Nofia1

I agree that getting placement information from both schools is key. That said, you may find that many graduates are working as registrars or in development, not as curators. In general, if you wrote in your cover letters to history programs that you were intending to go on to do curatorial work, the response you received was to be expected (sadly). Many professors and PhD programs in history view themselves as training future researchers/professors. This is an unfortunate perspective given the realities of the job market in history, but it is nevertheless the prevailing view. If you want to be a curator at a major museum, you probably will need a PhD. When/if you apply again, it would be wise to emphasize your research and academic interests rather than public history in your personal statement. Once you get the degree, you can (attempt to) do what you want. That said, there is no reason that you can't do a museum studies degree, get a few years of work experience, and then apply for PhD programs if you want, with the thought of returning to the museum field. Or you might find you're able to advance in the museum you end up working in and decide you don't want to return to graduate school. Don't forget that there are also private companies that do design work, strategic planning, etc. for museums and cultural institutions where you might find employment after completing a museum studies degree. Private sector pay tends to be higher than non-profit and academic pay. Feel free to PM me if you want more detailed information; I'd rather not totally out myself by adding my personal experiences with all of this.

They've overhauled the structure of the program (required courses and coursework timeline have been changed) and by all accounts are planning to accept half as many students as they have in recent years (and the cohorts have been shrinking for several years in a row now as it is). On the positive side for incoming students, those who are accepted should receive competitive funding.

same here, sadly, but you're right, that is just how things go sometimes. On to the next application and better luck to all of us for next time!

oh, well then, that changes everything! Good luck to you as well--I'll be sure to post once I receive my letter. My fingers are crossed for both of us!

thanks for the info! good to know, though I've already mourned and accepted my rejection

Thank you for the info! I'll have to keep my fingers crossed; I applied in a different research field, so perhaps there is still hope.

oh! do you know if they received their acceptances by post or by email?

I know the SSRC is not going to announce winners of the DPDF until the end of the month/beginning of next month, but the waiting is always so hard! Has anyone else applied? Or received one of the fellowships in previous years?

All of the IRS information on what is taxable re: fellowships, tuition remission, etc. is available in this IRS publication: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf