Museum Studies Graduate Program

Interested in collections management, exhibitions, education, or another aspect of museum work? The Master of Liberal Arts, Museum Studies degree can help you embark on a successful career.

Flexible museum studies options

• With flexible evening course options, you can balance school and other commitments. A few online courses are available.
• There are eight courses, an internship, and a thesis. Elective courses are in subjects like anthropology, history, and art.
• Courses run in fall or spring terms (about 15 weeks each), a three-week January session, or a seven-week Harvard Summer School term.
• You have five years to complete the degree.

Review the degree requirements.

Admission and getting started

Admission is based on your ability to do honors-level work at Harvard. There are no standardized test requirements. Before applying, you take three courses from the program curriculum. For admission, you must earn a grade of B in each. See all the admission criteria.

Once you have been admitted, a number of resources open up to you. See Degree Candidate Privileges.

Tuition and financial aid

Graduate-credit tuition is about $1,950 per course. In total, tuition is roughly $20,000. After you are admitted, a variety of financial aid options may be available, including grants, scholarships, and loans. See the financial aid options for admitted degree candidates.

Harvard faculty, Harvard degree

Instructors include Harvard faculty and affiliates, faculty from Boston-area universities, and museum professionals. Browse the museum studies courses to see who teaches our courses. The museum studies degree program administrators include:

• Peter Der Manuelian, Program Director, Philip J. King Professor of Egyptology, Harvard University
• Katherine Burton Jones, Assistant Director and Research Advisor
• Kerry Fitzgerald, Admissions Advisor

The degree is awarded by Harvard University. It is the Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, field of museum studies.

Career outlook

Our alumni hold a variety of high-level positions in museums around the world. The following are just a few examples.

• Curator, Milford Historical Society, Milford, Massachusetts
• Marketing Manager, Oakland Museum of California
• Assistant Curator, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Conservator and Administrative Head of Conservation Department, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University
• Director of Operations, Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts