Lowering Barriers
Graduate school is not the only pathway to entering the museum field, but we believe it鈥檚 an important one and that therefore the accessibility of graduate education is critical. Here are some of the ways that we are working to reduce barriers to access.
Holistic Admissions
Our application review process prioritizes expertise and experience beyond GPA and traditional museum internships. When our Admissions Commitee reviews applications, they prioritize a commitment to a culture of belonging in the program. You can .
No GRE
As part of our holistic admission reviews, our program eliminated our Graduate Record Examination (GRE) requirement in 2019. The GRE test provides a financial and logistical barrier to the application process. Further, research suggests that standardized tests scores such as the GRE may not accurately predict success in graduate school.
Application Fee Waiver
The Graduate School at the 糖心原创 waives the application fee (currently $90, as of 2025) based on financial need and for McNair Scholars; please see the for details. In the event that an applicant does not qualify for this waiver, it is possible for the Museology program to pay the fee on behalf of the applicant.
Please email uwmuse@uw.edu if you do not qualify for the Graduate School waiver and wish to request a fee waiver on other grounds (please do this before submitting your application, as we are unable to reimburse applicants). Plan to submit your application fee waiver request at least seven (7) days before the application deadline.
Information Sessions & One-on-One Meetings
We strive to ensure every applicant has all the information they need to decide whether grad school, and our program specifically, is the right path for them. We know that not every applicant has had the benefit of having family, friends, or mentors who can guide them through the process of evaluating graduate programs, determining a good fit, and creating a strong application. We strive to be transparent about the costs of our program, what we have to offer, and what you can do with our degree.
In addition to putting a lot of effort into making our website a useful resource, we offer several information sessions each fall, and our Graduate Advisor, Kevin, loves to meet one-on-one with prospective students to help them figure out whether our program can serve them well based on their particular career goals.
Paid Internships
Many museum professionals enter the field because they are passionate about supporting museums and their local communities, but the prevalence of unpaid internships in the field can pose a significant barrier for even the most enthusiastic emerging professional. In fact, unpaid internships may widen the opportunity gap for underrepresented students, as a higher concentration of women, Black and Latino persons, and individuals from low-income families are represented in unpaid internships (Frenette et al., 2015; Gardner, 2011). Over the past four years, we have prioritized paid internships for every museology student.
Frenette, A., Dumford, A. D., Miller, A. L., & Tepper, S. J. (2015).聽The Internship Divide: The Promise and Challenges of Internships in the Arts. Bloomington, IN. Retrieved from聽
Gardner, P. (2011).聽The debate over unpaid college internships. Intern Bridge.