Museum Studies is an innovative, interdisciplinary, technically-based program that prepares students for careers in museums, archives, photo collections, and libraries. Institutions that collect cultural or scientific materials increasingly need professionals who can bring 21st century technological and business skills, as well as traditional museum studies knowledge, to the preservation of the past.

Upon graduation you will be prepared to work in public and private institutions that collect cultural objects, such as:

• museums of various types, such as:
  • art museums
  • anthropology museums
  • ethnographic museums
  • science museums
  • science and technology museums
  • science and industry museums
  • space and aeronautics museums
  • history museums
  • living history museums
  • natural history museums
• historical sites
• historical societies
• libraries
• archives
• corporations

Upon graduation you will be prepared to further your education in a variety of master’s degree programs, in such fields as:

• museum studies
• art history
• informatics
• arts management
• library and information studies
• business administration
• art conservation

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.

Apply for the Museum Studies program though the Undergraduate Admissions Office.

Students in this program are expected to have an SAT score no lower than 1060.

Students are expected to have a high school GPA of approximately 89% (B+/A-).

No. The studio art courses you will be taking are intended to familiarize you with the materials and techniques artists and craftspeople use. No prior experience or artistic ability is assumed or required.

No. The studio arts courses you will be taking will be sufficient to familiarize you with the materials and techniques artists and craftspeople use. Even if you are more interested in history or science museums, archives or libraries, the materials you will study are still relevant.

The general university requirements specify that you must have taken algebra, geometry, and at least 2 years of science in high school. If you are planning to choose the art conservation track, high school chemistry is recommended to facilitate your progress through the chemistry requirements of that track.