Requirements

The curriculum provides a sequence of varied approaches to museum study. In the first semester, students take the required Museum Studies Foundations core course as well as two electives and an internship at an area museum. The following semester, students take four electives in Museum Studies, Art History, or related fields. Those interested in the commercial side of the art world may elect to attend Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London or New York, and take an intensive course in a selected field, such as decorative arts or contemporary art. The Institute’s course work emphasizes connoisseurship and hands-on study of art works, and incorporates study trips to public and private collections, auction houses, and art fairs. In the summer term, students complete a full-time internship in a museum in Washington or another city; the term culminates in a capstone workshop held in late August in Washington.

The standard program structure is 30 course credits, taken over fall, spring, and summer semesters (12 months). Students also have the option of doing the spring semester at Georgetown University.

• Fall – core course, two electives in art history seminars and museum practicum courses, one internship – 12 credits
• Spring – one semester-long program at Sotheby’s Institute of Art or four courses at Georgetown University – 12 credits
• Summer – full-time internship combined with a capstone workshop – 6 credits.