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Salary and Career Info

Museum Studies BS

In museum studies, you’ll learn how collections are built, curated, and interpreted and you will apply methods of exhibition and interpretation used in museums, archives, galleries, libraries, and public spaces including national parks.

Program skills

All students become familiar with: the history and theory of exhibitions and with the process of designing an exhibition; technologies involved in museum work, including databases, website design, and social media; specific areas of museum practice; experience in fundraising and development, and have written a grant; and the understanding of the public role of the museum and its mission as an educational force in the community.

Program facilities equipment

Students have access to collections owned by the university and galleries/exhibition spaces on campus.

Program job titles

Assistant Curator; Collections Associate; Document Processor; Gallery Manager; Exhibit Project Manager; Archivist

Select program hiring partners

Eastman Kodak Company; Genesee Country Village & Museum; George Eastman Museum; New York Public Library; Smithsonian Institution; The Strong; Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum

100%

Outcome Rates for Museum Studies BS

Total percentage of graduates who have entered the workforce, enrolled in full-time graduate study, or are pursuing alternative plans (military service, volunteering, etc.).

66.67%

Knowledge Rate

Total percentage of graduates for whom RIT has verifiable data, compared to national average knowledge rate of 41% per NACE.
Outcome % of Students
Employed 50.00%
Full-time Graduate Study 50.00%
Alternative Plans 0%
Outcome % of Students
Employed 50.00%
Full-time Graduate Study 50.00%
Alternative Plans 0%

Experiential Learning

Cooperative Education

What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.

Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. A liberal arts co-op provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between course work and real-world applications.

Students in museum studies are required to complete one co-op or internship experience in a cultural institution. Co-ops are usually a summer or semester in duration. Internships may be full- or part-time and are often completed during the semester. They vary in duration depending on the organization. Co-ops and internships may be completed locally, nationally, or internationally.

Students have recently been placed as interns locally, nationally, and internationally.

Recent local placements include: Genesee Country Village & Museum; George Eastman Museum; Memorial Art Gallery; Strong, National Museum of Play; Out Alliance; India Community Center; and the Rochester Public Library. Beyond Rochester, students have served as interns at the Penn Museum; Baseball Hall of Fame; Smithsonian Institution; National Park Service; and National Geographic.