St. John’s University
St. John Hall, Room B11-E
Queens, NY 11439
www.stjohns.edu/museumadministration
St. John’s University will launch a Master of Arts in Museum Administration in the fall 2014 semester. The degree, offered by St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University’s Queens, New York, campus, encompasses curatorial practice, collections and exhibitions management, museum education, and application of museum-specific communication techniques and technology platforms.
According to Susan Rosenberg, PhD, associate professor of art history at St. John’s, an advanced degree and hands-on professional experience are necessary in the museum arena. “We designed the curriculum to take advantage of St. John’s global and domestic resources,” she said. “Our goal is to provide opportunities for experiential learning, research, mentorships, and internships in New York City—a global art center—as well as abroad.”
The 36-credit program includes a three- or six-credit internship along with the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary, collection-based expertise through nine credits of study in public history and library and information science. Courses will cover a wide range of topics such as “Introduction to Working in Museums,” “The Modern Museum: History and Theory,” and “Introduction to Curatorial Studies,” as well as electives like “Introduction to Public History” and “The Business of Museums.”
Students enrolled in the program will create personalized study plans and chart career paths for a wide range of museum specializations. They also will go on site visits to New York’s countless museums, archives, libraries, and other cultural resources.
The program, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), provides students with the knowledge and skills for success in a full range of museum administration specializations, including curatorial, exhibition, management, development, collection, preservation, museum writing, and education.
Applicants are expected to have completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with at least 24 credits in art history or a major in a related area of the humanities (for example, history, English, anthropology, etc.) and coursework in art history.
