Museum Studies Department

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The Museum Studies Department of The George Washington University was founded in 1976 by a committee of University professors consisting of Dr. Humphrey from Anthropology, Dr. MacDonald from Art History, and Dr. Mergen from American Studies. The University was one of the first graduate schools to establish a museum studies based program.

In the early 1980s Marie Malaro, a legal advisor to the Smithsonian Institution, took over as director of the program. Under her direction, the course selection increased as did the number of students enrolled in the program. Malaro retired in 1997 and was succeeded by Ildiko DeAngelis, who also previously served as a legal advisor to the Smithsonian Institution for over 10 years.

The department was created to provide students with a broad background in museum studies knowledge, including a variety of specialized approaches to a museum careers, with concentrations in such areas as conservation, collections management, and exhibiting techniques. Due to the large variety of museums in the District of Columbia, the University offers a unique resource for interested students. Not only are classes taught by professionals who work in local museums, including the Smithsonian, many of these classes are taught within the museums themselves.

The Museum Studies department offers a 2 year Master’s program or a one year certificate program. The department offers three concentrations within the museum field: collections management, exhibit design, and administration. Furthermore, the program requires an academic core in a specialized field which includes, but is not limited to art, anthropology, history, or American studies.

See also: Museum Studies Department Records/RG092[1]

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Author or Source: University Archives subject files
Document Location: University Archives
Date Added to Encyclopedia: December 21, 2006
Prepared by: Lyle Slovick, Assistant University Archivist

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