>I would like to know from anyone with a Museum Studies degree what
>college they attended.  I am looking for both undergraduate studies and
>graduate studies.  Even though I am in college now, my college doesn't
>offer Museum studies.  I have looked in college books and found very
>few that offer Museum studies.  Thank you for any help you can give me.
> Kristy Miller class of 2000


The Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, offers a Masters degree
program in Museum Science (aka museology, the science of museums).  Our
program is a two-year comprehensive curriculum followed by a professional
internship or thesis.  Students gain practical experience working
(work-study) in various departments within the museum during the coursework
portion of their tenure.

The museum itself consists of the main museum building which houses
exhibits, administrative and curatorial offices, labs and workspaces, and
storage.  Three other components of the museum complex are the Ranching
Heritage Center, Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Natural Science Research
Laboratory.

The Ranching Heritage Center is a collection of 33 historic structures, the
oldest of which dates to the 1840s.  The Center offers a laboratory for
students to apply principles of historic preservation, interpretation, and
other opportunities for living history public programming.

Another component is the Lubbock Lake Landmark, a state archeological site
which documents Paleo-indian occupation as far as 11,000 years ago.  Museum
archeologists conduct research in a state of the art on-site laboratory,
and educational programs are conducted in the interpretive center.  The
interpretve center is co-administered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department.

The Natural Science Research Laboratory is a facility which houses a vast
and significant mammal and tissue collection.  The NSRL has figured
prominently in ongoing research into environmental dilemmas, including New
Mexico's Hanta virus (aka Four Corners Disease) and the Chernobyl disaster.


In choosing a specialty, students in the Museum Science program can select
any of the following areas: History, Clothing/Textiles, Education, Art,
Ethnology, Archeology, Natural Sciences (incl. vertibrate zoology), and
Exhibit development.  Other courses offered on campus, such as Museum Law,
Marketing and Development, Public Administration, Historic Preservation,
Historic Clothing Conservation, and Interpretation compliment the students
program.  Students may also enroll in traditional academic courses to
further augment their museum course of study.

We are one of the top five degree-granting programs in the USA with a
placement rate in the range of 90-95 percent.  Our graduates are working in
institutions nationwide, as well as in foreign countries.  Since the
program's creation in the mid-1970s, many of our alumni have become
directors, administrators, and museum trustees.  This year at the AAM
conference in Atlanta, we are sponsoring a reception for our students,
alumni, and guests.  All AAM delegates are welcome.  It will be held on
Monday, April 28, 5:00-6:30 pm.  Check your AAM program for the assigned
location.

The Museum Science Students Association sponsors museum oriented activities
such as trips to area museums, historic, and natural sites, etc, as well as
guest speakers, and special fundraisers.  The Association also provides
partial funding for student participation in state, regional, and national
museum conferences.  Our students are currently involved in a statewide
effort to create a museum training affinity group within the Texas
Association of Museums structure.  Bylaws have been written and officers
have been named.  Official TAM status will be determined at the next
council meeting of the Texas Association of Museums.

For more information on the museum, its staff, and programs, visit the TTU
Museum web site at:

http://www.ttu.edu/~museum

The site contains pages on the Museum Science program as well as the Museum
Science Students Association.

Cheers,
HBC
(Museum Science Students Association advisor)

*****************************************
Henry B. Crawford        Curator of History
[log in to unmask]     Museum of Texas Tech University
806/742-2442           Box 43191
FAX 742-1136             Lubbock, TX  79409-3191
*******   Life is a trip. Enjoy the ride!   ***********