About The Program

Heritage and Museum Sciences (Master of Arts degree) at Texas Tech University is an interdisciplinary program that enables graduate students to study and work in an immersive museum and/or heritage environment while developing a track in Heritage Management or Museum Science that is unique to their long-term career goals. The program allows students to design a degree comprised of core and elective courses that provide them with the knowledge and skills for independent research and creative expression for solving fundamental problems of today and into the future within the sphere of museums and heritage properties and to succeed in the future workforce that is continuing to become more interdisciplinary.

Within the program, the teaching of theory and practice are integrated through the combination of theory-based learning, practice-based professional learning, experiential learning, and work-based learning. This integration allows for an emphasis on what museums and heritage sites do and why they matter to be recognized and understood in every area of museum and heritage business and operations. Through high impact practices such as faculty-mentored research and creative activity opportunities, service learning, field-based learning, apprenticeship, and internship, integrated learning and program flexibility create a unique signature learning experience for each student.

Heritage and Museum Sciences is housed in the Museum of Texas Tech University. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum, including the Lubbock Lake Landmark and the Natural Science Research Laboratory, provides a learning laboratory setting for immersive practice within a working museum and heritage property as well as for the development of method and theory critical to the growth of the professions.

Heritage Emphasis

While heritage management is the focus, it is couched in the broader view of heritage, including tangible and intangible aspects and cultural and natural realms.

The heritage management concentration and high impact practices are configured to allow students to emphasize areas of interest such as:

• Heritage administration
• Interpretation
• Heritage education
• Heritage tourism and ecotourism.

Museum Science Emphasis

Preparation in the broad spectrum of museum theory and practice provides a comprehensive background in museum studies.

The museum concentration and high impact practices are configured to allow students to be generalists or emphasize areas of interest such as:

• Museum administration
• Exhibitions and interpretation
• Museum education
• Collections management and care
• Discipline-based curatorship

Contact and More Information

If you would like more information on Heritage and Museum Sciences at Texas Tech University, please feel free to contact Dr. Eileen Johnson or Sally Y. Shelton directly.

 

Eileen Johnson, Ph.D.
Chair, Horn Professor

P: 806-834-5560

eileen.johnson@ttu.edu

 

Sally Y. Shelton
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Chair

806-834-6292

Sally.Shelton@ttu.edu