Accelerated Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in Museum Studies
To earn an Accelerated BA in Museum Studies/MA in Museum Studies, a student must complete all requirements for the BA degree with a major in Museum Studies, as well as additional coursework at the graduate leve. (See the Graduate Catalog for details of graduate requirements, including eligibility and admissions.)
BA in Museum Studies
Requirements for a Major in Museum Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 36 semester hours including the following: | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| MST 1300 | Introduction to Museums | 3 |
| Thirty-three semester hours, 18 of which must be at the 3000 or 4000 level, selected from at least four of the six areas of study: | 33 | |
| Education | ||
| Introduction to Museum Educational Programming | ||
| Advanced Museum Education | ||
| Exhibit Design and Preparation | ||
| Curriculum and Teaching in Informal Education Environments | ||
| Collections | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Collections | ||
| Museum Collections Management | ||
| Introduction to Archival Collections and Museums | ||
| Curation | ||
| Historic Buildings and Sites | ||
| Introduction to Material Culture | ||
| Introduction to American Decorative Arts | ||
| History and Curation of Book Collections | ||
| Administration | ||
| Nonprofit Perspectives | ||
| Introduction to Outreach and Community Relations for Museums | ||
| Museum Administration | ||
| Ethical Issues in Cultural Collections Management | ||
| Research | ||
| Research | ||
| Research | ||
| Professional Practice | ||
| Museum Professions and Practices | ||
| Exploring Informal Science Institutions | ||
| Museum Internship | ||
| Additional Requirements | ||
| A minor in a related field of study in the College of Arts & Sciences. 1 | ||
| A grade of “C” or better in courses used for the major. | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Related minors include but are not limited to the following: American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Art History, English, History, and Journalism.
MA in Museum Studies
Museum Studies, M.A.
Requirements for a Major in Museum Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Thirty-six semester hours including the following: | ||
| 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 |
| Electives | ||
| At least 12 hours of 5000-level MST seminars from the following course offerings: | 12 | |
| Outreach and Community Relations | ||
| Ethical Issues in Museums, Libraries, and Archives | ||
| Historic Preservation | ||
| Archival Arrangement and Description | ||
| Archival Technology and Digital Collections Management | ||
| Special Topics in Museum Studies | ||
| American Material Culture | ||
| American Decorative Arts | ||
| Design and Management of Museum Exhibits | ||
| Leadership in Museum Administration | ||
| Independent Studies in Museums | ||
| The remaining 6 hours of coursework may be completed from the following: | 6 | |
Any 5000-level MST seminar (see listing above) | ||
Any 5000-level graduate seminar in a cognate field (American Studies, Anthropology, Art and Art History, English, History, and Journalism) listed in the most recent Graduate Catalog, selected in consultation with the Graduate Program Director | ||
Any 4000-level course in a cognate field (American Studies, Anthropology, Art and Art History, English, History, and Journalism) 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 | ||
| Capstone Experience | 6 | |
| Graduate students complete a six-hour capstone experience, consisting of an internship, a professional project, or thesis. | ||
| Master's Internship | ||
| Professional Project | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
In their final semester of study, all students in either the thesis or non-thesis program are required to take a written comprehensive examination testing the student’s mastery of the four core areas of museum practice: museum history and philosophy, museum education, museum collections management, and museum administration. Thesis students will also have an oral examination representing defense of the thesis.
Up to six semester hours of graduate study in museum studies or a cognate field may be transferred from another accredited institution with the approval of both the Department of Museum Studies and the Graduate School.
Prospective students are encouraged to have a pre-admission interview.
ACA-Approved Courses
The Academy of Certified Archivists has created a Graduate Course Preapproval Program to evaluate graduate-level archival courses. Courses that have been preapproved by the ACA will count toward the 9 semester hours of credit required to take the ACA exam under the provisional option. The following Museum Studies courses have been preapproved by the ACA:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MST 5304 | Collections Management | 3 |
| MST 5311 | Issues in Museum Administration | 3 |
| MST 5312 | Outreach and Community Relations | 3 |
| MST 5324 | Archival Arrangement and Description | 3 |
| MST 5326 | Archival Technology and Digital Collections Management | 3 |