Buffalo State's art conservation program is one of the leading graduate programs of its kind in North America and accepts only 10 students a year. Program graduates can be found in the conservation labs of major institutions across the United States, including the Smithsonian Institute, the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Founded in 1871, Buffalo State has grown into the largest four-year arts and sciences university in the State University of New York system. Over the past several decades the university has expanded to include a broad spectrum of programs in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, technology, and education. Today, Buffalo State offers more than 170 undergraduate programs and graduate degrees in over 60 disciplines.
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the University of the State of New York Board of Regents accredit the university. Its graduate programs are registered and certified by the New York State Education Department. The university is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States and all Visual Arts programs, including the Art Conservation Department, are accredited by NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design).
The Garman Art Conservation Department partners with art and cultural heritage institutions in Western New York, which provide a wealth of fine art, cultural heritage objects, historical collections and archaeological materials for conservation projects. Students have the opportunity to treat collections from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo History Museum, Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State, Buffalo Museum of Science, Special Collections department at the Central Library of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and the Seneca Iroquois National Museum/Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center in Salamanca, New York.
