Masters in Museum Studies: This 33-credit hour program offers advanced study in museum methods and practices. This in-person graduate degree program works closely with collections on campus, providing students with opportunities for hands-on experiences. Applications for Fall 2026 admission to the MA are now open with a priority deadline of June 1. Program application requirements include: one letter of recommendation, a statement of purpose, transcript, and resume. Test scores and writing samples are not required. To apply visit the Graduate School application website. Contact Us: Program Director: Akela Reason, History Department, University of Georgia, 239 LeConte Hall, areason@uga.edu Who is Eligible? The Masters in Museum Studies is open to all qualified applicants who will have completed an undergraduate degree before beginning the program . Program Requirements Students must complete 33 hours of coursework, including 21 hours of required coursework, and 12 hours of electives. Required Courses (21 hours) MUSE 7730, Museum Ethics and Controversies (3 hours) HIST 8765, Colloquium in History, Museums, and Collections (3 hours) MUSE 7015 Museum Studies Internship (3 hours min.) MUSE 7900 Museum Studies Portfolio (3 hours) Core Areas (9 hours) Students will choose three courses in this section, one course each in three of the four core areas. Museum Education/Public Programming ARED 7500, Introduction to Museum Education (3 hours) MUSE 7720, Museum Education (3 hours) Museum Exhibitions/Curatorial Practice MUSE 7740, Museum Exhibitions (3 hours) MUSE 7750, Curatorial Practice (3 hours) Collections Management ANTH(BIOL)(ECOL)(ENTO)(PBIO) 6260-6260L, Natural History Collections Management (3 hours)MUSE 6765, Museum Registration Methods (3 hours) Administration MNML 7237, Theory & Management of Nonprofit Organizations (3 hours) MNML 7320, Managing Volunteers (3 hours) MNML 7445, Nonprofit Financial Management (3 hours) MNML 7957, Grant Proposal Writing for Nonprofit Organizations (3 hours)Program requirements are forthcoming. Approved Graduate Electives At least two courses must be drawn from the list of approved museum studies electives below. A maximum of two electives may be non-museum specific courses in a discipline relevant to the type of museum collection the student hopes to work with (history, biology, anthropology, art history, textiles, etc.) or in an area relevant to a specific career track (for example, a student interested in working in museum communications may wish to take a course in communications or marketing). Students may substitute one additional course from the core area list above for one of the electives. Similarly, students may opt to take an additional semester length internship as one elective. Approved Museum Studies Electives: ANTH 6250, Cultural Resource Management (3 hours) ARED 6010, Art Criticism and Aesthetic Understanding (3 hours) ARED 7510, Engaging Art Museum Audiences as Student Docents (3 hours) ARED 7540, Topics in Art Museum Education (3 hours) ARHI 6050, Icons in Byzantium: Theory and Practice (3 hours) ARHI 6400, The Natural History of Art (3 hours) ARHI 6580, Postmodern Visual Culture (3 hours) ARHI 6970, Art History Field Study (3 hours) CLAS 6305, Selected Topics in Ancient Civilization: Studies Abroad (3 hours) CLAS 6400, The Art of Rome (3 hours) EDES 6610, Vernacular Architecture (3 hours) EDES 6630, The History and Theory of Twentieth-Century Architecture (3 hours) ENGL 6892, Literature in the Archives (3 hours) HIPR 6000, Introduction to Historic Preservation (3 hours) HIPR 6030, Principles and Practices of Historic Preservation (3 hours) HIPR 6072, Issues in International Heritage Conservation (3 hours) HIPR 6100, Cultural Resource Assessment (3 hours) HIPR 6120, Historic Site Interpretation (3 hours) HIPR(HIST) 6160, Public History and Technology (3 hours) HIPR 6250, Art and Cultural Heritage Law (3 hours) HIPR(CLAS) 6820, Selected Topics in Heritage Conservation and Classical Culture (1-3 hours) HIST 6022, Picturing America (3 hours) HIST 6023, Museum Studies in Atlanta (3 hours) HIST 6025, American Material Culture, 1650-1950 (3 hours) HIST 6027, American Museums, Parks, and Monuments (3 hours) HIST 6032, Black Skin, White Walls: African Americans and the Museum (3 hours) HIST 6033 Historic House Museums (3 hours) HIST(DIGI) 6760, Hands-on Public History (3 hours) HIST 8770, Colloquium in Public History (3 hours) LAND 6620, American Architecture to 1900 (3 hours) MUSE 6024, Topics in Museum Studies (3 hours) MUSE 6026 Museum Studies in Washington DC (3 hours) MUSE 6405 Italy and the Modern Museum (3 hours) MUSE 7015, Museum Internship (3 hours) NAMS 6000, NAGPRA and the U.S. (3 hours) ROML 6092, Archival and Special Collections Studies (3 hours) SPAN 6092, Archival and Special Collections Studies in Spanish (3 hours) TXMI 7850, Museum Introduction in Clothing and Textiles (3 hours) TXMI 8280, Museum Issues in Historic Clothing and Textiles (3 hours) How to Apply for the Graduate Program in Museum Studies Applications for Fall 2026 admission to the MA are now open with a priority deadline of June 1. Program application requirements include: one letter of recommendation, a statement of purpose, transcript, and resume. Test scores and writing samples are not required. To apply visit the Graduate School application website. Once your application has been approved and you have been accepted, you will receive follow up information on what to do next to start the program. The Internship Students are required to complete an internship (MUSE 7015) as part of the graduate program. A relevant museum internship within another department may be substituted for MUSE 7015 with prior approval of the director of Museum Studies In order to receive academic credit for the internship students must work at least 105 hours. Internships may be paid or unpaid. Students are expected to find appropriate internships under the guidance of the program director. Internships may be on or off campus. Virtual internship are also possible. Some on-campus internship options include: the Georgia Museum of Art, the Georgia Museum of Natural History; and the Special Collections Library. Students must submit the museum studies program internship application to enroll in MUSE 7015. The application should be submitted at least two weeks before the start of the semester in which you wish to enroll. Internship courses are subject to University course deadlines. Late or retroactive enrollment is not possible. Students should ideally locate an internship the semester before they intend to enroll in MUSE 7015. All internships have a written academic component. Academic requirements appear on the internship course application form. Internship Requirements: Student must be enrolled in the museum studies graduate program. Student must be accepted into an approved internship position (at least 105 hours). Internships must be clearly related to museum studies. Student must be registered during the semester of the internship. Complete the internship course application form (MUSE 7015 formery FCID 7015). FAQs I did an internship last semester, can I get credit for it now? Unfortunately, internships are subject to the same enrollment deadlines as other courses. You cannot receive credit for MUSE 5015/7015 for a previous semester. However, it’s great to have additional internship experience for your resume. How can faculty propose a course to add to the electives list? To qualify as a museum studies elective, the course content must meaningfully engage with museum history and/or museum practices and methods. Direct student engagement with collections is encouraged. Courses that include museum content in a less substantive way are not usually eligible. Interested faculty should submit a course description and syllabus to the program director. Course proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis by the Museum Studies Advisory Committee.
