Program Overview
Museum & Archival Studies Pathway
Explore how museums, archives, and collections preserve the past, shape public understanding, and inspire new conversations about culture, history, science, and identity.
Interdisciplinary Exploration
Study museums, archives, and collections through perspectives spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Collections in Practice
Engage with exhibitions, collections, and curatorial work while connecting theory with real-world museum practice.
Contemporary Perspectives
Explore the ethical, cultural, and historical questions shaping museums and archives today.
Why choose the Museum & Archival Studies Pathway?
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Explore museums, archives, and collections through an interdisciplinary liberal arts approach.
Examine questions of ethics, ownership, accessibility, cultural heritage, and representation.
Develop practical skills in collection management, preservation, research, and information organization.
Learn alongside faculty and museum professionals with expertise in museums, archives, archaeology, history, literature, religion, and art history.
Benefit from the resources of the College of Wooster Art Museum, where exhibitions and collections support hands-on learning and student engagement.
Explore the many dimensions of museums and archives.
Students in the Museum & Archival Studies Pathway examine topics including:
- Museum and archival history
- Collection management and curation
- Preservation and conservation
- Information and archival management
- Public history
- Digital collections and exhibition
- Cultural patrimony and ethics
- Colonialism and decolonizing collections
- Justice, equity, accessibility, and representation
The pathway encourages students to investigate how museums, archives, and cultural institutions preserve knowledge while serving increasingly diverse communities.
Ready to Preserve and Share the Stories That Matter?
Whether you're interested in art, archaeology, history, archives, libraries, science collections, or cultural heritage, the Museum & Archival Studies Pathway provides an interdisciplinary foundation for understanding how collections shape our understanding of the world.
Career Opportunities
Anthropology graduates build careers by combining cultural understanding with strong research and communication skills.
Key Areas
Museum studies and curation
Archives and records management
Library and information science
Public history
Museum education
Gallery management
Collections management
Preservation and conservation
Archaeology
Cultural heritage and preservation
Documentary and digital preservation
Exhibition and display design
Corporate and specialized collections
Kara Morrow
Professor of Art and Art History; Chair of Museum Studies
kmorrow@wooster.edu
Olivia Navarro-Farr
Professor of Archaeology, Sociology, and Anthropology; Program Chair for Archaeology
onavarro-farr@wooster.edu
Madonna Hettinger
Lawrence Stanley Chair and Professor of Medieval History
mhettinger@wooster.edu
Claire J. C. Eager
Assistant Professor of English
ceager@wooster.edu
Mark Graham
Lincoln Chair of Religion; Associate Professor of South Asian Studies; East Asian Studies; Co-Liaison to the Museum & Archival Studies Pathway; Associate Dean of Academic Advising
mgraham@wooster.edu
Tracy Cosgriff
Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Middle Eastern & North African Studies
tcosgriff@wooster.edu