Texas

Students pursuing an MA in Museum Science can specialize in one of two areas: Museum Science or Heritage Management.

The Museum Science Track offers study in the degree program Master of Arts in Museum Science. The program emphasizes thorough preparation in the broad spectrum of museum theory and practice. It is one of the few study programs offering classroom instruction coupled with a working museum setting, allowing theory to be applied in practice first-hand.Graduates from the program have a comprehensive background in museum studies, preparing them as generalists. In addition, students may elect to become specialized in a number of museum sub-disciplines including collection management; exhibitions and interpretation; museology; museum management and administration; and, curatorship in anthropology, art, history, or the natural sciences.

The Heritage Management Track emphasizes extensive investigation in the field of heritage management. Graduates from the Museum Science Program's Heritage Management Track are prepared to enhance local, regional, and national sociological and scientific values, encourage preservation and stewardship of cultural and natural heritage, advocate public service, and direct educational programs designed to derive maximum advantage from innovative technology without the loss of cultural identity and biodiversity. The track is configured to allow individual students to emphasize areas of special interests such as heritage administration, conservation, interpretation, education, and utilization (ecotourism). The track offers both theoretical and practical coursework designed to prepare graduates to be leaders in the heritage management field. The Heritage Management Track uses a variety of existing courses offered by various departments within the University to address individual educational and career goals.

SMU offers undergraduate studies with a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship or a minor in Arts Management. In addition, a joint degree of MA/MBA in Business & Arts Management is offered by the Meadows School of the Arts and the Cox School of Business.

Division of Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship in the Meadows School of the Arts offers two undergraduate minors. The minor in arts entrepreneurship provides an overview of how to develop and launch a new arts venture, either for-profit or nonprofit. The minor in arts management provides an overview of how professional arts organizations are managed, with an emphasis on understanding the practical issues facing today’s arts manager.

The MA/MBA is a joint degree in Business & Arts Management offered by the Meadows School of the Arts and the Cox School of Business. The innovative combination of courses in both business and the arts, as well as internships and intensive experience with arts organizations and their particular challenges, creates graduates who are well-prepared to hold leadership positions in arts, entertainment, education and non-profit organizations around the world. The Meadows curriculum consists of 27 hours of Arts Management seminars with a strict limitation on class size. These seminars focus on fundraising, nonprofit finance, marketing the arts, legal issues affecting the arts, philanthropy, strategic planning, and cultural policy. Students have the opportunity to spend their second fall semester taking coursework at Bocconi University in Milan, Europe's leading arts and cultural management program. In addition, you will gain real-world experience in arts management through internships with Dallas professional arts organizations as well as a full-time internship with a national or international organization of your choice.

The Department of Museum Studies offers both the BA and the MA in Museum Studies, as well as, an undergraduate minor in Museum Studies.

The program combines academic and professional training for students preparing to be the next generation of museum leaders. Students learn about the history and philosophy of different types of museums, about the different skills that are needed in museum administration, museum education, collections management and care, archival management, and exhibit design, as well as courses on material culture, decorative arts, and historic preservation. Students are also given the opportunity to apply (and test out) this knowledge in the real world, through work at the Mayborn Museum Complex and other museums in Waco and central Texas, in formal internships in museums across the country, and through attendance at professional conferences such as the Texas Association of Museums.