What is a Graduate Academic Certificate in Archival Management?

The Graduate Academic Certificate in Archival Management is a 15 hour certificate that will provide students with the theoretical and practical background necessary to undertake careers in a variety of archival settings such as corporate archives, government archives and collecting repositories.

Because archivists approach the field from a variety of backgrounds this certificate will appeal to students in many of the humanities disciplines as well as students in the College of Information.

Core courses in the certificate are tailored to archival knowledge domains as outlined by the Academy of Certificated Archivists. Upon completion of the certificate, students will be    eligible to become provisionally certified through examination by the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Who should consider earning the Archival Management Certificate?
  •  Library and Information Science Professionals: Master's degreed professionals or degree seeking students who want to develop expertise in the management of archival materials for use as a practitioner, manager of an archival repository or administrator who oversees archival functions. 
  • Other Professionals: Master's degreed individuals or degree seeking students who want to develop or enhance their knowledge of archival studies through graduate coursework, or supplement their academic studies by preparing for a possible career in Archival Management.
  • Students interested in preserving history in all its recorded formats through a career as an archivist, manuscript curator, digital archivist, special collections librarian, or archival repository manager
  • Future leaders in archival, digital and preservation related research
  • Librarians and archivists who want to update their archival skills
  • Anyone seeking to supplement their graduate education with valuable professional skills
Why is this Certificate so Valuable?
  • Core courses have been reviewed for conformance to the Academy of Certified Archivists' Role Delineation Statement. Students who complete the required courses will be prepared to take the Certified Archivists examination.
  • Core courses are taught by archivists with a variety of experience, including research libraries, historical societies, non-profit organizations and presidential libraries.
What do I need to know about completing this Certificate?
  • Admission is required to the certificate program for the certificate to be awarded. 
  • It can be completed entirely online, but some courses are offered in specific semesters. 
  • Students have 4 years to complete the certificate from when the first course for the certificate was completed.
  • Students must earn a 3.0 or higher GPA in their certificate courses.
  • Once all courses are completed, you submit the completion form so that it can be awarded. 
  • Certificates are awarded 3 times per year, on the same schedule as degree programs, so May for spring, August for summer, and December for fall.

Binder of photo slides.

 

 

 

 

    Admission Information

  1. Applicants should first apply to the University of North Texas Toulouse Graduate School by completing the Application for Admission via UNT Graduate CAS and pay the application fee. Applicants will also need to submit transcripts from previous institutions attended to the Graduate School. Transcripts can be mailed (see mailing information below) or sent via email to Gradadmissions@unt.edu.  
    By U.S. Postal Service: By UPS/FedEx:
    Toulouse Graduate School
    1155 Union Circle #305459 
    Denton, TX 76203-5017    		 Toulouse Graduate School
    1147 Union Circle, ESSC 354
    Denton, TX 76203-5459

 2. Complete the Department of Information Science GAC Application Form and attach a current resume to the application.

Students who are awarded Graduate Academic Certificates and later apply for admission to the M.S. in Library or Information Science program or the will be required to submit any additional documents required by the specific program. 

UNT Graduate Students seeking Concurrent Enrollment

Students MUST be admitted to an academic certificate program in order for the certificate to be awarded.

If you are a current UNT student and you are applying for a GAC for Spring 2025, you will submit a new ApplyTexas application. If you are applying for concurrent enrollment in a degree and certificate program for Summer 2025 or later go through the UNT GradCAS system. 

If you do not complete the application prior to your graduating semester, the Toulouse Graduate School will not accept your request for the certificate.

Once You Are Admitted

Once admitted, contact the advising office for assistance with enrollment in courses by emailing: ci-advising@unt.edu with your 8-digit ID number.

Courses Required for Archival Management Certificate:

3 Required Courses:

INFO 5371 - Archives and Manuscripts. 3 hours. 
This course examines the major organizing concepts which guide modern archival and manuscript practices. Students utilize archival history and theory to understand the purpose of archives in society. Practices such as appraisal, arrangement and description, preservation, outreach, ethics, and management are examined in an archival context.

INFO 5240 - Archival Arrangement and Description. 3 hours. 
This course provides an overview of the theoretical and methodical principles of archival arrangement and description. Emphasis is placed on practical issues related to arrangement and description of physical and electronic records, in addition to best practices. Includes mock arrangement and description exercises, review of professional literature, and relevant technology instruction. (Pre-requisite- INFO 5371).

INFO 5375 - Archival Appraisal. 3 hours. 
Appraisal theory and techniques are used by archivists to determine the “archival value” of records, manuscripts and photographs. An archivist's determinations in the appraisal process significantly affect what materials are kept or discarded by archival repositories. Explores the history of archival appraisal, the factors that archivists use to determine the value of records, how appraisal decisions are influenced by institutional missions and the long-term effects of different appraisal methods on the historical record.  (Pre-requisite- INFO 5371)

Students must Choose 2 from this list:

INFO 5090 - Practicum and Field Study. 3 hours. 
Supervised practice work and field study (120 clock hours minimum) in a cooperating library, learning resources center or information agency, plus seminar conferences and summary report. For students without prior field experience. The Practicum or Field Study must pertain to Archival Management. 

INFO 5230 - Records Management. 3 hours. 
Operations in preparation, dissemination, organization, storing and retrieval with emphasis on records control and utilization. Preservation and security problems; retention, transfer and disposal. Planning and supervising records management programs. Departmental functions and organization. Data-processing applications and online systems.

INFO 5290 - Special Collections and Archives. 3 hours. 
Selection, acquisition, preservation and use of special materials of all kinds, including special subject and form materials, rare materials and manuscripts, archival materials and other materials requiring special control and handling. Organization and administration of special collections and archives.

INFO 5295 - Preservation. 3 hours. 
Introduction to preservation management and techniques. Lectures and discussions of management practices, including stack management, collection development decisions and disaster preparedness. Laboratory work, including identification of book structures and hands-on experience with such basic preservation techniques as paper cleaning, paper mending and protective housing.

INFO 5841 - Digital Curation Fundamentals. 3 hours. 
This course introduces fundamental concepts, practices, procedures, processes, and vocabulary for the entire lifecycle of digital materials from creation through appraisal, ingest, and storage, to access and reuse. It covers: history and background; concepts and principles; community standards and practices; challenges and issues; and basic techniques for curating and managing digital data.

INFO 5842 - Digital Curation Tools and Applications. 3 hours. 
This course covers the technical infrastructure including systems and services necessary for digital curation. In particular, it focuses on techniques, tools, and applications for curating digital data. Topics covered include creating and executing an action plan for archiving digital data (assets or information), deciding what to store, consolidating multiple file versions, and creating metadata. It explores institutional and disciplinary repositories and underlying technical platforms including DSpace, Fedora Commons, and EPrints.

INFO 5960: - Collections Conservation. 3 hours.  
*INFO 5960 courses vary by topic. The course must be Collections Conservation in order for the course to count towards the Archival Management certificate.

INFO 5900: - Special Problems. 3 hours. 
This course must be negotiated with the instructor and your advisor. 

 

Academic Certificate Completion Form and Request to Receive Your Certificate

Once you complete your course work, please submit the Request for Graduate Academic Certificate of Completion form to receive your certificate.


Contact Information:

Title Contact E-mail
Coordinator Ana Roeschley Ana.Roeschley@unt.edu 
Asst. Dir., Academic Advising Rachel Hall CI-Advising@unt.edu
Interim Department Chair Dr. Yunfei Du LIS-Chair@unt.edu

 

  Additional Information:
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