The Museum Studies program provides a rich and dynamic education in both museum theory and practice. This dynamic and interdisciplinary program connects courses from disciplines such as History of Art, Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Cities, Biology, and Geology. Students learn about the history of museums and their roles in society, and they engage with critical, theoretical museum scholarship. Through coursework and internships, students also have the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in the Bryn Mawr Special Collections as well as in museums, galleries, and archives in Philadelphia and beyond.

Museum and Curatorial Studies provides a wider understanding of the cultural production of museums and their communities. The Museum and Curatorial Studies program offers an interdisciplinary approach to art history, commerce, Canadian studies, and classics.

This multi-disciplinary minor allows students to complete work in the departments of art history, chemistry, classics, history, and sociology and anthropology. Required coursework introduces students to aspects of cultural heritage and museum studies including looting, trading, marketing, unearthing, conserving and curating. Students take innovative courses with small class sizes that are led by dynamic professors. W&L’s Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies courses prepare students to engage critically and ethically with cultural institutions. The minor affords student the opportunity to handle artwork and curate their own art exhibitions on campus.

Students acquire a comprehensive foundation in museum and gallerywork. They develop capabilities in the main technical areas common to all museums and galleries:conservation and collections management, exhibition design, public programming, andadministration. Students advance their existing knowledge through a blend of engaging academic instruction and experiential learning opportunities such as technical practice and an internship.

Museums and Cultural Heritage incorporates the fields of architecture, anthropology, art, history, and cultural studies to study the identification, preservation, and/or representation of art and heritage materials. Such materials often serve as the evidentiary basis for humanistic, architectural, and social science disciplines. The Museums and Cultural Heritage minor is an interdisciplinary course of study, housed in the School of Humanities.