The Master of Arts in Museum Studies is two-year, 58-unit program of full-time study with specializations in administration, collections management or education and interpretation. Students may also attend part-time and take up to five years to complete their degree.
Museum Studies Specializations
Collections Management: for future professional registrars and collections managers who are responsible for a museum's objects. Students engage in in-depth study and get hands-on experience in documenting collections and practicing preventive conservation with a focus on creative problem-solving and real world issues.
Education and Interpretation: for those who wish to work with diverse audiences, and develop educational programs and exhibitions. Students pursue coursework in program development and learning theory, with an eye on using current research and innovative methods to provide engaging learning experiences for visitors of all ages.
Administration: for those aspiring to leadership positions in fundraising, management and marketing. Students cross-register with JFKU's Graduate School of Management and learn a wide variety of business management strategies for creating more effective and sustainable museums.
Core Curriculum (Courses are 4.5 units unless otherwise noted)
- Issues in Museums I: History and Theory
- Issues in Museum II: Finance and Administration
- Issues in Museums III: Planning and Development
- Museums and Communities
- Museums, Interactive Technologies and Electronic Access
- Exhibition Development
- Internship (9-12 units)1
- Master's Project Sequence (10 units)
Specialization Courses
Administration Nonprofit Finance & Accounting; Visionary Leadership;
+6 units of approved coursework from the School of Management
Collections Management Documentation of Collections; Preventive Conservation; Practicum
Education and Interpretation The Visitor Experience: Learning Theories and Understanding Audiences; The Visitor Experience: Interpretive Methods and Applications
* The administration specialization requires 9 units of internship and 12 units of specialization courses. Collections management and education and interpretation students complete 12 units of internship and 9 units of specialization courses.
Internships
Through internships, students put their classroom knowledge into practice in a museum or related institution. The internship usually begins the summer after the first year of course work. Students in the collections management and education and interpretation specializations are required to complete 640 hours (12 units) of internship, and students in the administration specialization complete 480 hours (9 units) of internship.
Prior to the internship, students receive extensive advising. During the internship, advisors maintain close contact with the interns and their on-site supervisors. Projects are clearly specified and result in a detailed portfolio and report.
Typically, students complete two or three internships at different institutions, working on projects related to their specialization. As part of their internship, collections students enroll in a hands-on practicum where they gain additional training in selected topics. Some students find paid internship positions, while others are unpaid. Students who hold professional positions in museums may arrange to complete their internships at their place of employment.
Summer internships take students all over the world, and during the academic year professionals at many of the 250+ Bay Area museums work with JFKU interns. Recent internship sites include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; California Academy of Sciences; Bay Area Discovery Museum; Smithsonian Institution; Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle; Japanese National Museum in Los Angeles and many others.
