Regis College

At the undergraduate level, Regis offers a BA in History with a Museum Studies Minor, a Museum Studies Concentration, a Museum Studies Certificate, or a Heritage Studies Concentration. At the graduate level, the Heritage Studies Department offers an MA in Heritage Studies for a Global Society and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Heritage Studies.

The Museum Studies program at Regis College is one of only two programs in Massachusetts recommended by the Smithsonian. It introduces students to the history, internal workings, and the significant public place of museums in today's society. Students examine grant-writing, collections management, interpretive analysis, exhibition design, and nonprofit governance. They receive hands-on experience with diverse aspects of museum work through professional internships, and explore the history of museums, in addition to new challenges faced by museum leaders today.

The undergraduate applied history curriculum is a hands-on experience. The approach is designed not only for students interested in public history, archaeology, and historical preservation; it also serves those students with a passion for cultural memory, folklore, myth, and religion. The program is a cultural one, built on the fundamentals of ethnohistory (an interdisciplinary approach blending history with anthropology, archaeology, art history, etc.). Maintaining the rigor of the traditional major, it adds a practical and applicable set of skills which will serve students who choose to begin their careers immediately after their undergraduate training, in addition to those intending to pursue a post-baccalaureate degree.

The MA in Heritage Studies for a Global Society is a program that responds to social and economic demands for practical application of liberal arts skills in a variety of contexts. As historical, material, and cultural artifacts – ancient or modern, local, national or international, written or traditional – are lost, destroyed, or misrepresented and poorly understood, competent professionals with theoretical training across the disciplines will be in high demand. Our students are prepared for two pathways: academic and professional. The rigorous curriculum reinforces a student’s aptitude for successful scholarship, and the high standard – including an individualized thesis – prepares students for continued studies in graduate or professional schools, or Ph.D. programs in one of our affiliated universities. It is also a tool for skill sharpening and experience building in order to either gain or enhance professional employment in a variety of areas, including: museums and archives, heritage tourism and historic site interpretation, public history, and historic preservation.

The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Heritage Studies is designed for students seeking further education, intellectual dialog, interdisciplinary experience, or to explore new ideas relating to their careers or previous courses of study, who do not need a second master’s or a doctoral degree.