Collections Management for Costume and Textiles

A Professional Designation Program

Registration for Module I is now open for the 2025-26 cohort.      

This dynamic, interactive program is the first of its kind to specialize in training collections managers for costume and textiles. After completing the six modules, you will be prepared to help meet the growing demand for skilled professionals to work with museums, studio archives, and private and corporate collections. The program culminates in mentor-sponsored fieldwork where you will have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with professionals in a variety of notable institutions.

Career professionals from museums, academia, and historic sites will teach the skills and key aspects of materials and agents of deterioration, care and storage, and management issues that are the foundation of collections management.

Please Note

You may enroll in each course module individually as follows:
  • Module I (4 weeks):  August 24 - September 20, 2025 / $350
  • Module II (6 weeks): September 21 - November 1, 2025 / $550
  • Module III (4 weeks—includes a week for Thanksgiving): November 2 - December 6, 2025 / $350
  • Module IV (8 weeks): January 11 - March 7, 2026 / $650
  • Module V (4 weeks): March 8 - April 4, 2026 / $695
  • Module VI (16 weeks): May 3 - August 22, 2026 / $695

Prices are subject to change.

 

  • Collections professionals who wish to augment their expertise       
  • Museum and archive professionals     
  • Volunteers and docents     
  • Private collectors   
  • Career professionals in the costume, apparel, and textile fields who wish to retool their skill sets 
  • Those interested in pursuing a career in textiles and collections management
  • Complete the first five online modules
  • Modules must be taken in order
  • Complete the 120 hour Fieldwork experience within 16 weeks, following the prescribed expectations and standards that will be discussed prior to your site assignment
  • Provide an evaluation of this internship experience at the end of the course

Effective January 1, 2026, all program completions will be recognized with a digital badge instead of a traditional certificate. Badges are issued immediately upon meeting program requirements and include secure, verifiable details about the achievement. From the badge dashboard, students can easily download or print a certificate if they need a hard copy.

Digital badges make it simple to share accomplishments with employers—on resumes, emails, or professional platforms like LinkedIn—making it faster, smarter, and more sustainable while ensuring authenticity and easy access.

“I entered the Professional Certificate program for Textile Collections Management at CSULB without knowing what to expect. I found a rigorous, challenging, and dynamic academic program that prepared me for a new career in the museum world. Because of the fieldwork module, my internship with the Tennessee State Museum became a permanent position as their new Curator of Textiles and Fashion. I am grateful that I chose this program because the skills I gained are invaluable and essential to my new career as a curator.”

Amanda Smith Curator of Textiles and Fashion, Tennessee State Museum Collections Management for Costume and Textiles
"Through the Collections Management for Costume and Textiles program at CSULB, I learned valuable information specific to museums and special collections that was unavailable to me in other classes. The program also pairs all students with a local museum for hands-on experience, which provides a great opportunity to make connections and apply the knowledge from this program to experience in the real world."
Bridget Campos Assistant Registrar, Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collections Management for Costume and Textiles