I am about to start my senior year of undergraduate coursework and am considering graduate school. I am stuck between History, Museum Studies, and Public History. I have been searching the web and asking people in the field for months for information. Here is the way I see it:
If I go with Museum Studies, I will have very limited career choices, with my goal to become a history museum curator. The job market is apparently terrible (considering that federal and state budget cuts usually start with the humanities) I am also concerned that, should I get a job at a specific type of museum, such as a naval museum, there would only be a very limited number of museums that I could be employed at.
For History, the possible career paths are more numerous, but there are many MA history degree holders. Also, I don't know how marketable I am to non-academic institutions. On the bright side, this degree leaves the door open for a PhD. From professors I've talked with, it seems that only an MA in History from a top-50 school is valuable and marketable. With this degree, I hope to be a history consultant, professor, or genealogist, though the list is endless.
Public History is the option that seems to be a bridge between the other two. Information on these programs has been confusing and contradictory. For example, some graduate program websites proudly claim that their grads have landed jobs as curators, but curators I've talked to say they wouldn't hire someone with a public history degree because the education does not prepare them for the job.
How bad is the history curator job market? Is an MA in History from a non-top-50 school worth getting? What careers can I aim for with an MA in Public History? Which major/career above has the best job outlook?
I am pretty lost at the moment. Any help would be greatly appreciated.