The Museum Studies Graduate Program kicked off 2012 with a move into the heart of Washington, D.C.’s museum district. Now located at 13th and G Streets, NW, the new space provides much needed growing room for one of the largest museum studies programs in the country, and affords students easy access to practitioners in the field.
“We’re much closer to the Smithsonian—where some of our classes are hosted and a lot of our students do their internships—and in a great community of other museums,” said Kym Rice, director of the Museum Studies Program. “I’m excited to create closer relationships with the Portrait Gallery, the Building Museum, and our other friends in the neighborhood.”
Formerly located in a small townhouse at 21st and F, the new space is a short 15-minute walk from the main campus. The program’s new home includes a large classroom that seats approximately 50 students, a small classroom/conference room that can accommodate 25 students, a computer lab for onsite research, a student lounge, and 11 faculty offices.
Established in 1976, Columbian College’s Museum Studies Program is one of the first its kind and now ranks among the nation’s top museum training programs. More than 115 students are currently enrolled in the graduate program, which encompasses master’s degrees in collections management, exhibition development/design, and museum management and leadership, as well as on-campus and online graduate certificate offerings.