The hallmark of an RIT education is its interdisciplinary approach to the design of its curriculum. The cultural resource studies program draws from disciplines across the traditional liberal arts and sciences, as well as from specialized professional programs. You will choose a minor to complement your program of study, or to expand an area of personal or professional interest. Elective courses allow you to explore deeper specializations or to try something new.

When you complete the Cultural Resource Studies program you will be prepared to enter the work force with a highly marketable mix of knowledge, skills, and experience that will make you stand out from the competition. You will be well versed in the history, theory, and practice of institutional collecting; knowledgeable about specific areas of collecting; and fully grounded in the technical skills you’ll need to step right in to a project. Combined with your practical internship or co-op experience at a collection institution, you’ll be an immediate asset to any future employer.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were approximately 27,000 archivists, curators, and museum technicians in the U.S. in 2004, and about 159,000 librarians. Both areas are expected to grow as current professionals reach retirement age and will have to be replaced with people, like you, whose education has prepared them for the new responsibilities of the field.

Numerous public and private institutions have collections of cultural objects that must be acquired, registered, organized, stored, exhibited, and preserved. Among the places you might work after finishing your degree in cultural resource studies are: museums of various types, such as art museums, museums of science & technology, museums of science & industry, living history museums, and natural history museums; historical sites; historical societies; libraries; archives; and corporations.

The BS degree in cultural resource studies provides a solid background for those who choose to pursue graduate study. The cultural resource & information studies track will prepare you for such diverse graduate programs as an MA in museum studies, art history, informatics, or arts management; an MLS in library and information studies; or an MBA. Students pursuing the art conservation track will be well prepared to enter a master’s level program in art conservation.

Founded in 1829 as the Rochester Athenaeum, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has been a pioneer in career-oriented education and a leader in cooperative education since 1912. RIT has one of the oldest and largest cooperative programs in the world, with more than 1,3000 employers and 2,500 students participating.

RIT is a coeducational, privately endowed institute enrolling 15,500 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students preparing for technical and professional careers. Its eight colleges include Applied Science and Technology, Computing and Information Sciences, Business, Engineering, Imaging Arts and sciences, Liberal Arts, Science, and the primarily federally-funded National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

There are more than 80,000 RIT alumni in all 50 states and many foreign countries. RIT is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, and fine and applied arts, in additional to unparalleled support for students with hearing loss. For nearly two decades U.S. News & World Report has ranked RIT among the nation’s leading comprehensive universities. The Princeton Review features RIT in its 2007 Best 361 Colleges rankings and named the university one of America’s “Most Wired Campuses.” RIT is also featured in Barron’s Best Buys in Education.