Director: Linda Ellis
San Francisco State University
Humanities 515
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 405-0599
museumst@sfsu.edu
Hours: M-Th, 10-4
Program of Study & Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies is a 33-34 unit curriculum that can be completed in 2-3 years, if attending full-time. Core Requirements include the history and organization of museums, fundraising, and a museum internship (9 units).
Area Requirements are drawn from the following three groups: collections care and conservation; museum management; and exhibition design (9-10 units).
Students also select courses relevant to the following Area Emphases: curation; exhibition design; museum education; museum fundraising; museum management; and registration/collections management (12 units).
The Culminating Experience can be a traditional Master's thesis; or a creative work project, which involves the curation of an exhibition in an off-campus museum (3 units).
Degree Requirements for the MA in Museum Studies
CORE REQUIREMENTS (Total 9 units)
- M S 700 History & Organization of Museums (required first semester), 3 units
- M S 860 Museum Fundraising, 3 units
- M S 880 Museum Internship, 3 units
AREA REQUIREMENTS (Total, 9-10 units)
Choose one course from each of the following three groups:
- M S 740 Museum Conservation & Restoration, 3 units
- M S 760 Conservation of Natural History Collections, 3 units
- M S 794 Museum Collections Management & Registration, 3 units
- M S 800 Museum Management, Law & Ethics, 3 units
- M S 830 Museum Governance, 3 units
- P A 745 Administration, 4 units
Exhibition Design
- ART 719 Exhibition Design, 3 units
- M S 730 Museum Exhibition Design & Curation, 3 units
AREA EMPHASIS (Total 12 units)
Select electives relevant to the following areas. No more than 6 units of non-Museum Studies courses may count toward electives in the area emphasis. Courses must be chosen with consultation with a Museum Studies faculty adviser.
- Curation
- Exhibition Design
- Museum Education
- Museum Fundraising
- Museum Management
- Registration/Collections Management
CULMINATING EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT* (3 units)
M S 894 Creative Work Project
or
M S 898 Master's Thesis
*If students do not complete their culminating experience in either MS 894 or MS 898, they must thereafter continue to be enrolled in one course during one semester each academic year until graduation
MINIMUM TOTAL UNITS FOR THE DEGREE = 33-34