53 Master Programs in Museum Science 2024

The Johns Hopkins MA in Museum Studies offers a perspective on the theory and practice of museums in a changing technological, social and political environment. Geared for current and future museum professionals, it emphasizes technology's critical role in today's museum. It also examines new models of education, exhibition, and business strategies while exploring the role of the museum as an agent of social change.

The University of San Francisco offers a unique master’s degree in museum studies. Our program prepares students for leadership positions in artistic, cultural, and heritage organizations that operate in a constantly changing social dynamic.

Curating is a creative, dynamic and diverse practice, constantly changing in relation to its context, to the work of artists and a range of cultural practitioners, and to the interests and expectations of audiences. When you join the Curating Contemporary Art MA (CCA) you join a well-established and highly influential programme and community of students actively contributing to how curating is understood, practised and thought about across the globe.

Curatorial Studies in Art History is a one-year programme. We offer excellent students of the master's track in Art History an additional semester-long internship. Our programme aims to integrate early modern and modern and contemporary art, while also offering more period-specific courses. Our faculty includes the director of the Groninger Museum, Andreas Blühm, who teaches a course on the theory and practice of making exhibitions for all curatorial students. The following institutions regularly offer internships to our students: Museum Catharijneconvent en het Centraal Museum in Utrecht, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, the Groninger Museum, the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, Frans Hals Museum | De Hallen in Haarlem, the Stedelijke Musea Brugge, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

The MA in Art History and Curating is one of the few postgraduate programs in the country that offers you the opportunity to work in a team with academic and museum professionals to develop a curatorial project such as a public exhibition. Our recent partners have included the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, in a unique partnership with the Royal Collection Trust, and Grand Union, an Arts Council England Portfolio organization, working with contemporary artists

The inter-university master's degree provides training to its students to respond to the growing demand for professionals in study, research and cultural management linked to historic cities, museums, the art market, tourism and, in general, the cultural heritage of a historical-artistic nature.

Our 39-credit Museum Professions Degree is designed to both prepare students for careers in museums and to further refine and enhance the current museum professional’s skill set.

The Master in Art Curating and Management aims to train professionals to work in the contemporary cultural and art system, at the national and international levels, and in different roles: independent curators, art critics and journalists, contemporary art museum supervisors in research offices and archives, art foundation consultants, gallery assistants and gallery managers, advisors for auction houses and collectors, coordinators and curators of art archives, organizers of contemporary art festivals and exhibitions.

The international curriculum of the Master in Arts, Museology, and Curatorship is aimed at discussing the different methodologies in the fields of valorization of the arts, museology, and curatorship from an international perspective.

The Master of Fine Arts in Criticism & Curatorial Practice program offers graduate students an exceptional opportunity to explore and experiment with contemporary art, media and design through engagement with history, theory and criticism within curatorial practice.

Lincoln's MA in Conservation of Cultural Heritage enables students to gain hands-on experience while being taught by experts in the field. Students have the opportunity to develop a wide range of practical, theoretical and research skills in preparation for a career in heritage conservation.

The Museum Education program, offered by the Department of Education, is designed for those interested in pursuing careers in art, history, science, and children’s museums. With its convenient location just a few miles from downtown Boston, Tufts offers easy access to the area's many museums, academic, and cultural institutions.

Established in 1976, the Master of Arts in Museum Studies at George Washington University responds to the evolving museum profession by combining hands-on training with future-focused theoretical engagement. Students gain foundational knowledge about the state of museum work today, practical skills, and the ability to critically engage with developments in the field. Coursework offers both breadth and depth in Collections Management, Museum Management, Exhibitions and Visitor Experience, and Public Engagement.

The two-year master’s degree in Museum Studies is a unique cooperation between Central European University and the Wien Museum, providing students with rigorous academic training in historical studies combined with practical, hands-on museum experience.

The Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture MA studies how museums, galleries and other cultural institutions are changing to meet the needs of the 21st century. The MA is for you if you're pursuing a career as a curator, arts organiser, museum professional or another cultural manager, and in particular if you want to know how these institutions face contemporary issues. The course looks at the changing role of cultural provision and how agencies, festivals and flexible organisations shape, house, fund, and disseminate culture today. It also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the contemporary debates about working practices in cultural institutions and the changing context in which organisations operate. The MA focuses on professional practice, and you'll work closely with institutions such as the Museum of London and conduct case studies into creative projects run by organisations as diverse as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, smaller independent galleries and London-based festivals and arts organisations. Classes are taught off-site at other institutions and involve professionals from the sector as much as possible to give you an understanding of vocational issues and a close involvement in the workplace.