Master’s Degree in Museum Studies

MSEd in Learning & Engagement in Museums & Cultural Organizations

Bank Street’s museum education master’s degree program—Learning and Engagement in Museums and Cultural Organizations (LEMCO)—will place you at the forefront of an evolving field that is embracing change through diversity, inclusion, and access. You’ll advance your career, refine your leadership skills, and build your capacity to make an impact on cultural institutions and the communities they serve.

With this graduate degree, you’ll be prepared to work as an educator, leader, or public programmer who designs and implements a variety of learning and community engagement programs for cultural centers and non-profit organizations with educational missions. At Bank Street, your studies will focus on areas like learning and development across the lifespan, exhibition development, curriculum planning, and community programming as you learn to facilitate visitor experiences that are enriching, meaningful, and culturally uplifting.

Your coursework will integrate with guided regional fieldwork experiences that are essential to your educational growth and development. When you graduate, you’ll enter the field ready to thrive in settings like museums, historic sites, gardens, parks, performing arts centers, zoos, aquariums, libraries, and community centers, among others.

Educators play an integral role in museum and cultural organizations. Join our collaborative and supportive museum studies community today to gain professional preparation and expertise to help our cultural institutions support vibrant, diverse learning communities.

Our MSEd Program

Bank Street’s graduate program will prepare you to become a sought-after and confident educational professional who can help advance access to and interest in science, art, history, and more through museum and cultural education programs.

Educator speaks to group inside art museum

Learning and Engagement in Museums and Cultural Organizations (MSEd, Blended On Campus and Online, 36 credits)

Leadership program for those seeking opportunities to enter the field
Online coursework along with 10 weekend visits and a weeklong summer session in New York City
Fieldwork, on-site advisement, peer conference groups, and close collaboration with professionals in your region
Leads to professional roles planning and designing innovative programming, educational resources, community engagement initiatives, and visitor programs for a diverse group of people, including both children and adults

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Interested in a more flexible degree that explores concepts in museum education and other areas? Consider our individualized program option below:

museum studies graduate students on a field trip to a museum

Studies in Education (MSEd, EdM, 30-31 credits)

Individualized and targeted non-certification program for professionals seeking a deep understanding of how children learn
Courses in human development, philosophy of education, curriculum development, and social context, which can be tailored for museum education
Two tracks for leadership or teaching and learning
Prepares you for accredited roles, including advocating for children, designing environments for children, developing educational policy, and more

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Our Approach

We’re for educators who want to spend every day face to face with the future.

Bank Street holds a unique and highly regarded place in the world of education. We were trailblazers when we were founded in 1916—and our ideas, which were once radical, are widely practiced and accepted today. If you want to shape the future of education, this is where you start.
We’re for democracy and equity.

Our commitment to democracy and social justice is at the heart of our innovative pedagogy and desire to help all learners, both children and adults, actively make sense of the world. Equity and equality are always in a Bank Street educator’s mind—we meet students “where they are” in their learning with strengths-based activities and socially, emotionally, and culturally appropriate support.
We're for sharing good ideas.

For a small institution, our reach is broad. Our mix of graduate and continuing education coursework, research programs, and professional partnerships with school districts across the country aims to expand and improve educational opportunities for all students.

Financial Aid

At Bank Street, we believe education is an investment that will change your life—and the lives of the students you’ll work with. We’ll help you make it possible.

Every year, Bank Street’s Office of Financial Aid administers over $8.5 million in financial aid to students. More than 50 percent of our students receive financial aid. Your individual financial status from the prior year is a key factor in determining your award. We encourage you to go through the financial aid process to find out what we can offer.

Do I qualify for financial aid based on my income?

Your individual financial status from the prior year is a key factor in determining your award. Incoming students who earn up to $80,000 a year (or significantly more for students with families) are likely to qualify for a need-based scholarship at Bank Street. Our scholarship program makes the cost of attending Bank Street Graduate School of Education competitive with most other private schools in the New York region.
When should I apply for financial aid?

You can apply for financial aid at the same time you complete your admission application. Filling out the FAFSA as early as possible is an important step for financial aid. Federal student aid, including scholarships, can significantly reduce your financial obligation without adding to student debt.
What types of scholarship opportunities are available for me?

Our financial aid advisors would be happy to tell you more about the process and our many scholarship opportunities for new and continuing students, including external scholarships and program-based, diversity-oriented, public school-focused, and career changer scholarships, among others.

Why Bank Street?

Cultural Access for All Learners

Bank Street’s re-envisioned museum studies programs will place you at the forefront of a rapidly changing field that’s embracing change. Our museum educators strive to provide visitor experiences and community engagement that accesses diverse cultural knowledge and ensures shared learning.

Advancing the Profession

Between 2018-28, the job market for museum professionals is expected to grow 9%—the average rate of growth for all other professions is 5%. Graduates of our museum studies programs are well-positioned to lead in this forward-looking field.

Prepared for the Long Run

In a field that experiences high turnover rates due to underprepared teachers, Bank Street is proud that 87% of its graduates remain in the field of education and 87% feel more confident in their specialty than comparison educational professionals.

Alumni Voices

Bank Street taught me about reflection, to know yourself first. I used to come back after classes all fired up. I learned how to manage change, get to know my colleagues, be receptive to new ideas and methods. Our visit to the Queens Museum taught me the importance of being embedded in a community, of being hyper-local, making people feel this space belongs to them.

Leah Golubchick

Teen Programs Coordinator at Brooklyn Public Library; former Manager of Middle/High School Programs at AMNH

212-652-8722
gseenrollment@bankstreet.edu