Museum and Heritage Studies
Our unique interdisciplinary program is based on hands-on experiences and a solid research foundation across the arts, humanities, and social and natural sciences.
Why Museum and Heritage Studies at Randolph?
Students take advantage of Randolph’s unique on-campus collections of art and natural history and archaeology collections, as well as strong ties to local, national, and international resources, archives, museums, and research institutions.
The Center for Career Development connects students to internships and fieldwork with professional organizations in the US and abroad, including the Preservation Institute Nantucket, the Archaeological Conservation Institute (Italy), and exclusive internships at The National Gallery (London).
Graduates emerge with a broad interdisciplinary background of knowledge and experience as well as practical skills and fresh perspectives for presenting and studying visual and material culture.
The program is based on Randolph College’s world-class Maier Museum of Art and the College’s notable natural history and archaeology collections, and has a strong commitment to hands-on, experiential learning in and out of the classroom.
Degrees offered
Related Programs
Art History
History
Classical Studies
Unique Experiences
The Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College
Randolph College’s nationally recognized Maier Museum of Art features works by outstanding American artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The College has been collecting American art since 1920 and now holds a collection of several thousand paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs. The Maier’s permanent collection tells the story of the development of American Art and the intrinsically connected growth of America’s expansion and history.
An annual exhibition of contemporary art, known as “The Annual,” continues the narrative with a focus on the art and issues of our time. Established in 1911, it the is longest running exhibition of contemporary art presented at an academic institution in the United States.
The Maier hosts an active schedule of special exhibitions, visiting artists and scholars, and education programs throughout the year. Through its programs, internships, museum studies practicums, and class visits, the Maier Museum of Art provides valuable learning opportunities for Randolph students and our community at large.
The Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collections
The Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collections, established in 1895, contain hundreds of zoological specimens including birds, mammals, fishes, reptiles, insects, marine invertebrates, and fossils. The collections boast an excellent herbarium containing thousands of specimens of plants indigenous or introduced to the eastern United States, specifically Central Virginia. Also notable is the large geology collection, featuring thousands of rock and mineral samples from around the world. The archaeological collections contain artifacts and remains from local and classical Mediterranean sites.
Through classwork, internship, and volunteer opportunities, the Natural History and Archaeology Collections offer a cross-disciplinary approach to developing crucial skills of observation and methodology in the research of natural sciences.
The National Gallery, London
A One of a Kind Partnership
Randolph is the only college or university in the United States that offers an internship at the National Gallery of Art, London.
Two students spend eight weeks of the summer learning museum work at one of the world’s greatest painting collections.
The partnership also brings high-level staff members of the National Gallery to campus for lectures and master classes with Randolph students.
Learn more about the National Gallery, London internship program.
Internships
In addition to experiential learning at the Maier Museum of Art and with the Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collections, majors are required to complete at least two internships.
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, and other local and regional historical and archaeological sites, and a variety of archives, collections, and museums give students access to exceptional resources for research and career exploration.
The program also capitalizes on Randolph College’s impressive range of internships and fieldwork with professional organizations in the US and abroad, including at the Preservation Institute Nantucket, The National Gallery (London), and the Archaeological Conservation Institute (Italy), the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Opportunities
Top Ranked Professors
Randolph College’s faculty are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the College in the Top 20 for most accessible professors in the 2021 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 387 Colleges.
Randolph has been ranked in the top 20 for most accessible professors for four consecutive years.
Museum and Heritage Studies Faculty
Laura McManus
Curator of Education, Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College
Read More... Laura McManusSusan Stevens
Professor of Classics, The Catherine Ehrman Thoresen ’23 and William E. Thoresen Chair of Humanities
Read More... Susan StevensDepartment News
Only at Randolph
Randolph students can take advantage of unique programs which give them a more enriching education than can be found anywhere else.
The Randolph Innovative Student Experience (RISE) program provides every student a $2,000 grant to fund research, creative work, experiential learning or other scholarly pursuits.
Two courses per half-mester means you get to focus in and dig deep into your coursework while still having time for the rest of the college experience. Two classes. Seven weeks. Repeat.
Randolph graduates learn to think critically, solve problems and work well with others. They are prepared to succeed in all aspects of life.
Randolph students work with faculty mentors to explore a broad range of disciplines as they chart their academic path.
