The George Washington University

Programs pertinent to careers in museum settings include the following:

• MA in Museum Studies
• Certificate in Museum Studies
• Certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care (a distance learning program)
• Graduate Certificate in Exhibit Design
• MA in Museum Education
• MA in Jewish Cultural Arts

The MA in Museum Studies Program combines academic and museum studies courses with practical museum training. Students enrolled in the MA program can concentrate in collections management, exhibition development/design, or museum management and leadership. Students may also choose to focus their academic core in American studies, anthropology, or history. The MA program also allows students the flexibility to do an interdisciplinary concentration for their academic core. To apply for the MA program, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree.

The Certificate in Museum Studies is an on-campus program that is designed for U.S. students who already hold at least a master’s degree in a related area or for foreign museum professionals who wish to study one or more aspects of museum work in the United States.  Coursework includes Collections Management, Exhibition Development/Design, and Museum Management and Leadership.

The Exhibit Design Graduate Certificate Program provides working professionals in museum exhibit design, architecture, interior design, or production design with the tools to meet the increasing demand for dynamic, sophisticated exhibits by museums, trade shows, and other entities. The 18-credit program offers a comprehensive approach to learning that combines three disciplines: museum studies, interior design, and theatre and dance.   The Exhibit Design Certificate Program at GW provides working professionals training in critical design and logistical skills to effectively produce dynamic exhibits. This unique program brings together the three disciplines of Museum Studies, Interior Design, and Theater and Dance.

The Distance Education Certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care features four graduate-level courses designed for those working or volunteering in museums with collections management responsibilities. Students in the program work at a variety of types and sizes of museums in locations all over the country and across the world.  The courses are ideal for museum professionals either lacking prior formal museum studies training or desiring a refresher. Students complete four 3-credit courses, which include:

• Collections Management: Legal and Ethical Issues
• Collections Management: Practical Applications
• Preventative Conservation: Philosophy and Theory
• Preventative Conservation: Practical Applications

The MA in Museum Education is offered through the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.  Accessibility, advocacy, and accountability are the three core tenets of The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s Museum Education Program (MEP).  The 33 credits of coursework consist of 27 credits of core courses and six credits of elective courses. The entire class takes the core courses in sequence over four semesters, starting in June each year. Students individually choose their electives in the arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as in museology.  Graduates qualify for positions in art, history or science museums; children's museums, zoos, aquariums or nature centers; and historical societies or sites.  After completing the four-semester, 33-credit hour program, students will be better able to:

• Develop and implement effective strategies that empower visitors to experience museums more fully.
• Excel as advocates for the public within the museum and as advocates for the museum with the public.
• Promote the nurturing of an enlightened citizenry.

The MA in Jewish Cultural Arts is a 36-credit program that combines the practical with the academic, providing students with the hands-on skills as well as the intellectual capital to think analytically and deeply about the history, ethnography and sociology of the modern Jewish experience and to respond innovatively to its challenges and possibilities. The rich resources of the nation’s capital as well as those of the university provide students with stellar opportunities, including internships and cultural collaborations with arts organizations, foundations, and museums.