Drawing on faculty from the U.S., U.K., and continental Europe, courses are taught using a variety of innovative methods, yet they share two fundamental core principles which are embedded in the program’s philosophy: 1) museums’ engagement with the public is paramount and 2) museums vary greatly across the globe and therefore must be studied from an international comparative perspective.

Located in Florence, Italy, one of the world’s most important museum centers, the program offers unparalleled learning and internship opportunities. Guest lectures by museum professionals expose students to a wide variety of international perspectives, widening their horizons while visits to museums, historical monuments, archives, libraries, and relevant non-profit institutions essentially use Florence as a classroom, integrating students within the city and offering them hands-on exposure to real-world museum research and practices. Both the lectures and the visits facilitate the important transition from student to museum professional at the finish of their degree program.

The program, which is taught in collaboration with the University of Florence and the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, provides a much-needed forum for reflection and debate on museological issues in the city and beyond. As part of that effort, the program sponsors an international conference each year for museum professionals, which M.A. students participate in.

Curriculum

The Museum Studies curriculum is designed to give students a strong knowledge base of the professional field of museology. This advanced degree will position graduates for successful careers in the museum industry. To accomplish this, the academic year consists of three terms totaling 34 credits: Fall (13 credits), Spring (13 credits), and Summer (8 credits). View the full course catalog.

Required Courses:

ARTM 501L: Museums and the Public I: People and Ideas
ARTM 502L: Museums: Past, Present, and Future
ARTM 503L: Museum Development, Management, and Leadership
ARTM 504L: Art and Objects in Museums and in Context
ARTM 507L: Research Methods I: Methodology and Resources
ARTM 601L: Museums and the Public II: Objects and Audience
ARTM 607L: Research Methods II: Thesis Proposal
ARTM 620L: Internship
ARTM 625L: Thesis,  OR ARTM 626L: Master’s Practicum

Pick Three From (course offerings vary by semester):

ARTM 602L: Transcultural Aesthetics, Ethnography, and Cultural Bias
ARTM 603L: Museum Spaces and Technologies
ARTM 604L: Museum Education
ARTM 605L: Conservation and Historic Preservation
ARTM 606L: Museum Ethics and the Law