Dual M.A. with African & African-American Studies

Museum Studies and African & African-American Studies offer dual master’s degrees with coordinated curricula so you can complete two M.A. degrees in three years. We apply 15 graduate credit hours to both programs, meaning you complete a 33-credit-hour AAAS degree and a 36-credit-hour Museum Studies degree with just 54 graduate credits. 

This program enhances and diversifies opportunities for graduate students who are motivated to enter the cultural heritage field as specialists in African & African-American Studies. It also allows you to expand your contacts with faculty, enhance your professional networks and deepen your knowledge of both fields of study.

How to Apply

You'll complete the KU Graduate Studies Application to the AAAS and Museum Studies Combined M.A., meeting the established admission requirements of each program. Neither program requires the GRE. Admission into one program does not guarantee admission to the other.

Application deadline: February 3, 2026 for Fall 2026 admission

 

Required Application Materials

  1. A copy of your official transcript, issued by the Registrar's Office of the institution from which you have (or will have) earned your bachelor's degree (and master's degree, if applicable).

  2. One essay not to exceed three single-spaced pages. A fourth page can be added for a bibliography, if needed.

    Please respond to this prompt: How has a museum experience shaped your outlook on the function and relevance of museums? Explain how you have seen museums engage with their various audiences, stakeholders, or communities.

    Feel free to draw from personal experiences of visits to museums or volunteer/paid positions you have held or current events or other instances of museum engagement you have learned about in your studies. Be analytical. Use your essay to help the Admissions Committee better understand your worldview and how you think critically and comparatively about museums and your career objectives in them. We realize you may not have museum work experience, so we want to know how you envision approaching museum studies and your unique perspective as an emergent scholar. We also want to see how well you write. Feel free to cite and support your essay with representational examples from museums, related socio-cultural or political events, your educational and disciplinary expertise, and/or interventions that you see are necessary in the field. Return to Table of Contents 10 We will evaluate your work based on the clarity of your vision, the relative support for your perspective and claims, and your passion for the field as an incoming scholar. We  encourage you to think critically about your areas of interest and how your experience, broadly conceived, offers a fresh perspective to an incoming graduate cohort in Museum Studies at KU. Cogency and clarity are at least as important as content. Topics you might consider, but certainly are not limited to: ethical responsibility to the community; programming surrounding collections and holdings; acquisition practices and repatriation of collections; ecology and the environment; ethics/legal aspects of collecting, exhibiting, or storing materials; how museums create knowledge; the role of objects in deepening people’s capacity for self-awareness. 

  3. A personal statement, not to exceed three double-spaced pages, explaining:
    1. those aspects of museums and museum studies that particularly interest you
    2. your professional goals, including the area of museum work that most attracts you
    3. your relevant experience and background
    4. how you believe KU's Dual Museum Studies/African and African-American Studies M.A. program matches your interests, and
    5. anything else you think is important for us to know. If you believe your academic record does not reflect your potential to perform well in our program, please provide an explanation.
  4. Three letters of recommendation. At least two of your letters should come from professors, instructors, or other individuals who can speak directly to your academic ability.
  5. A resume or curriculum vitae that lists your education, employment history, volunteer experience, internships, scholarships/fellowships, and academic awards.
  6. A sample of your writing or creative work that could be an academic paper or a combination of written work and a portfolio of creative work (maximum 15 double-spaced pages).

 

If you’ve begun coursework in either AAAS or Museum Studies, you can apply to the joint degree prior to competing all coursework requirements for the first degree. In consultation with the respective directors of graduate study, you may receive credit for coursework already completed. However, depending on when the application for admission to the second degree program is submitted, you may be required take more than the required 54 credit hours of coursework to obtain both degrees.

Please see the Admission to Graduate Study policy for additional information on admission requirements.