History/Historic Preservation/Public History/Historic Architecture

Goucher offers a MA in Arts Administration and a Concentration in Arts Administration. Arts administration is a rapidly expanding profession in performance and institutional arts organizations, including museums and galleries; in community or regional centers for the arts; and in government, corporate, and foundation agencies that are concerned with the development of the arts.

The Master of Arts in Arts Administration (MAAA) program is a distance learning graduate degree meant for those interested in furthering their career in arts administration; it gives working professionals living anywhere an opportunity to further their skills and knowledge in the challenging and ever-developing field of arts administration. This program brings together students and distinguished faculty members from around the world who share one common goal: to see that the arts thrive in their own communities, and in society as a whole.

Students pursuing a concentration in arts administration take a major in one of the arts and supplement that major with three courses in arts administration and four in economics and business management. The courses in the major provide a solid foundation in an art form. The additional courses enhance knowledge appropriate to the student’s interest in arts administration. Students major in art, dance, music, or theatre, completing a minimum of 27 credits that are chosen in consultation with the department and that cover both historical/ theoretical and studio work.

The minor in Historic Preservation is designed for undergraduate students interested in the stewardship and future of America’s historic buildings, structures, and landscapes. Basic historic preservation courses emphasize the theory and history of historic preservation and the various tools and techniques used to document cultural resources. Each course challenges students to think critically and to improve their writing and oral presentation skills. Additional courses are to be drawn from American studies, art history, history, and the social sciences. The historic preservation minor is composed of six courses.

Through the Department of History, students can earn an MA in Public History with a specialization in Museum Studies or a Certificate in Historic Preservation. The Public History program provides students with an M.A. degree in history from the Department of History with a public history specialization. The Public History track within the UWF Department of History trains students in the various aspects of public, or applied, history.

The specialization in Museum Studies emphasizes Museology including exhibit conception, interpretation, design and construction, museum administration, working with missions, budgets, collections, and boards. Electives provided by courses offered within the department and with the departments of Art History.

Master's students may also earn a certificate in Historic Preservation. The certificate program is geared to individuals interested in acquiring a general focus in the field of historic preservation and to current practitioners in the field who wish to add a historic preservation certification to their academic or professional credentials.
The certificate program in historic preservation requires the completion of eighteen (18) credit hours of courses at the Master’s level. These courses provide students both the breadth and depth necessary for a basic understanding of the diverse field, while also allowing students to gain some expertise in certain areas of the field through their selection of the elective courses, and, in some cases, by providing an opportunity to work on faculty grant projects. Courses are multi-disciplinary, including coursework in anthropology, archaeology, art history, environmental studies, traditional history, and public history.

The MA in Museum Studies consists of both academic preparation and practical experience. Students select and pursue a disciplinary emphasis of their choice (for example Anthropology, Art Education, Art History, Education, English, History, Historic Preservation, or Tourism, Recreation, and Sports Management) while participating in comprehensive museum studies seminars, practica, and internships. At the same time, students complete a concentrated study in professional museum practices. Upon completion of the program, graduates will have attained the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue careers in a variety of institutions, including art museums, natural history museums, history museums, anthropology museums, children's museums, historic sites, and various other interpretive sites and institutions.

Several degree options ranging up to an MPhil or a PhD in research may be earned in one of several programs of museum, galley, and heritage studies that are offered in the School of Arts and Culture.

The International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies (ICCHS) is a leading academic centre for research and teaching in museum, gallery, and heritage studies. The taught postgraduate programs are vocational, providing students from all over the world with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to work in a variety of roles, from curators, education officers and managers to cultural policy makers. The programs benefit from the Center's experience in and engagement with the museum, gallery and heritage sector: it works closely with sector professionals both in the delivery of teaching and on research initiatives and on providing advice and consultancy for the sector.

Students develop a holistic view of the sector, focusing on everything from ancient castles to contemporary art galleries; after this, students specialize in specific areas. Students are equipped for work both in single areas (e.g. art or history curatorship) and between different kinds of organizations.

The University of Delaware offerings for those seeking training for a career in museum work: a Certificate in Museum Studies to students enrolled in a number of Masters' or Ph.D. programs, Undergraduate Material Culture Preservation Major in the Arts Conservation Program, an MS in Art Conservation in the Arts Conservation Program, a PhD in Preservation Studies. The School of Public Policy and Administration offers an MA in Historic Preservation and a twelve-credit hour Certificate Program in Historic Preservation.

• The Certificate of Museum Studies (a 12-credit program) is available to students enrolled in a degree granting graduate program at the University, such as a Masters’ or Ph.D. program in History, Urban Affairs and Public Policy (UAPP), Education, Art History, Art Conservation, Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts Liberal Studies (MALS), Fashion Apparel, the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, and the Longwood Graduate Program.  Students take a minimum of 9 credit hours of classes and complete a three - credit internship to receive the Certificate in Museum Studies. Instructors include distinguished professionals from area museums as well as university faculty. Ensuring Quality in the Future Our mission is to help ensure the future of museums and related cultural institutions by educating graduate students who either plan careers in public arts and humanities or will collaborate with cultural institutions as part of future academic careers. While receiving excellent training in their home academic disciplines, Museum Studies students also develop their understanding of the ethical frameworks that guide museums and other cultural not-for-profit organizations. They become knowledgeable in administrative, curatorial, and educational practice. Most important, they understand the challenges faced by cultural institutions in the twenty-first century.

• The Art Conservation Department offers an undergraduate degree in Material Culture Preservation that prepares students for graduate-level study in conservation, historic preservation, museum studies, library science, or other allied fields. Material Culture includes objects made or modified by humans, such as photographs, archival documents, decorative and fine arts, clothing, domestic possessions, toys, tools, machines, motion pictures and videotape, ethnographic materials, archaeological remains, and architecture.

• The MS in Art Conservation is offered in collaboration with the Winterthur Museum & Country Estate.  It is a three-year course leading to a Master of Science in Art Conservation. The curriculum is designed to educate and train conservation professionals who can carry out the examination, analysis, stabilization and treatment of art and artifacts, speak to general principles of collection care, and have a broad academic background in science and the humanities.

• The PhD  program in Preservation Studies is in collaboration with the Center for Material Culture Studies at the University of Delaware.  The Preservation Studies Program (PSP) is an interdisciplinary doctoral course of study that will teach the philosophies, research methodologies, and policies informing preservation efforts focused on art, architecture, landscapes, and material culture. It is distinct from other discipline-based courses of graduate study in that it provides a mechanism to combine cross-field expertise toward doctoral study in preservation. The PSP prepares students to address questions regarding individual objects and works of art, collections, buildings and structures, and sites and landscapes.  The Preservation Studies doctoral program builds on unique and distinguished programs at the University of Delaware and is administered within the College of Arts and Sciences. The PSP may involve collaboration with faculty and physical resources in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Engineering, Human Services, Education, and Public Policy, Marine Studies, and the Winterthur Museum (which is already a collaborative partner with the University of Delaware for two graduate programs related to this new Ph.D. program).

• The Master of Arts in Historic Preservation prepares professionals for the successful practice of historic preservation in public, private, and non-profit venues.  Students are prepared in the theory and practice of historic preservation.  The specific skills that will be developed are: analysis and documentation of historic resources, practice of preservation planning, contextual research design, and advocacy. The program is designed to meet the needs of both traditional graduate students and working professionals, with graduates having the skills and knowledge to work with a wide variety of populations and in diverse settings.  The program provides opportunity to pursue specific areas of emphasis within historic preservation, including (but not limited to): planning, museum studies, material culture, documentation and analysis, non-profit leadership, vernacular architecture and landscapes, geographic information systems, and design.

Students have two options in pursing a degree in museum studies: the Certificate in Museum Studies or the Masters Degree in Anthropology, with an Option in Museum Studies. The Museum of Anthropology was established in 1970 in Trinity Hall at California State University, Chico, to support the Department of Anthropology’s unique and innovative museum training program. Today, the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology continues to function as a multifaceted educational facility for students in the Museum Studies Program. The Museum Studies Program at CSU Chico is one of the few museology programs in the United States, where students conceive, research, design, and install exhibits as part of their formal training, as well as gain hands-on courses in museum collections management and other areas of museology.

The Certificate in Public History program prepares students for non-teaching careers as historians outside the academy. Emphasis is placed on gaining skills and knowledge necessary for public and private sector employment in the fields of historic preservation, historic site assessment, archival management, and cultural resources management.

• Master of Science in Historic Preservation in the Historic Preservation Program. The University of Oregon's Historic Preservation Program has an interdisciplinary focus within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The program offers a Master of Science in Historic Preservation as well as an Undergraduate Minor. Students enter the Master's program with a range of backgrounds, including architecture and interior design, art history, anthropology, history and planning. There are three concentration areas: Preservation Theory, Design, and Technology; Preservation Planning and Cultural Resource Management; and Resource Identification and Evaluation. Undergraduate Minor also available.
• Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management The objective of the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management is to prepare students for leadership positions in nonprofit and philanthropic (grant making) organizations. The curriculum, centering on technical skills specific to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, is designed to develop the skills necessary to manage and lead financially stable, innovative and effective organizations. Nonprofit is an organizational form that includes such diverse activities as: Community development organizations, human service agencies, employment and training centers, arts and cultural associations, affordable housing, education, sports and recreation activities, environmental protection, health and hospitals, and other public services.
• The Museum Studies Graduate Certificate addresses the demand for professionally trained museum personnel and provides University of Oregon graduate students with an invaluable credential for the job market. It is a masters-level, multidisciplinary course of study sponsored by the Arts and Administration Program, the Department of Architecture, the Department of Art History, the Department of Anthropology and campus museum professionals. . . . The program requires 28 credit hours, including a 200-hour (6 credit) internship. Up to 12 relevant credits may be applied from courses being taken for a UO graduate degree. When all requirements are completed and certificate graduation has been requested through the School of Graduate Studies, students are awarded the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate by the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

"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."

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.