Administration/Management/Advocacy

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

"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. "

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 Master of Art Curatorship offers you a sophisticated awareness of the range of challenging cultural, theoretical, social, political and economic issues confronting gallery curators. A highly valued aspect of the course is the project-based internships supervised by industry professionals in local, national and international visual arts organisations which provide invaluable workplace experience, training and networking opportunities.

You will be trained to work as an art curator, educator, collection manager, administrator, critic, dealer and valuer. The course allows those already working in the sector, art teachers, advisors, curators, librarians, administrators, writers and gallery workers, to further develop their career prospects, while also serving as a career change option for those new to the field.

The course includes studies in art and curatorship (taught at the Art Gallery of New South Wales), the art museum: past, present, future, and the business of art."