Museum Studies

About

Museums, archives, libraries, and other cultural institutions seek emerging professionals who can help develop and implement strategies to digitize, exhibit, manage, curate, and interpret their artistic, cultural, historical, and scientific collections, and to make them available to the public in interactive and engaging ways. Museum studies provide a thorough grounding in the history, theory, and practice of institutional collecting, exhibition development and design, multi-platform technologies, collection management, fundraising, and grant writing. You'll be prepared to help institutions share their collections, engage with their communities, and enhance, assess, and improve the visitor experience.

RIT's Museum Studies Program

Museum studies is an interdisciplinary, technology-infused major that prepares you for careers in museums, archives, libraries, galleries, historical societies, and other cultural organizations. The museum studies degree at RIT includes a set of introductory core courses to familiarize you with the history, theory, and practice of institutional collecting. These courses are bolstered by classes in exhibition development, education and interpretation, and multi-platform interpretation and design. To broaden and deepen your knowledge, you will choose a professional track in libraries, archives, and museums or in public history. You also are required to complete one cooperative education or internship experience in a cultural institution or similar entity.

The museum studies program offers two tracks: (1) museums, libraries, and archives and (2) public history. Both tracks provide you with the skills of critical reflection, sound argumentation, and presentation of information in a meaningful way to a public audience. They also include museum studies courses that meet the criteria established by professionals in the field and reflects current opinion about necessary skill sets, as held by the Museum Studies Network (MSN) of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), International Council of Museums (ICOM), and the National Council on Public History (NCPH).

Jobs in Art Museums... and Historical Sites, Cultural Institutions, Archives, and So Much More

Upon graduation, you will be prepared for a variety of museum studies careers. Work in institutions such as museums, historical sites, historical societies, libraries, archives, and corporations or other organizations with cultural repositories that develop and implement strategies to digitize, exhibit, manage, curate, and interpret their artistic, cultural, historical, and scientific collections, and to make them available to the public in interactive and engaging ways. You may also wish to further your education in graduate programs in museum studies, library and information studies, archival studies, informatics, or a number of disciplines including art history, history, and business.

RIT/Syracuse University College of Law 3+3 Option

RIT has partnered with Syracuse University's College of Law to offer an accelerated 3+3 BS/JD option for highly qualified students. This option provides a fast-track pathway to law school where you can earn a bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctorate in six years. You may apply to the 3+3 option directly. Successful applicants are offered admission to RIT and given conditional acceptance into Syracuse University's College of Law.

RIT's museum studies degree is one of the approved majors for the 3+3 option. Learn more about the RIT/Syracuse University College of Law 3+3 Option, including admission requirements and frequently asked questions.

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

Today's careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT's Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor's degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.

In museum studies, you'll learn how collections are built, curated, and interpreted and you will apply methods of exhibition and interpretation used in museums, archives, galleries, libraries, and public spaces including national parks.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

For all bachelor’s degree programs, a strong performance in a college preparatory program is expected. Generally, this includes:

4 years of English
3 years of social studies and/or history
3-4 years of mathematics
- Specific math requirements are detailed by college below
2-3 years of science
- Specific science requirements are detailed by college below
Completion of a High School Diploma or its equivalence

Homeschooled Students
RIT has a history of admitting academically talented students from homeschool settings. In the absence of consistent homeschooling standards nationally and globally, guidelines have been developed for homeschooled students seeking RIT admission.

English Requirements

PTEMin 58
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 79

Career

Typical Job Titles

Assistant Curator	Collections Associate
Document Processor	Gallery Manager
Exhibit Project Manager	Archivist

Salary and Career Information for Museum Studies BS

Cooperative Education

What's different about an RIT education? It's the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You'll earn more than a degree. You'll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It's exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.

Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. A liberal arts co-op provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between course work and real-world applications.

Students in museum studies are required to complete one co-op or internship experience in a cultural institution. Co-ops are usually a summer or semester in duration. Internships may be full- or part-time and are often completed during the semester. They vary in duration depending on the organization. Co-ops and internships may be completed locally, nationally, or internationally.

Fee Information

Application Fee 65

How to Apply

Ways to Apply

Common Application
RIT Application

Statement on Ethical and Fair Admissions Practices
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions continues to put students first in the admissions process. We continue to use fair and ethical practices as we recruit, review applications and counsel our prospective students and their families. Our admissions officers support and promote ethical responsibility with our colleagues in the admission profession.

Manage Application

Whichever method you choose to apply, we invite you to create an RIT Admissions account to monitor your application, track the status of your application credentials, receive your admissions decision, and more.