Overview
The museum studies program at Tufts is offered as an independent certificate as well as a part of three graduate degree options. All students take Museums Today: Mission and Function, complete an internship, and choose three additional electives. Tufts offers these museum studies graduate degree options:
- Master of Arts in Art History and Museum Studies through the Department of Art and Art History
- Master of Arts in History and Museum Studies through the Department of History
- Master of Arts degree in Museum Education through the Department of Education
Each Master of Arts program has its own requirements, but each includes both required and elective museum studies courses. All are designed as two-year, full time programs, but some departments may offer other options. Two examples of museum studies electives include:
Exhibition Planning (HIST 0215)
Kenneth Turino, Manager of Community Engagement and Exhibitions, Historic New England, Boston, MA
Learn the organization of an exhibition, from idea to opening reception and beyond. This course addresses issues specific to the temporary museum exhibition, such as priorities, deadlines, loan negotiations, installation requirements, evaluation, and curatorial and educational goals. Students select objects, arrange for loans, design and install the exhibition, create and implement a public relations campaign, write interpretive labels, and formulate and produce public programs.
Museums and Digital Media (ED 0286)
Jenna Fleming, Independent Museum Professional
Technology-based museum initiatives encourage creative exploration, independent interpretation, and improved audience reach in an engaging and entertaining way. They enable museums to enrich the visitor’s experience while extending the boundaries of the institution to diverse and distant constituencies all over the world. This course engages students in exploring the pedagogical, technical, legal, and financial issues of using state-of-the-art media resources in museum-audience interactions. Students examine the role of technology in the museum today and learn to critique digital resources, plan interactive projects, and even produce their own multimedia products.
For more information on the graduate program requirements and deadlines, visit the Graduate Studies website.
Museum School Students
Current students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, have the option of combining the Museum Studies Certificate with a Master of Fine Arts. Entering MFA graduate students and those who have completed their first year of study should contact the Museum Studies Program Administrator for more information at 617.627.2320.
August 21, 2016 at 10:53 am
Dear Tufts Museum Studies Program,
I have a paid internship opportunity in Boston this Fall to work with our global non-profit, the Institute for Human Centered Design, on a final stage of a new web resource on accessibility and universal design for the NEA, NEH and IMLS that will live on the NEA website. The key responsibility is the gathering and updating of 100 examples of What Works within cultural institutions worldwide – mostly museums – in order to provide a comprehensive opportunity to understand current best practice and, ideally, to exceed it. I have failed to find a place to upload an internship posting on the website so am taking advantage of this digital door to contact the program. Thank you!
August 21, 2016 at 11:04 pm
Hi Valerie,
Would you be able to send a job description for me to post? The blog email is tufts.museum.blog@gmail.com. If you could send that along then I would be able to make a posting for you.
Best,
Christina