Anyone applying to Museum Studies programs for Fall 2017?

[MuseumGirl92]

Hey everyone! I haven't seen any recent threads on here for museum studies programs, so I thought it would be good to get a conversation going so we can exchange feedback on each other's program selections and career goals. I'm still in the process of narrowing down a list of programs to apply to (I'm aiming for 5 or 6 total), but here are the schools I'm considering as of now:

 

United States:

John F. Kennedy University - MA/MBA in Museum Studies

Syracuse University - MA in Museum Studies

University of the Arts, Philadelphia - MA in Museum Communication

University of Oregon - MA in Arts Management (they also have a certificate in Museum Studies, so I may pick that up too depending on what kind of funding I can get)

University of San Francisco - MA in Museum Studies

 

International:

Birkbeck, University of London - MA in Museum Cultures

Courtauld Institute of Art - MA in Curating the Art Museum

Marist College in Florence - MA in Museum Studies

Newcastle University - MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies

University of East Anglia - MA in Museum Studies

University of Glasgow - MsC in Museum Studies

University of Leeds - MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies

University of Leicester - MA in Museum Studies

University of Manchester - MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies

 

Just for reference, I graduated a couple of years ago with a B.A. in art history and a business minor. Since graduating, I've had a few different internships in the field (two museum and one gallery), including at a world-renowned museum where I've worked on exhibition research and publications for the past couple of years. (I also held a variety of jobs on campus while I was a student, and was involved in co-curating an art historical exhibition as part of a capstone seminar.) I know that I want to continue working in museums, but I'm not 100% sure of what type of job I want to pursue - for this reason, I am interested in programs that: a.) are fairly broad-based so that I can gain a better overview of the field, and b.) have good balance between theoretical and practical coursework (e.g. work placements or internships).

If anyone has any inside knowledge of what any of these programs are like (e.g. if you know someone who's studied there), please let me know. Since museum studies is such a niche field, it can be a bit tricky to assess a program's quality based on the overall reputation of the school. Looking forward to getting a discussion started!

[Need Coffee in an IV]

Hey! I applied last year and I hope I can help. I only focused on domestic schools so I can't help much with the international. Your list varies from mine last year except for University of Oregon. I do know that funding was severely lacking, I didn't get a waiver for in state tuition at the very least. But the people at the program seem very nice. I strongly suggest Texas Tech University! I just finished my first semester here. We have a great combination of practical and theoretical. For example, you can work at our museum and actually make some money ha. We have divisions in a wide variety of disciplines and different types of jobs. Also you have an option to either do a masters thesis or an internship. Plus, the program is looking to expand so I think you have a really great shot!

The schools I applied to was University of Kansas, University of Boulder, Indianapolis University-Purdue University (IUPU), Texas Tech, University of Washington, and University of Oregon. I also looked into University of San Francisco but thought the cost of living was too high. Maybe check these programs out too? Good luck and feel free to ask me anymore questions.

[NoirFemme]

On 10/23/2016 at 1:10 PM, MuseumGirl92 said:

Hey everyone! I haven't seen any recent threads on here for museum studies programs, so I thought it would be good to get a conversation going so we can exchange feedback on each other's program selections and career goals. I'm still in the process of narrowing down a list of programs to apply to (I'm aiming for 5 or 6 total), but here are the schools I'm considering as of now:

 

United States:

John F. Kennedy University - MA/MBA in Museum Studies

Syracuse University - MA in Museum Studies

University of the Arts, Philadelphia - MA in Museum Communication

University of Oregon - MA in Arts Management (they also have a certificate in Museum Studies, so I may pick that up too depending on what kind of funding I can get)

University of San Francisco - MA in Museum Studies

 

International:

Birkbeck, University of London - MA in Museum Cultures

Courtauld Institute of Art - MA in Curating the Art Museum

Marist College in Florence - MA in Museum Studies

Newcastle University - MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies

University of East Anglia - MA in Museum Studies

University of Glasgow - MsC in Museum Studies

University of Leeds - MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies

University of Leicester - MA in Museum Studies

University of Manchester - MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies

 

Just for reference, I graduated a couple of years ago with a B.A. in art history and a business minor. Since graduating, I've had a few different internships in the field (two museum and one gallery), including at a world-renowned museum where I've worked on exhibition research and publications for the past couple of years. (I also held a variety of jobs on campus while I was a student, and was involved in co-curating an art historical exhibition as part of a capstone seminar.) I know that I want to continue working in museums, but I'm not 100% sure of what type of job I want to pursue - for this reason, I am interested in programs that: a.) are fairly broad-based so that I can gain a better overview of the field, and b.) have good balance between theoretical and practical coursework (e.g. work placements or internships).

If anyone has any inside knowledge of what any of these programs are like (e.g. if you know someone who's studied there), please let me know. Since museum studies is such a niche field, it can be a bit tricky to assess a program's quality based on the overall reputation of the school. Looking forward to getting a discussion started!

Are you a member of the Emerging Museum Professionals Facebook group? Lots of people who will have knowledge about the field and schools.