The ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development defines five broad areas of competencies—general descriptions of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's)—needed to work effectively in today's museums. The "tree" model depicted here illustrates the shared and functional competencies required by members of the museum field to understand and perform their jobs. Shared competencies, shown as roots and trunk, are those considered important for all workers to possess. Functional competencies, illustrated by interrelated branches and leaves, are those needed to perform specific activities.

Complementing the document is the Selected Resources for Developing Museology Curricula, a list of important references and bibliographic citations about museology training needs, content development, and instructional strategies.