The M.A. in Gallery and Museum Management (MGMM) is a professional terminal degree specifically focused on the content understanding, methods, and skills necessary for professions in arts and cultural heritage management. This includes art gallery, museum, and collections management, directorship, and sales. The program emphasizes the development of practical, managerial, and entrepreneurial approaches to the increasingly complex demands in the professional sector of exhibiting and collecting art and cultural heritage objects. The MGMM offers a "hybrid" low-residency learning environment of on line courses, combined with residencies in both the program practicum on the Western campus and an arranged internship at an art gallery, cultural heritage site, or museum.
Program Goals
- Improving student understanding in the demanding professional world of gallery and museum management, including practical, managerial and entrepreneurial solutions.
- Developing students' capacity for inter-disciplinary critical thinking, innovation, and collaborative problem-solving with diverse stakeholders in the gallery and museum management sector.
- Enhancing career opportunities in arts and cultural heritage related disciplines.
Student Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Integrate previous related academic studies, experience, and interests with the education and professional training of this degree program.
- Effectively support the realistic demands of art gallery and museum management, in both the artistic and the business dimensions of the field, in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
- Be fully proficient as exhibition specialists for art and cultural heritage venues, including a wide variety of contemporary, historic, and antique art and material culture objects, in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
- Plan, develop and execute gallery and exhibition design and layout, synthesizing and implementing knowledge of aesthetic and design principles, theory and best practices, CAD design tools, and relevant federal and state laws and regulations.
- Continue to develop knowledge and experience in areas of interest beyond graduation, implementing the program readings, tools, and educational materials.
Program Prerequisites
- A BA or BFA degree required before attending first semester in MGMM Program.
- Evidence of a program of studies (major or minor, or extensive course work – 9 or more courses) must be demonstrated in one of the following or related disciplines:
- Studio Art
- Art History
- Marketing/Business/Entrepreneurship
- Non-Profit Leadership
- Culture Studies
- History
- Anthropology/Archaeology
- Gallery Management or Museum Studies
Criteria for Full Admission: a holistic package balancing academic excellence with experience in arts leadership encouraged. Admissions packages will include: Official transcript of conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university showing recommended 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher in relevant courses; An eight hundred-to-one thousand word personal statement describing the applicant’s experience and career interests in the art, gallery, museum, and/or cultural heritage sector, and commitment to the arts or cultural heritage; a writing sample of eight-ten pages; and two recommendation letters from professors or supervisors in related fields.
Criteria for Provisional Admission: An applicant who does not meet the requirements for full admission to the MGMM program may be provisionally accepted or may be required to submit additional materials in order to be considered for provisional admission upon the recommendation of the program director and approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. A provisionally admitted student will have a maximum of one calendar year to complete any pre-requisite academic coursework. The program director or Dean of Graduate Studies may set additional timeline requirements.
International Students: see Graduate Academic Catalog section, Criteria for International Admission.
Program Requirements
A minimum of 30 credits is required for completion of the MGMM degree. A final program portfolio of completed course and capstone projects is also required.
All students must complete the following courses and residencies:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Two Weeks Prior to Fall Semester Start Date | ||
| MGMM 600 | Orientation and Practicum | 3 |
| Fall Semester | ||
| MGMM 601 | Exhibition Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 612 | Business Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 621 | Curatorship Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 631 | Curating the Past | 3 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MGMM 602 | Exhibition Principles II | 3 |
| MGMM 613 | Business Principles II | 3 |
| MGMM 622 | Curatorship Principles II | 3 |
| Summer Semester | ||
| MGMM 691 | Master's Project | 3 |
| MGMM 699 | Program Internship | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Two weeks prior to fall semester start date. | ||
| MGMM 600 | Orientation and Practicum | 3 |
| Regular Fall Semester | ||
| MGMM 601 | Exhibition Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 612 | Business Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 621 | Curatorship Principles I | 3 |
| MGMM 631 | Curating the Past | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MGMM 602 | Exhibition Principles II | 3 |
| MGMM 613 | Business Principles II | 3 |
| MGMM 622 | Curatorship Principles II | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| MGMM 691 | Master's Project | 3 |
| MGMM 699 | Program Internship | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |