Master of Arts in Museum Studies

Format: Online
Application Deadlines
  • Spring 2025 Extended Priority Deadline: November 21, 2024
  • Spring 2025 Extended Regular Deadline: December 16, 2024

Please note there is no application fee for graduate applications submitted by the Priority Deadline.

Open to everyone, and visited by over 850 million people each year, museums play a critical role in public life and provide communities with a sense of place and a collective heritage. They ensure that marginalized voices and histories are heard, function as an economic engine via tourism, and attend to the needs of diverse communities and academic groups, including those that require special accommodations.

The MA in Museum Studies online degree program grounds students in the theory and practical applications of museum operations, including administration, finance, curation, technology, and education. Developed in collaboration with the New York Historical, students gain the knowledge, skills, and preparation necessary to engage in professional museum practice.

From administration and finance to curation and education, the program educates students about all areas of a museum, regardless of the focus, content, or audience a specific museum serves. Students learn to curate exhibitions, design educational services, and provide museum services with attention to all potential museum visitors.

Meet Some of Our Recent Faculty

Practicum

The first three core courses in the program are supplemented and contextualized by a one-credit (15 hours) practicum per course. Utilizing the rich and varied resources of the New York Historical, the residency allows students to gain experience in the practices of curation, collections management, and museum operations. Over the course of the 15 hours, students will observe and document how museum and cultural institutional professionals approach their work and the issues facing museum operations.

Onsite participation is encouraged, but not required. An online option will be provided for those who are unable to attend in person.

Careers

Museums support more than 726,000 American jobs. In its most recent report, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 13% growth in the museums and historical sites sector from 2016 – 2026. Correspondingly, employment of curators/archivists is projected to grow 14% and museum technicians 12% during the same timeframe. The need to store information in archives and an increased public interest in science, art, history, and cultural institutions anticipates greater demand for museum professionals. 

Graduates of the MA in Museum Studies online degree program are prepared to work as curators, archivists, museum technicians, education administrators, conservators, and operations specialists in museum settings. Graduates may also use their acquired skills to pursue employment in government, higher education, and other educational organizations.

Admissions Criteria

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation may be submitted before or after submitting an application. Please note that an individual interview may be necessary.

Application Deadlines

  • Spring 2025 Extended Priority Deadline: November 21, 2024
  • Spring 2025 Extended Regular Deadline: December 16, 2024
Apply Now

Student/Alumni Profiles

Liz Rubel

MA in Museum Studies 2021

"I am confident and grateful that CUNY SPS has, and will continue to, influence my career trajectory. I have accepted an administrative role with the amazing organization I had previously been a contracting artist with, The Creative Center, and am grateful for the knowledge and experience that have brought me here.”

Recent News About Master of Arts in Museum Studies

CUNY SPS Museum Studies Professor Jamie Lawyer makes Top 10 Influencer List

Blooloop 50: Museum Influencers- The Power 10

November 08, 2024

Blooloop

CUNY SPS Museum Studies Professor Jamie Lawyer is named as a "Power 10" influencer in the museum sector. The article focuses on Professor Lawyer's pioneering work as chief experience officer at the Rubin Museum where visitor-centered experiences have been designed to resonate emotionally with the audience.
CUNY SPS Museum Studies MA partner the New York Historical

New-York Historical Society changes its name and reveals plans for new $175m wing

November 01, 2024

The Art Newspaper

The Art Newspaper details how the New-York Historical Society, CUNY SPS' partner in the Museum Studies MA program, has recently rebranded itself as the New York Historical. The museum has also opened a new wing that will be home to the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, a space for teachers, scholars, and museum professionals to engage with history, political theory, and pedagogy.
CUNY SPS MA in Museum Studies partner New-York Historical Society

A New Wing—and Name—for the New-York Historical Society

October 29, 2024

artnet

This ArtNet article discusses how the CUNY SPS MA in Museum Studies' partner, the New-York Historical Society, has renamed itself the New York Historical. As part of its rebrand, the museum has also opened a new wing that will be home to the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, a space for teachers, scholars, and museum professionals to engage with history, political theory, and pedagogy.

CUNY SPS Renews Partnership with JetBlue for Crewmembers to Earn Their Master's Degree Online

July 31, 2024

CUNY SPS

The CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) and JetBlue have renewed their partnership for the 2024-2025 academic year with a Third Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This collaboration continues to empower JetBlue crewmembers to pursue various masters degrees at CUNY SPS, including programs in Business Management, Data Science, and more. CUNY SPS is proud to support JetBlue’s commitment to professional growth and education.