no more than two years prior to the application date:
- TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, minimum score 580 (paper-based) or 237 (computer based), or new minimum TOEFL score of 92 (with a minimum of 22 for each component).
- IELTS – International English Language Testing System. Minimum overall band score 6.5, with no component less than 6.0.
The official score reports must be sent directly by the testing organization to this department: Institution Code 0965, Department Code 85.
Fees
Tuition Fees
| Type | Per Installment | Total Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | $2,500.23 | $17,501.61 CAD |
| International | $2,500.23 | $17,501.61 CAD |
Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors and may be adjusted without prior notice. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on tuition and fees, visit the official UBC Calendar. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
Graduate tuition is assessed as an annual program fee, which is divided into three equal installments due at the beginning of academic terms starting in September, January and May. Students in this program will pay a minimum of 7 installments.
Student Fees
Student fees include fees established and authorized by the UBC Board of Governors and fees established and authorized by students societies. These fees are in addition to tuition fees. Please see the UBC Calendar for details on student fees.
Funding Eligibility
As this program is part-time, it is not eligible for student loans or other types of funding.
How to Apply
Application Status: Closed
Application deadline: TBD
Document deadline: April 15, 2024
1. ONLINE APPLICATION
- Navigate to grad.ubc.ca/apply/online/.
- When you are ready to apply, click “Apply Online”.
- Read the instructions, and either log in with your CWL or create a CWL if you have never attended UBC.
- Once logged in, on the “Degree Program Selection,” type the 4-character cohort designation MED8 into the “Program Keyword” field.
- IMPORTANT: The program name should be Master of Museum Education – Professional Cohort and the cohort code should be MED8. Please ensure you are applying to the correct program – this part-time Professional Cohort is different than the regular on-campus program.
- When you reach the “Experience & Interests” page of the application, please make sure you choose the appropriate program, as there may be more than one. It should include MED8.
- Select the program.
- When finished entering your information, you must click “Declare & Submit”.
- You will automatically receive an email acknowledgement, with instructions on documentation and deadlines.
References:
- When adding your references to your application, you will be asked whether they are professional or academic references. Academic references are those who know you in an academic capacity (e.g. former professors). Professional references would include your principal, vice-principal, or someone who has supervised you.
- You are strongly encouraged to submit electronic letters of reference. Simply fill in the email addresses of your three referees when completing the online application (an email address is required). References with free, web-based email addresses (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) will receive a link to the paper reference form, which must be mailed to our office (address on the reference form).NOTE: Please see “Supporting Documents” below for more information on paper references.
Once you submit and pay for your online application, your referees will automatically receive an email with a link and instructions for completing the electronic reference form or the link to the paper reference form, as above.
A letter can take the place of the reference form as long as it addresses the questions posed in the reference form. Despite the apparent size of the text box, referees may type as much as they want.
2. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Please have these ready to upload when you apply:
Transcripts, degree certificates (if applicable), English language assessment report (if applicable), statement of intent, and an up-to-date resume must be uploaded to your application.
In cases where referees are unable to submit an electronic reference, sealed and endorsed reference letters may be sent by mail. Your reference will receive a link to a reference form that they should complete and send back to us.
Important: Please ask your references to include the 4-character cohort designation MED8 when they submit their reference. All references must arrive in sealed envelopes with the reference’s signature on the seal.
The reference form is available here.
Kelvin Mok
MED8 Graduate Cohort
Faculty of Education, PDCE Office
University of British Columbia
1304-2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4
ASSISTANCE
If you require any assistance with the application process, please contact:
Kelvin Mok
Senior Program Assistant
604-827-5662
pdce.educ@ubc.ca
Info Sessions
Have questions? We’ve got answers!
Meet the Program Advisor and Senior Program Assistant, and learn more about this program and about applying to become a UBC graduate student.
UPCOMING SESSIONS
There are currently no info session scheduled for this program
Did you miss one of our info sessions?
View a recorded info session
If you are not able to attend any of our live info sessions, you can view a recorded session from the MMED – Master of Museum Education, below:
Recorded on January 24, 2024.
John Mendoza, Teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas High School
2019 graduate
“This program has equipped me with broader lens when approaching my teaching practice, providing me with a more nuanced perspective and a more sophisticated view of the world, and why we do certain things in the classroom.”
Read more about how our program has helped John learn, grow and excel as an educator.
Contacts
For program content questions:
Dr. David Anderson
Cohort Advisor
Dept. of Curriculum & Pedagogy
604-822-2086
david.anderson@ubc.ca
For application questions or assistance:
Kelvin Mok
Senior Program Assistant
604-827-5662
pdce.educ@ubc.ca