1.2 Methodology

Our survey includes an overview of degree-, diploma-, and certificate-granting programs taught in universities and colleges, as well as training opportunities offered by museum associations, conferences, workshops, and education institutions in Canada, Quebec and the United States. Online tutorials have also been identified.

The audit of museum studies training programs was limited to programs designed to provide students with a general understanding of museum origins, philosophies, and current practices, and to prepare these students for careers as museum professionals. Specialist programs, e.g. photographic preservation or art conservation, were included only if the curriculum included a significant proportion of general museum studies content. For example, Ryerson University's Photographic Preservation and Collections Management program was included because a significant component of the curriculum is dedicated to collections management and cataloguing methodology. Information about program curriculum, including course descriptions and delivery method, was extracted from program websites and/or catalogues.

The following five sources assisted with the identification of programs offering accredited museum studies training programs in Canada and the United States:

• Jennifer Trant's "Convergence in Curriculum?: Museum Studies and Information Studies Academic Training" unpublished report, 2006, produced for the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto.
• The Canadian Museum Association's website: http://www.museums.ca
• Global Museum's website: http://www.globalmuseum.org
• The Smithsonian Institute's Training Program Directory website: http://museumstudies.si.edu/

In cases where program websites did not offer course descriptions, a request was sent by email to program administrators for more information.