Art History and Museum Studies

The M.A. in art history and museum studies is offered by the Department of Art and Art History and is geared toward those interested in jobs in art museums. The program consists of eleven courses and students are required either to write a thesis or to submit two qualifying papers (or to submit one qualifying paper and to participate in an art history seminar). Students are also required to pass two examinations—a foreign language examination at the beginning of the first year and a comprehensive examination at the beginning of the second year. Students who pass the comprehensive exam are eligible for paid teaching assistantships or research assistantships.

The program consists of courses offered by the Department of Art and Art History and courses offered by the museum studies program. Museum studies courses include collections care and preservation; collections management; museum history and theory; museum education and interpretation; curriculum development for museum–school collaborations; museums today: mission and function; museums and new media; exhibition planning; and the historical interpretation of material culture.

All students are required to fulfill an internship to prepare for employment in a museum. Past internship sites have included the Boston Children’s Museum; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum; the Museum of Science, Boston; the Peabody Essex Museum; Historic New England; and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Students have also served in internships at museums elsewhere in the United States and worldwide.

The M.A. in art history and museum studies typically takes two years to complete.

Museum Studies Masters in Arts and Certificate Programs: Faculty

Jennifer DePrizio
M.A.T., George Washington University
Director of Visitor Learning, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts

Margherita M. Desy
M.A., George Washington University
Historian, Naval Historical Center Detachment, Boston, Massachusetts

Jenna Fleming
M.A., University of Pittsburgh
Museum Consultant

Cara Iacobucci
Ed.M., Harvard University
Museum Consultant

Andrew McClellan
Ph.D., Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London
Professor, Department of Art and Art History

Ingrid A. Neuman
M.A., State University College at Buffalo
Museum Conservator, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, Rhode Island

Christine Reich
M.A., Lesley University
Director of Research and Evaluation, Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts

Cynthia Robinson
M.S., Bank Street College of Education
Director of Museum Studies; Lecturer, Department of Education

Rainey Tisdale
M.A., George Washington University
Museum Consultant

Kenneth C. Turino
M.A.T., George Washington University
Manager of Community Engagement and Exhibitions, Historic New England, Boston, Massachusetts

Tara Young
M.A., University of Pittsburgh
Deputy Director, Museum of Russian Icons, Clinton, Massachusetts