United States

SAIC prepares the graduate student for entry into institutions, organizations, and workplaces through the integration of theory and practice and by stressing the importance of access and agency within the world at large. Students have many avenues of study that would prepare them for work in a museum setting. Among the degrees offered are the following:

• Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy
• Master of Arts in Art Education
• Master of Arts in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism
• Master of Science in Historic Preservation
• dual degree in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism and Arts Administration and Policy
• Certificate in Historic Preservation is available to students pursuing a Master of Architecture or a Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture tracks

Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies is the only resource of its kind in the northern Illinois region. The certificate provides students with a solid background in museum practice. It can be earned on its own or in conjunction with a graduate degree in cooperating departments.

The certificate is jointly administered by the College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Visit NIU's online catalog for course descriptions and updated requirements.

The Certificate Museum Studies is designed to enrich the backgrounds of students and museum professionals working with anthropology, art, history, physical science, or other museum collections. It can also enrich K-12 teachers' use of museum collections in their teaching. The 15-semester-hour certificate may be earned on its own or in conjunction with a graduate degree in cooperating departments.

The certificate combines a core course in museum methods with a guided internship and three additional courses. Course work and internships review major principles of museum collections and program management, giving graduate students in various disciplines a solid grounding in museum practice. The certificate is one that museums would welcome in new employees. It also offers fresh ideas and perspectives to practicing professionals.

"Public history uses the past to serve a variety of contemporary needs. It entails the application of the skills and methods of history to the study, management, preservation and interpretation of historical records and artifacts. A public historian is a professional who can put his or her knowledge and skills to use in our society in such diverse activities as museum, historical society or archival work; neighborhood or community history projects; historic preservation and cultural resource management programs; and local, state or federal research projects. Working with architects, librarians, business people, government policy analysts, exhibit designers or history enthusiasts, public historians contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the past."

In addition, Loyola University Graduate School of Arts and Science and the Dominican University Graduate School of Library Information Science have a joint degree program, in which a student can complete two degrees, a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science (MLIS) and a Master of Arts in Public History. This joint program is well suited to students wanting a career in archives.

Master of Arts in Historical Administration prepares students "academically and technically to serve as professionals in museums and historical agencies. Students are introduced to the problems, philosophies, ethics, and techniques of preserving, interpreting, and administering the American heritage."

Certificate program in Museum Studies crosses academic and professional boundaries. Theory and practical experience come together in a curriculum that prepares participants for professional or volunteer careers in administration and specialty disciplines within museums, zoos, aquariums, parks and botanical gardens.

Northwestern University's School of Continuing Studies (SCS) offers a Museum Studies program designed to give an overview of museum practices and strategies and help students understand the contemporary role played by collections and exhibits. The curriculum balances art studies with insight on museum management. Chicago is one of the country's major cultural centers, and courses are taught by leading museum professionals from the area.

SIUC offers an undergraduate minor in Museum Studies in the College of Liberal Arts; and a Masters in the Public Administration Program with emphasis on museum studies by taking the 43 hour Museum Administration Curriculum, which "is designed to give the student a firm foundation in the essentials of public administration and specialized training through advanced courses in museum administration. "

Student may earn a Master of Arts in Anthropology/Museum Studies or a Master of Arts in Public Humanities.

The John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage administers the Department of American Civilization’s M.A. in public humanities. Students in this program (which can be completed either as a terminal master’s program or as part of the Ph.D. program) gain the knowledge and skills needed for jobs in museums, historical societies, state and federal humanities and cultural resource agencies, and historic preservation and community cultural development organizations.

The M.A. program in public humanities offers a dynamic interdisciplinary opportunity for students interested in careers in museums, historical societies, cultural planning agencies, heritage tourism, historic preservation, and community arts programs. The program draws on Brown University’s open curriculum and the wide-ranging resources of Providence’s arts and cultural community to connect students to academic and hands-on learning experiences.

The graduate masters degree program in anthropology emphasizes archaeology. Additionally, the program offers students interested in professional training in museum studies the option to complete a Museum Studies Certificate in combination with their M.A. program in archaeological fieldwork.

Focusing on the emergence and development of hunter-gatherer and early farming communities in the western United States, as well as complex societies in Mesoamerica and the Near East, the program’s strength is the diversity of research opportunities it affords students. These include research venues in the Great Basin and American Southwest regions of North America as well as Mesoamerica and the Near East. Museum internship opportunities are often available, both on and off campus, for students adding the Museum Certificate requirements to their program. Annual archaeology field schools focus on providing training in both survey and excavation, with an emphasis on detailed documentation, resolving field problems through hands-on mentored learning, data analysis, and reporting findings. The optional Museum Studies Certificate allows students hands-on professional training in all aspects of museum collections management, exhibition development, and museum public outreach.

Rather than emphasizing specialized or topical interests, the program equips each graduate student with the basic skills necessary for a future in professional archaeology and/or museum studies, including preparation for continuance in academia through a subsequent Ph.D. degree in anthropology or archaeology, a career in public archaeology, or placement in a museum.

Up to six students are admitted to the graduate program each year. Most students take three years to complete the requirements. The total number of graduate students in the program varies from between 10 to 15 participants.

This is a joint program.

The Master of Public Administration /Master of Arts in Art (Creative) and Art History (Concentration in Critical and Curatorial Studies) joint degree program takes advantage of overlapping interests and synergies that can arise from mutual interests in non-profit management and curatorial studies. Students in the Critical and Curatorial Studies track of the MA program will benefit from the broad managerial focus of the MPA program, while students in the MPA program can enhance their expertise in an important area of non-profit endeavor. Efficiency is attained by allowing students to complete both programs in a more expeditious manner. Taken separately, the two programs require a total of 73 semester hours of work, while the joint program requires a total of 55 hours. Completion of both programs should improve students’ initial job prospects as well as their ability to advance in their chosen field.

The Historical Information Management Program offers three certificate programs: Archival Management, Museum Management, and Records Management. They are designed to deliver a fundamental technical grounding in each profession.