The department has offered a Certificate Program in Curatorial Studies for more than a decade. Typically students enroll in this program while taking courses for the M.A. degree in art history, though this two-year curriculum can also be taken at any time during the student's doctoral work.

Students in the Curatorial Studies program must fulfill all requirements for the M.A. (and/or Ph.D.) in Art History. In addition, students must complete one course in Curatorial Training (3 E credits) and three curatorial internships (9 E credits) for a total of 12 E credits. They must also complete at least one Exhibition Seminar (3 credits) which is counted in the normal degree requirements.

The introductory course (Curatorial Training I) is taught by a museum professional. The course considers museum history, philosophy and operations; exhibition planning, design, interpretation, and conservation. As part of the course, students have field trips to various museums and meet with museum directors, curators, conservators and exhibition designers.

Internships are arranged at museums in the New York/New Jersey area with special consideration given to the individual student's field of study and interests. In recent years students have held internships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library, the Whitney Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Montclair Art Museum among others.