For undergraduate majors in American Studies, Anthropology, Art and Art History, Journalism, or History who decide that they wish to apply their undergraduate knowledge to work in museums, the department offers an accelerated bachelor and master degree. Students should apply for the graduate program in their junior year and can take one undergraduate course, and three graduate courses, MST 5304 Collections Management, MST 5309 Museum Education, and MST 5311 Issues in Museum Administration, during their senior year. Having completed the BA, they can graduate after one additional year of study. Students are required to meet all requirements for the BA in their undergraduate major for a total of 124 credit hours.

Admission Process

Students would apply to the graduate program in their junior year. Like the traditional MA program, applications would be due February 15. Successful applicants would begin their graduate coursework the following fall.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible students must apply for formal admission to the Graduate School. This process will not require the GRE. Students must submit the following:

• Two academic letters of reference
  • One letter of reference must be from a professor in the student’s major degree program.
• One professional letter of reference
  • This letter of reference should come from an individual who can speak to the student’s professional potential. The individual may have supervised the student in a paid or volunteer position or served as an advisor to a student organization in which the student served in a leadership position.
• Personal statement
• Project sample
  • This should be a meaningful project (e.g. an academic paper, a website, an exhibit, a public program, an artwork) that would be included in a professional portfolio.

Eligible students also need to complete the following prior to submitting their application:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MST 1300	Introduction to Museums	3
Select at least one additional MST course from the following:		3
MST 3303	Introduction to Museum Educational Programming
MST 3304	Introduction to Cultural Collections
MST 4308	Introduction to Material Culture
MST 4301	Nonprofit Perspectives
MST 4309	Introduction to American Decorative Arts
MST 4331	Exhibit Design and Preparation
Total Hours		6

• Interview with the Graduate Program Director to discuss degree planning and program goals.

During the senior year, students must complete the following in order to continue in the joint B.A./M.A. program:

• Earn a B or higher in each course taken toward the completion of the 12 hours of graduate credit in the senior year.

Degree Plan for the Joint BA/MA

Students enrolled in the BA/MA program would fulfill all the requirements of their undergraduate major, and they will also complete an additional 31 hours of graduate study. (Note: MST 5304 Collections Management, MST 5309 Museum Education, and MST 5311 Issues in Museum Administration, taken during the senior year, will count toward both the B.A and the M.A. Students must separately complete all A & S and university requirements for the B.A. in their major for a total of 124 credit hours.)

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
MST 5301	The Museum: History, Philosophy, Prospects	3
MST 5304	Collections Management	3
MST 5309	Museum Education	3
MST 5311	Issues in Museum Administration	3
MST 5340	Leadership in Museum Administration	3
MST 5V97	Master's Internship	3
Electives
Select at least 9 hours of 5000-level MST seminars from the following:		9
MST 5312	Outreach and Community Relations
MST 5318	Ethical Issues in Museums, Libraries, and Archives
MST 5323	Historic Preservation
MST 5324	Archival Arrangement and Description
MST 5326	Archival Technology and Digital Collections Management
MST 5327	Special Topics in Museum Studies
MST 5328	American Material Culture
MST 5329	American Decorative Arts
MST 5331	Design and Management of Museum Exhibits
MST 5V40	Independent Studies in Museums
The remaining 6 hours of coursework may be completed from the following:		6
Any 5000-level MST seminar (see above listing)
Any 5000-level graduate seminar in a cognate field (i.e. history, English, etc.) listed in the most recent Graduate Catalog, selected in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.
Any 4000-level course in a cognate field (i.e. American studies, anthropology, art and art history, history, English, etc.) listed in the most recent Graduate Catalog and taught by a member of the graduate faculty, completing the additional requirements designated for graduate credit, selected in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.
Total Hours		33

Comprehensive Exam

Students will complete a comprehensive exam testing the student’s mastery of the four core areas of museum practice: history and philosophy, museum education, museum collections management, and museum administration.