Admissions for the BA for Select Majors/MA Museum Studies Accelerated Degree Program

For undergraduate majors in Museum Studies, 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 contact the Museum Studies department in their junior year to indicate their interest in the accelerated program. If approved, they can take four graduate courses, MST 5301, 5304,5309, and 5311, during their senior year.  Having completed the BA, they can graduate with a MA in Museum Studies 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.

Admissions Process

Students who plan to apply to the Accelerated Degree Program must complete an interview with the Graduate Program Director prior to applying to Accelerated Degree Program. Applicants must also complete MST 1300 Introduction to Museums no later than their junior year.

Please note:  The GRE is not required for the Accelerated Program.

Junior Year - Apply for Admission to the Accelerated Program

Interested students should submit the Accelerated Program Interest Form by February 15 of their junior year.

In addition to the Interest Form, applicants 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.

  • Letters must be sent directly to the department from the recommender using this link.

• Personal statement

  • ​Submit your personal statement using this link.

• 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.

  • Submit your project sample using this link.

Successful applicants begin their graduate coursework the following fall. 

Senior Year - Apply for Admission to the Graduate Program

Students in the Accelerated Degree Program apply for formal admission to the Graduate School by February 15 of their senior year.

Students must submit the following:

• 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. References will receive an email with instructions for uploading the letter of recommendation.

During the senior year, students must complete the following to continue in the Accelerated Degree Program in Museum Studies:

• Earn a B or higher in each course (i.e. MST 5301, 5304, 5309, 5311) taken toward the completion of the 12 hours of graduate credit in the senior year.

Requirements for the Accelerated BA/MA in Museum Studies

To earn an Accelerated BA/MA in Museum Studies, a student must apply in their junior year and complete all requirements for the BA degree with a major in Museum Studies, as well as additional coursework at the graduate level. (See the Graduate Catalog for details of graduate requirements, including eligibility and admissions.)

Students enrolled in the BA/MA program would fulfill all the requirements of their undergraduate major, and they will also complete an additional 36 hours of graduate study. (Note: MST 5304, 5309, and 5311, taken during the senior year, may 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		9
A maximum of 9 credits of MST course work will count toward both degrees. These 9 credit hours include the following MST courses, which are already embedded in the 36-credit hour MST degree (see graduate catalog).
MST 5304	Collections Management 1
MST 5309	Museum Education 2
MST 5311	Issues in Museum Administration 3

¹

MST 5304 is the substitute for MST 4304.

²

MST 5309 is the substitute for MST 4303.

³

MST 5311 is the substitute for MST 4311.