Unveiling the past, shaping the future: Museum Studies.

Fuel your passion for museums and history with a museum studies focus at Lawrence. Gain the knowledge and skills to become a curator, archivist, educator, and more! Museum studies jobs abound, and this program prepares you for a fulfilling career at museums and cultural institutions worldwide by working directly with Lawrence’s own collections to get hands-on experience from cataloging to conservation.

Emma Lipkin '19 profile image

Alumni Perspective


"Completing the Museum Studies IA taught me to think critically about how, why, and should items be in museums and special collections. The skills I learned in these classes are imperative tools in working to make research libraries more inclusive and welcoming spaces."

Emma Lipkin ’19, Special Collections Librarian for Collection Management at The Newberry Library
English, Archeological Anthropology, Museum Studies
Chicago, Illinois

Academics

Unbagging First-Year Studies

Martyn Smith, director of First-Year Studies, unbags the 10 works being used in First-Year Studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Art hanging in gallery.
Facilities

Wriston Galleries

With a wide variety of rotating exhibitions as well as a permanent art collection of 5,800 items, the Wriston Galleries are your haven for the best art on campus.

From chemistry to curation, learn all about museum work.

The Museum Studies Checklist helps guide you through museum studies requirements.

Experts in art history and curation guide your learning.

Ancient coins on top of white gloves

Curate on Campus


Lawrence University’s art collection of nearly 5,800 items spans historical periods, cultural movements, and mediums, from Byzantine coins to post-modern paintings. Curate exhibitions and work with this astonishing collection.

Melanie Shefchik ’22 count and catalogue material from the Charles A. Grignon Mansion during Practicum in Archaeological Collections Management April 16, 2021 in Briggs Hall.

Hands-on History


Learn the finer points of maintaining a collection of physical artifacts like preservation and pest control with the archaeological, ethnographic, and biological collections of the anthropology program.

The Chandler Senior Experience

Work closely with Museum Studies faculty to develop a Senior Experience project that incorporates your explorations and learnings from this interdisciplinary field.

Recent Senior Experiences include:

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Student wearing regalia at Commencement 2021

Museum Studies Outcomes

You will find Lawrentians in leadership positions at galleries, archives, museums, and libraries putting what they learned as museum studies students into action, shaping the world of learning and discovery around them.

Can you picture yourself at Lawrence? Apply for admission.

The best way to find out if Lawrence is the university for you is by visiting.

Your virtual tour starts at the Arch but be sure to check out Wriston, to explore the arts learning spaces.

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