KU's Museum Studies Graduate Program
University of Kansas’ Museum Studies Program is a rigorous academic discipline that prepares students to become leaders in a world where the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences intersect. They are developing new approaches to museum practice that consider the how and the why of collection through research, and scholarly and artistic engagement that asks how can we make the museum reflect the lived and imagined experiences of the world around us and the people that inhabit it.
Students in their program gain firsthand knowledge of innovative museum work in KU’s world-class collections, while conducting research that advances the field in exciting and regenerative ways. Museum Studies students are researching a wide range of topics. Recently, our students have presented on topics such as:
• “Mystery Solved: Determining the Species, Provenance, and Best Rehydration Method for a 150-Pound Dried and Rolled Rhino Skin”
• “What Became of the Broken: Preserving the Impact of Violence Through Ruins & Rubble at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum”
• “A Museum in Possession of a Nazi-Looted Painting: A Case Study”
• “Connect with my Loss: The Museum of Broken Relationships as an Empathetic Institution”
KU Museum Studies is an affordable program designed to accommodate a wide range of student interests, strengths, and abilities. They work closely with each student to match their curiosity and talents with the needs and aspirations of the museum profession. They are strongly committed to expanding the diversity of the museum profession by creating courses that address important questions such as decolonizing museums spaces and rethinking the ethics of collection and representation.
Their website offers exciting prompts to help students think through limitless possibilities of scholarly and artistic research. They invite you to get a feel for their program by contacting their program coordinator, bernzen@ku.edu">Brandy Ernzen, to schedule in-person visits or Zoom meetings with faculty, current students, and local museum professionals.
You are invited to their Q&A Zoom session on Wednesday, December 7, at 5:30 p.m. CT. Click here to join the Zoom meeting!
Applications for Fall 2023 are due February 1.