About the Program
Open to everyone, and visited by over 850 million people each year, museums play a critical role in public life and provide communities with a sense of place and a collective heritage. They ensure that marginalized voices and histories are heard, function as an economic engine via tourism, and attend to the needs of diverse communities and academic groups, including those that require special accommodations.
The MA in Museum Studies online degree program grounds students in the theory and practical applications of museum operations, including administration, finance, curation, technology, and education. Developed in collaboration with the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS), students gain the knowledge, skills, and preparation necessary to engage in professional museum practice.
From administration and finance to curation and education, the program educates students about all areas of a museum, regardless of the focus, content, or audience a specific museum serves. Students learn to curate exhibitions, design educational services, and provide museum services with attention to all potential museum visitors.
Practicum
The first three core courses in the program are supplemented and contextualized by a one-credit (15 hours) practicum per course. Utilizing the rich and varied resources of N-YHS, the residency allows students to gain experience in the practices of curation, collections management, and museum operations. Over the course of the 15 hours, students will observe and document how museum and cultural institutional professionals approach their work and the issues facing museum operations.
Onsite participation is encouraged, but not required. An online option will be provided for those who are unable to attend in person.
Careers
Museums support more than 726,000 American jobs. In its most recent report, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 13% growth in the museums and historical sites sector from 2016 – 2026. Correspondingly, employment of curators/archivists is projected to grow 14% and museum technicians 12% during the same timeframe. The need to store information in archives, and increased public interest in science, art, and history, anticipates a greater demand for museum professionals as does the continued interest in cultural institutions.
Graduates of the MA in Museum Studies online degree program are prepared to work as curators, archivists, museum technicians, education administrators, conservators, and operations specialists in museum settings. Graduates may also use their acquired skills to pursue employment in government, higher education, and other educational organizations.
Admissions Criteria
Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide one letter of recommendation.
Application Deadlines
Applications for Fall 2019 are due by July 22, 2019