University of Kansas

This is the review of the Master’s Museum Studies program at the University of Kansas (KU). To begin, here are some facts about the program:

• In addition to the Master’s degree, the department also offers a graduate certificate available to those in pursuing a graduate program in another area of study or those outside of the university.
• The program is 36 credits with only fall admittance. Applications are due January 1st.
• To graduate, students must complete a final project which is incorporated into their final comprehensive exam taken during their last semester.

These facts were found here, and here.

 

The University of Kansas is a public research university in Lawrence, Kansas. This is about 45 minutes from Kansas City, Missouri and an hour from Topeka, Kansas.

So far, 13 alumni have submitted responses about the Museum Studies program at KU. Twelve of these alumni graduated between less than a year ago up to five years ago and one graduated over 16 years ago.

They found the following advantages to the program:

• Allowed many traditional disciplines to study museums together
• Most museum-based classes were taught by professionals in the field who were enthusiastic about their courses and invested in their students
• Customizable program with courses that allow you to learn the different positions in the museum field and establish a field of focus within the museum field
• Museum Students Organization (MSO) goes on several trips throughout the year to various museums and cultural institutions, meeting with industry professionals, and also occasionally offers opportunities for students to volunteer together at local museums.
• Dr. Welsh (Department chair) is a great mentor who really believes in his students and pushes them in positive ways
• Small cohort size (about 10 each year)
• Great museum-related opportunities nearby (on-campus, in Lawrence, and in surrounding areas like Kansas City)
• Hands on learning experiences plus, the program requires students to complete an internship
• Independent department that still collaborated with other academic departments
• Core courses draw on theory external to the museum and strengths overall knowledge base
• As a non-thesis track program, you have more flexibility with your final product and can focus on what you’re really interested in
• Close cohort experiences, a reliable network
• Affordable (about $408/credit for Kansas residents, $950/credit for nonresidents for the 2017-18 year)
• Excellent job placement

The respondents found the following disadvantages to the program:

• Coursework requirements were fairly rigid and not all directly useful
• Location
• Not a lot of funding resources
• It is what you make it. You can make it really special and worthwhile, or float by and do the bare minimum and not get as much out of it.
• Program depends largely on Lecturers, which can make putting your master’s committee together while meeting university requirements difficult
• More interdisciplinary coursework could be included in the program
• KU struggles to integrate grad students well but has initiatives in place for 2017-2018 to improve
• Track system doesn’t fit everyone
• Small program with only a few core professors and limited selection of practical museum-related courses so students have to look outside the department
• Very small class sizes, resulting in fewer people to share ideas with and less diversity
• Internships are difficult to find

Based on these points, the program was rated 7.77/10.00.

Eight of the thirteen respondents do live near KU.

These respondents are well spread out inside and outside the museum field with two respondents working in libraries,  two in historical societies, two in natural history museums, and two outside of the museum field. One respondent works in a specialty museum, one at a history museum, one at an art museum, one at a cultural center and one at a university.

When answering the question, “Which best describes the aspect of work you do in museums currently?” six respondents included education, five included collections management, and curatorial duties, four included archival/library duties, three included exhibitions and administration, and two included conservation and visitor services/membership.

Some current job titles of these respondents are:

• Associate Professor
• Assistant to the Director
• Curator and Education Coordinator
• Library Assistant
• Park Historian

Some dream jobs are:

• Director of Public Programs
• Library Director
• Collections Manager
• Curator
• Professor

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My Summary:

Based on these responses and my own brief tour around the program website, this museum studies program looks like a pretty solid generalist program. The courses look to lean toward application and with the theory noted as an advantage, KU’s program sounds like it excels in balancing both. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr.Welsh in passing at the AAMG conference in Eugene and he left the impression of genuinely caring about his students and the program as a whole. Plus, the Museum Student Organization looks like an excellent resource (to find people who will also nerd out about museums in their spare time-yes please!).

I will be looking for more information on some of the points listed above such as exact stats on job placement, funding, the average amount of museum courses offered per semester.

Overall, sounds like this program is a solid generalist program that will prepare students for their next step, whether or not it is still in the museum field. Due to the in-state tuition, this program would probably best work for those already living in Kansas. If you would like more information, check out their website.

 

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

This is the review for the Museum Studies program at Indiana University-Purdue Universiy Indianapolis (IUPUI). To begin, here are a few facts about the program and university:

• The program offers not only an MA but a graduate certificate and undergraduate certificate in Museum Studies
• A variety of courses to pick from with pre-approved electives outside of the Museum Studies program
• Capstone project at the end which means students’ may not be required to write a thesis but complete an equally impressive project
• Five of the Museum Studies professors hold the title of Public Scholar. Click the link, to learn more, I’m not quite sure how to explain it better than how IUPUI wrote it.

University of Colorado-Boulder

Updated on April 22, 2017, to include information from the director of the program, Jaelyn Eberle.

This is the review for the Museum and Field Studies program offered at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Here are some facts about the program and university:

• The degree earned is a Master of Science
• The program gets 50-75 applications a year and accepts 8-12 students
• To earn said degree, students must complete the two-year program with a thesis or capstone project and a final exam
• Three different tracks are available, collections/field, public/administration, and art history
• The Director of the program considers the program to be a “museum immersion program” where students work at the Natural History Museum for two years, and complete an additional 150-hour internship. Then add in some classes and that thesis or project.
• The majority of graduates find employment within six months after graduation

These facts were found here and here.

Tufts University, Department of Education

This is the review for the Museum Education program offered by Tufts University. This is a two-year program through the Education Department that includes Museum Studies courses in its curriculum. This program includes the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate program that can also be completed by itself.

• About 35 students are accepted yearly
• The two-year program requires students to complete five museum studies courses, two education courses and four elective courses on a topic of the student’s choice
• The GRE is required

This information was found here and here.

Tufts University, Museum Studies Certificate

This is the review for the Museum Studies Certificate offered at Tufts University. Students can earn the Certificate by completing five courses, including one internship course. This is built for working professionals with classes offered in the evening and the option to complete the program as a part-time student. The University also offers combination options with the Department of Art and Art History, History, and Education.

• Recently, the program has admitted two-thirds of its applicants
• The program does not require the GRE and only requires one letter of recommendation
• The internship course requires students to complete 200 hours of the internship
• Offers four different concentrations, History, Art History, Education or Classics.

This information is found here, and here.

Bank Street College of Education

This is the review for Bank Street College of Education’s Museum Education department that offers three different programs. There is the Museum Education: Childhood with certification for those interested in teaching in a school classroom or without certification for those interested in teaching outside of a school classroom. Third, there is the Leadership in Museum Education program for those already working in museums. Here are some more fast facts about the program and college:

• To apply for the Leadership in Museum Education program, students must have at least three years of museum experience. The program is for two years, with classes meeting one weekend a month and one week in June each year.
• The Museum Education: Childhood programs, students student teach at a school in the fall and intern at a museum in the spring
• With the certification option, students are eligible for New York state Childhood General Education, grades 1 through 6
• At the end of any of these three programs, students earn an MS in Education
• The College was founded by Lucy Sprague Mitchell; another awesome woman to acknowledge during Women’s History Month

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

This is the review for the program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This is also the first review of a stand-alone Museum Studies Graduate Certificate program! If you aren’t familiar with the program here are some facts about the Graduate Certificate program and university:

• Established in 1963 by UWM and the Milwaukee Public Museum. Classes are taught off-campus at the Milwaukee Public Museum
• Any graduate student at UWM may apply. The certificate program is within the anthropology department though students from any department (History, Zoology, Library Science, etc.) may earn the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate.
• UWM also offers a separate Art Museum Graduate Certificate. To earn that certificate, students must be enrolled in the Art History MA program. I have not received any survey responses concerning this program. If I do, this program will have its own blog post.