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Cooperstown Graduate Program

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Cooperstown Graduate Program
Other name
CGP
Established1964
FounderLouis C. Jones
Parent institution
State University of New York at Oneonta
DirectorGretchen Sorin
Academic staff
9
Administrative staff
1
Total staff
10
Students50
Location
5838 State Route 80
,
Cooperstown
,
New York
,
13326
,
United States

42°43′6″N 74°55′35″W / 42.71833°N 74.92639°W / 42.71833; -74.92639
Campus
Colors    Blue, Red, and Green
MascotPlastic flamingo
Websitecgpmuseumstudies.org Edit this at Wikidata
Map

The Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP) is the first and oldest dedicated museum studies program within the United States.[1][2] It provides a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies, with concentrations in science museum studies and history museum studies. Part of the State University of New York at Oneonta, the Cooperstown Graduate Program is located in Cooperstown, known as the "village of museums."[3] It is considered an important part of the development of public history within the United States.[4]

History

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The Cooperstown Graduate Program was formed in 1964 by Louis C. Jones in a joint effort between Oneonta and the New York State Historical Association (now the Fenimore Art Museum), a folklorist that wanted a museum training program that centered "ordinary people"[5] and taught practical administrative skills.[4] This was a conscious rejection of the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, which focuses almost exclusively on decorative arts and curation.[6] The Cooperstown Graduate Program is considered the most lasting and successful legacy of Jones's experiments in integrating public folklore and academic training, known as "the Cooperstown Idea."[7]

The Cooperstown and Winterthur programs remain friendly rivals. The Cooperstown Graduate Program's mascot, a plastic flamingo, comes from this rivalry; the plastic flamingo represents the material culture of ordinary people versus the highbrow decorative arts represented by Winterthur.[8]

Historically, the Cooperstown Graduate Program offered graduate degrees in American folk culture and art conservation in addition to museum studies. The folk culture program was discontinued in 1979, while the art conservation program was moved to Buffalo State University in 1987.[9]

The Cooperstown Graduate Program is noted for its large oral history archive, oral history training, and the integration of oral history into the digital humanities.[10][11][12]

Academics

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The Cooperstown Graduate Program is a generalist museum training program with concentrations in history or science museums. While there are core courses shared between both concentrations and students of one concentration are encouraged to take courses in the other, each concentration has distinct courses and requirements. A thesis was once required, but is now optional.[13]

Admissions

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Cooperstown Graduate Program students are admitted after an interview weekend, traditionally held in-person. Today, students may opt to attend the weekend online instead.[14] 40 candidates are selected for interview and up to 25 are accepted.[13]

Faculty

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As of 2026, the Cooperstown Graduate Program has 6 permanent faculty and 3 adjunct faculty.[15] Notable faculty members include:

Cooperstown Graduate Association

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Alumni of the Cooperstown Graduate Program become members of the Cooperstown Graduate Association (CGA).[16] The Cooperstown Graduate Association supports the Cooperstown Graduate Program through the funding of scholarships and the hosting of lectures.[17]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ↑ Walker, Will (2017-02-03). "Folklore and the roots of public history training in Cooperstown". National Council on Public History. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  2. ↑ Conard, Rebecca (2015-02-01). "The Pragmatic Roots of Public History Education in the United States". The Public Historian. 37 (1): 105–120. doi:10.1525/tph.2015.37.1.105. ISSN 0272-3433.
  3. ↑ Fulkerson, Gregory; Seale, Elizabeth (2012-11-01). "The Case of Cooperstown, New York: The Makings of a Perfect Village in an Urbanising World". Sociological Research Online. 17 (4): 13–32. doi:10.5153/sro.2742. ISSN 1360-7804.
  4. 1 2 Conard, Rebecca (2018), "Complicating Origin Stories", A Companion to Public History, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 17–32, doi:10.1002/9781118508930.ch1, ISBN 978-1-118-50893-0, retrieved 2026-01-21
  5. ↑ Walker, William S. (2021), "Louis C. Jones and the Cooperstown Model: Working at the Nexus of Public Folklore and Public History", in Meringolo, Denise D. (ed.), Radical Roots, Public History and a Tradition of Social Justice Activism, Amherst College Press, pp. 247–270, doi:10.3998/mpub.12366495.13, ISBN 978-1-943208-20-3, retrieved 2026-01-21
  6. ↑ Leon, Warren; Rosenzweig, Roy, eds. (1989). History Museums in the United States: a Critical Assessment. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-252-06064-9.
  7. ↑ Livermore, Garet D. (August 2011). "Revisiting "The Cooperstown Idea": The Evolution of the New York State Historical Association". The Public Historian. 33 (3): 70–89. doi:10.1525/tph.2011.33.3.70.
  8. ↑ Miller, Kaitlyn; Ragone, Shannon (2021). The History of the Cooperstown Graduate Program.
  9. ↑ Dunau, Bera (2014-10-16). "Cooperstown Graduate Program celebrates anniversary". Cooperstown Crier. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  10. ↑ Walker, William S. (2016-12-01). "Sparking Rural Community Dialogues with Digital Oral Histories". Collections. 12 (4): 401–408. doi:10.1177/155019061601200405. ISSN 1550-1906.
  11. ↑ Donaldson, Ryan A. (2009). "Dynamic yet Fragile: Reconsidering the Archive of New York State Folklife". New York Folklore. 35 (1–2): 4–10.
  12. ↑ McLellan, Marjorie L. (2014), "Beyond the Transcript: Oral History as Pedagogy", in Boyd, Douglas A.; Larson, Mary A. (eds.), Oral History and Digital Humanities: Voice, Access, and Engagement, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 99–118, doi:10.1057/9781137322029_6, ISBN 978-1-137-32202-9, retrieved 2026-01-21
  13. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions". The Cooperstown Graduate Program. Retrieved 2026-11-03.
  14. ↑ "FAQ". Welcome Weekend. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2026-11-03.
  15. ↑ "Our Faculty Will Blow Your Mind". The Cooperstown Graduate Program. Retrieved 2026-11-03.
  16. ↑ "CGA". The Cooperstown Graduate Program. Retrieved 2026-11-03.
  17. ↑ Hosie, Megan (2026-02-12). "Graduate Program Launches New Public Lecture Series". All Otsego.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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