Museology at the University of Helsinki is taught for the Master’s Program in Cultural Heritage (KUMA). It is equally open to students from other programs (e.g., History, Languages) as well as those from the Open University.
Museology is a study module of 30 ECTS that can be taken alongside your study track (or major). The study module is recommended for anyone interested in museum work and research. The current Finnish Museums Act (314/2019, §5.10) states that professionally-led museums in Finland need a minimum of two museum sector experts with completed museology core studies. The museology study module at the University of Helsinki forms such a core study.
For PhD students researching museums, there is also the Cultural Heritage, European Ethnology, and Museum Studies (CHEEMS) doctoral seminar, which covers museology.
> Museology study module> Teaching 2022–2023 |
> Open University> Museum internships |
Museology study module
The study module consists of the following five course codes:
- KUMA-MU501 Museum History and Museological Theory (5 ECTS)
- KUMA-MU502 Museum Collections (5 ECTS)
- KUMA-MU503 Museums & Learning (5 ECTS)
- KUMA-MU511 Museum Work (10 ECTS)
- KUMA-MU513 Optional (5 ECTS)
Check out SISU or courses.helsinki.fi and search for the relevant course code (e.g. “MU503”) to see what courses are currently available.
When a particular course that is not currently listed under any museology course code would be closely relevant for your museology studies, then please contact the museology lecturer to discuss options. Generally speaking, “KUMA-MU513” can be given to relevant 5 ECTS courses that connects to the subject of museology. Furthermore, “KUMA-MU503” can be given to relevant 5 ECTS courses that relate to themes of museum pedagogy and community engagement.
In addition to the museology courses arranged by the MA Program in Cultural Heritage, courses relevant to the subject of museology are occasionally arranged in other programs and faculties. Use the search function of SISU or courses.helsinki.fi to search for relevant keywords (e.g., “museum”, “collection”, “museology”).
Teaching 2022–2023
Period | Course | Course code |
I | Museum History and Museological Theory, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU501 |
I | Applied Cultural Analysis in cooperation with Karelianliitto, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU513 |
II | Museum Collections, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU502 |
II | European Metropolitan Cultures, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU503 |
III | Game Studies: Playing with Time and Culture, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU513 |
III | Antiikin esine-elämökerrat, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU503 / KUMA-MU513 |
III–IV | Museum Work, 10 ECTS | KUMA-MU511 |
IV | Local Museums as Spaces of Memory and History: an introduction to interdisciplinary methods, 5 ECTS | KUMA-MU503 / KUMA-MU513 |
Open university
Courses in museology, as well as the entire study module, can also be taken through the Open University. The intake of students is usually limited to 5 students per course. Have a look at the information available through the Open University website.
Museum internships
Museum internships are possible to list under “KUMA-MU513”. Please contact the museology lecturer beforehand, however, to discuss this.