M10 Pathways
Pathways leadership training program for Museums10 staff
Pathways empower M10 staff to pursue individual learning goals alongside a cohort of peers. Designed to
fit your busy schedule, Pathways is a fun, flexible way to grow professionally.
Pathway I: Advanced Museum Practice
Advanced Museum Practice deepens and broadens your skill set to build leadership capacity.
This Pathway is for M10 staff who wish to:
- Deepen expertise to advance in your field.
- Gain skills in adjacent museum areas to become more versatile and collaborate effectively.
- Strengthen transferable skills or explore a different museum department to prepare for a career shift.
- *Check with your supervisor to find out if you are eligible to participate.
In this four-month, 25 - 30 hour program participants will:
- Connect with colleagues at two in-person events.
- Select and complete two professional development workshops (2 - 4 hrs each) from the M10 Professional Development Menu or a professional association.
- Receive support from peers in four, one-hour Zoom cohort meetings.
- Identify and track career goals in two asynchronous online discussions (each 4 hours over two weeks).
- Reflect on your learning or share a topic of interest in a 15 min. Capstone Skill-sharing presentation or discussion.
Participants may attend a mini-mentorship event with senior museum leaders and access drop-in advising. Certificates of Completion will be presented at the Pathways Celebration Luncheon in Summer 2027.
How to Participate: Check with your supervisor to find out if you are eligible. Applications open soon for Fall 2026 & Spring 2027 cohorts! Once approved, applicants may request to be one of 20 museum staff receiving conference funding.
Pathway II: Museum Practicum
The Practicum builds leadership skills through hands-on, project-based learning. Applicants may propose an individual practicum or apply with a collaborative group of M10 or M6 colleagues.
This Pathway is for M10 staff who wish to:
- Learn by doing.
- Benefit from peer accountability to complete a career-advancing project.
- Increase the visibility of your work or your museum in professional networks.
- Collaborate with staff at other museums or lead an independent project.
- Advance internal initiatives, connect with stakeholders, or deepen impact through a focused, short term effort.
- *Check with your supervisor to find out if you are eligible to participate.
You may focus on a project included in your regular work, or outside your area of expertise. Projects must develop new skills and further your career trajectory.
Example Practicum Projects:
- Develop a more collaborative installation process and shadow an inspiring M10 colleague on site and via zoom.
- Collaborate with M10 colleagues on outreach materials for K12 schools.
- (M6 museums) Design Discovery Portal instructional materials for faculty, arts librarians, and students and map out an outreach plan to campus communities.
- Teach a workshop on a topic of your choice.
- Prepare a proposal or presentation for a professional conference.
- Take the lead on an initiative at your museum - convene a user expert group, host a skill sharing for part-time guides, or conduct a survey on workplace wellness.
- Unique ideas encouraged!
In this four-month program participants will:
- Complete a practicum project (or a phase of the project) to advance your career goals.
- Design a project plan and track goals in two asynchronous online discussions (each 4 hours over two weeks).
- Receive support from peers in four, one-hour Zoom cohort meetings.
- Meet with a senior leader about your project and access drop-in advising.
- Share a project report in a brief Practicum Presentation.
Time commitment varies by project. Aim for approx. 25 - 35 hours over four months.
Certificates of Completion will be presented at the Pathways Celebration Luncheon in Summer 2027.
How to Participate: Check with your supervisor to find out if you are eligible. Summer 2026 cohort applications open in March, due April 2026. Opportunities for Fall 2026 & Spring 2027 cohorts will be announced soon! Once approved, applicants may request to be one of 20 museum staff receiving conference funding.
Application
March - Applications Open Summer '26 Practicum Cohort.
April - Applications Due Summer '26 Practicum Cohort.
May - Applications Open for Fall '26 Cohorts.
July - Applications Due Fall '26 Cohorts.
FAQ
Each Museums10 museum has specific eligibility requirements. Ask your supervisor if you are eligible to participate.
Terre Parker, Museums10 Workforce Development Associate Project Director annd an ad hoc committee from the M10 Workforce Development Committee will review your application. Museum Directors will make the final decision on Pathways admission.
Contact your museum's Workforce Development Point Person or Terre Parker, Museums10 Workforce Development Associate Project Director, to learn more about Pathways.
Check with your supervisor to find out if you are eligible to participate. We suggest you schedule a meeting with your supervisor to consider how Pathways would advance your career and how it would fit with your work schedule.
For Pathway I: Advanced Museum Practice, choose a skill area you want to develop. For Pathway II: Museum Practicum, come up with the first draft of a project idea, and reach out to potential collaborators (if applicable). Submit your brief application with your supervisor’s signature.
Application deadlines will be announced on the museums10.org website and via the M10 Newsletter, which goes out at the beginning of the month. Contact fc-museums10@fivecolleges.edu if you are not receiving the newsletter.
The program begins in Spring 2026 with a nomination only pilot of Pathway I: Advanced Museum Practice.
Later rounds are by application:
Summer 2026: Pathway II: Practicum only
Fall 2026: Both Pathways
Spring 2027: Both Pathways
You may be asked to adjust your learning goals or Practicum proposal to best fit the resources (shadowing opportunities, training offerings) available through M10.
The Advanced Museum Practice Pathway includes a requirement to complete two trainings/workshops from the M10 Professional Development Menu or a professional association. (The Practicum Pathway does not include this requirement.)
Select trainings/workshops from the M10 Professional Development Menu and name them in your application. If your museum has a membership to a professional association that offers online workshops, those may also count towards Pathways. Propose the specific workshops in your application.
Previous M10 trainings may count towards Pathways completion, contact Terre Parker with questions.
Terre Parker will facilitate the two asynchronous online discussions and advise participants through bi-monthly zoom advising hours. Peer cohorts will meet independently and collaborate on progress reports to Terre Parker. Senior museum leadership will offer guidance and feedback at one peer meeting during the course of the Pathway.
Funding is available for up to 20 M10 staff members to attend or present at a professional conference occurring no later than June 2027. Once accepted into a Pathway, museum staff are eligible to apply for funding. Up to $575 registration fees and $1250 travel expenses is available per person. Early Pathway participants (Summer 2026 and Fall 2026) will have the greatest chance to receive funding.