Is Baylor University a good school?

[Mark Senior]

Originally Posted by MillennialMaverick

It's not HIS rationale, he's acknowledging that such rationales exist and they are counter-intuitive.

Correct.

[turf3]

Well, as an undergraduate institution Baylor is kind of meh. There are several Texas universities I'd rank well above Baylor.


But you're not talking about undergraduate studies, you're talking about a masters program in a fairly rare subject.


I think you need to research two things specifically, and it's unlikely the random posters on this board will be able to answer:


1) What is the quality of the Museum Studies masters' program at Baylor?
2) What is the reputation of the Baylor Museum Studies masters' program within the museum community?


These two things are related but not identical, and the answers to them will tell you whether or not you should prioritize Baylor in your plans. Given that there aren't a lot of jobs for museum curators, I'd make getting answers to those questions, from people who actually know, your task.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by bigbioman23

I am looking into Baylor University for my Master’s degree in museum studies. I’ve heard good things about the school and the program. However, it was also brought to my awareness that cost of attendance at Baylor tends to run on the high end. I did hear though that they offer a lot of financial aid. Can anyone please give me some thoughts and feedback about going to school there? If so, it would be much appreciated.

For overall undergrad program by USNR Baylor ranks among top 5 Texas schools with Rice, UT Austin, A&M and SMU and ranks much higher than UTD, UNT, UTA, UH, Texas Tech etc, which is pretty impressive for a smaller conservative Christian school in middle of Waco so yes, academically it’s a solid school.

For a graduate program, you have to look at your specific interest, it doesn’t help that their health sciences are good or law program is great. Their generous financial aid and merit scholarships are of no use to a graduate applicant. What matters to you is overall prestige of school and graduate program for Museum Studies.

From some research, looks like its a reputable program with impressive job placement numbers, which is a lot to say for a niche subject like museum studies. As a Christian school, they do have an advantage of having close relations with religious institutions and museums with religious relics. They also offer other programs complimenting museum studies, students can take a semester worth of courses there to strengthen their resume. Lets say learning Jewish, Christian, Islamic or art history, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew or Latin languages can make you a more valuable expert. If you do some CS courses, you can focus on digital archives.

As far as cost goes, that depends upon your personal situation. Go talk to their advisors and faculty and find out more to make an informed decision about its worth for you.

[tcualum]

I don't know about the Museum Studies program at Baylor but I do know that the university and city (Waco) aren't known for their museums. The opportunities for internships or networking will be poor unless you're willing to drive more than an hour one way. For example, it's at least 1.5 hours to the Dallas Museum of Art and more than an hour to the Fort Worth Museum District, assuming there's no traffic which is definitely not a given. While there are museums in Waco, which I've been to, with the exception of the Waco Mammoth National Monument they don't measure up to what you'll encounter in Dallas and Fort Worth to the north or what you can visit in Austin to the South.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by tcualum

I don't know about the Museum Studies program at Baylor but I do know that the university and city (Waco) aren't known for their museums. The opportunities for internships or networking will be poor unless you're willing to drive more than an hour one way. For example, it's at least 1.5 hours to the Dallas Museum of Art and more than an hour to the Fort Worth Museum District, assuming there's no traffic which is definitely not a given. While there are museums in Waco, which I've been to, with the exception of the Waco Mammoth National Monument they don't measure up to what you'll encounter in Dallas and Fort Worth to the north or what you can visit in Austin to the South.

This is very true. Texas is not a museum Mecca nor are we rich in history like Europe or Egypt. Texas universities fill this void by arranging national and international field trips, summer internships and fellowships to enrich learning experience and earning potential of their students.

[UnfairPark]

It seems Waco area has some museums for year around experiences and you are less than couple of hours away from Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston for weekend excursions to see whatever Texas has to offer. These links may interest OP.

https://www.baylor.edu/mayborn/index.php?id=931370

https://wacoheartoftexas.com/things-to-do/museums/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...c49-Texas.html

https://www.artcurators.org/page/Internships

https://www.collegescholarships.com/...s-scholarships

[tcualum]

They do have museums but they aren’t very impressive and won’t catch someone’s eye on a CV or resume.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by tcualum

They do have museums but they aren’t very impressive and won’t catch someone’s eye on a CV or resume.

Yup. That’s why digital access, field trips, summer internships and fellowships are more important for Texas kids then NY, London, Rome or Cairo students.