Advice on Museum Studies MA

[Sg693]

Hi all! I'm finalizing my search for programs and was wondering what advice people had on this field. 

I just got a BS in Anthropology and Educational Studies with a 3.5 GPA. I did somewhat okay (152V 146Q 4.0 AW) on the GRE so I'm bit stressed about that. I'm currently caught between doing museum education and curation in grad school, as I've done two six month internships working in both. I'm also really interested in studying the use of new technology (i.e. apps, youtube videos, social media, etc) in museums as a form of education. 

I'm tending to lean towards programs that really stress hands-on work and internships. So far what I have on my list are:

• San Francisco State University 
• George Washington University 
• University of Washington 
• Syracuse University 
• University of North Carolina - Greensboro 

Are there any other programs that I should look into? Should I be alarmed about my GRE scores? Any advice would be appreciated!  

[verycunning]

Museum curation and museum education are going to require very different grad programs, imo. Most curators I know at top (history and science, at least) museums have PhDs in the field they work in. Most museum educators I know have M.A.s, but in a variety of degrees (museum studies, public history, archives, history, education, art history, American Studies, and Women's Studies, off the top of my head). So that is something to think about.

If you're interested in using social media, you may want to look into programs strong in digital humanities, as that can help bring together social media, archives, library, and other fields related to museums. I've got a friend who's used the Carolina Digital Humanities Initiative, so that's the only one I know of specifically, but it's definitely a growing field of interest.

[brown_eyed_girl]

First off, you might get more replies in the Art History forum than here (Museum Studies degrees are often discussed there, even if you're not interested in the art side of it).

I agree 100% with verycunning - curation and education are totally different paths. I come from the art museum side of things, but there as well curator jobs usually require PhDs in their field; there are still assisant curator jobs at some large museums and full curator jobs at smaller museums for those with research-based MAs. Museum education people have a wide range of MAs, and it's also possible to get entry-level education jobs with just a BA (I know several people in higher-up ed positions who worked their way up with only the BA). 

In general, I would think very carefully before pursuing a Museum Studies MA. At least at the large art museums I worked at, these degrees were not well-respected, as they are often considered more like vocational degrees. There were certainly people with Museum Studies degrees working there, but they were all in Administration jobs. I think you'd do better to find an MA program in the field you're interested in (Anthro, Ed, etc) and then focus on museums in your thesis project or continue building your experience in museums in your free time. There is a ton of great work on museums in Anthropology, for instance, as I'm sure you know. 

Another thing to consider is cost -- I'm not aware of any funded museum studies degrees, so unless you have the cash on hand you could be looking at a lot of debt. This is especially risky when you're preparing for generally low-paying work at nonprofit museums. Research-based MAs are much more likley to be funded or partially funded, and I think your job prospects would be better as well. 

Edited November 20, 2015 by brown_eyed_girl

[Sg693]

Thanks for the replies! Honesty, I'm not that motivated to commit to a PhD (both in terms of time and money) so I guess that rules out curation. I really enjoy working with physical objects which is why I was considering heading down that route. 

I've started to look at History/Public History programs with digital humanities programs in hopes to find some other potential programs. I'll start looking into Anthropology programs too. 

I knew entering into this field that loans were likely in my future. All of my internship advisers have been explicitly clear about that when offering advice.  

[emhafe]

Hello! There are a couple of history related museum programs. The University of North Carolina Greensboro offers an MA in History/Museum Studies. There are a couple other programs that offer something similar, if I remember correctly.

[brown_eyed_girl]

I don't think you have to rule out curation without a PhD - it's definitely feasible to be a curator with a terminal MA, you're just more likely to be an assistant curator or work in a smaller institution. You could also work in a curatorial department as a curatorial assistant, curatorial fellow or research assistant with an MA. I know some people who worked their way up from these types of positions into assistant curator positions, too. The pay will be lower than full curator jobs, but a lot of the work is the same and you still get to work on exhibitions and have close access to collections. I'd just recommend doing the MA in the speicific field you'd want to work in rather than Museum Studies for curatorial jobs, because the people hiring will be curators and department heads with PhDs, and they tend to value knowledge in their specialty much more than they value knowledge of museum operation protocol or databases. It think history or anthropology MAs would make a lot of sense and keep your options open. Good luck! 

 

PS If your main impetus to working in curation is about working with objects, you might also look into collection management or related museum work - they tend to work much more with actual objects than do curators in my experience. 

Edited November 20, 2015 by brown_eyed_girl

[KLZ]

Hi there! 

You might consider applying to NC State University for the Public History - MA program. They have a museum studies track, and they also just added a digital humanities option. Best of all, they offer funding (tuition/stipend/health insurance) for the MA and offer some support for students that take unfunded internships.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@Sg693 It looks like we are applying to similar schools! If you look at my signature we have some in common ha. Tbh, I never planned on being a curator and I eventually want to work at museums that aren't the "big names". So getting a masters in Museum Studies/Non-Profit Management is the right choice for me. I've finished most of my applications, I have two left. I also looked at San Francisco but I decided not to apply because it's so expensive and most of the professors are adjunct. 

[Sg693]

@Need Coffee in an IV I planned on being the exact same way with working at smaller museums, then I ended up getting an internship with the National Park Service. Now I can see myself working there too. Though I've seen first hand how hard it is getting in the door there, so I'm probably gonna stick with the smaller museums for now. Though thanks to that internship, I'm massively behind on my applications. I'm now debating crossing out George Washington purely on cost and DC's cost of living, though the idea of working with the Smithsonian would be amazing. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@Sg693 Yeah I've worked at state and regional museums and I really liked the work environment. Plus I like smaller cities compared to bigger cities. I would cross out George Washington. But I find it too expensive. I mean it could cost 120,000 and that debt scares me. Particularity since I won't be making a huge salary. The Smithsonian is amazing but I couldn't live in or near DC.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Need Coffee in an IV

[meo03]

You may want to look at the University of South Carolina. They have a museum studies and a historic preservation track (though their museum studies faculty might be a bit in flux at the moment). They also have a number of interesting university initiatives in digital humanities and a good track record of placing their MAs in good jobs. 

 

:end advertisement for my MA program:

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@meo03 There seems to be so many good schools, its hard to decide! I'm already a nervous wreck and its not even the deadlines yet. Plus i need to study for finals ha

[Sg693]

@Need Coffee in an IV I completely agree on the too many good schools thing! I feel like my list keeps growing and I've yet to cut any. I'm getting into the nitty gritty of writing my SOPs and hopefully starting to realize that some of these programs might not be the right fit and just seem like really cool places to be.  

[museum_geek]

If you're still looking for programs I would recommend the MA in Material Culture and Public Humanities at Virginia Tech.  It offers significant experience with museum work and offer opportunities for funding.  Full disclosure, I'm a bit biased as I am currently a student in the program, but it really does offer some great opportunities for professional experience and interdisciplinary study.  They offered me an incredibly generous stipend and an assistantship which allows me to work for the lead curator at the VT Center for the Arts.

The MS in Museum and Field Studies at CU Boulder is another good program to check out, although it is more focused on preparing students for careers in collections management instead of education.

Edited December 28, 2015 by museum_geek

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@museum_geek I applied to CU Boulder! I received a lukewarm response so we will see how that goes. And I actually haven't heard of Tech's program. I'm currently at Radford University so I'm actually close by. I wonder if I can squeeze in one more application. @Sg693 Yeah I submitted all of my applications except Texas Tech. They have a longer deadline so I'll finish that one soon. And now I wait for my letters...

[museum_geek]

@Need Coffee in an IV You definitely still have time to apply to VT!  I would recommend speaking with Bailey Van Hook or Aaron Ansell, the co-directors of the program.  They're both super friendly and I'm sure they'd be happy to hear from a potential applicant.  One of the other students in my cohort actually graduated from Radford this spring, so the program already has some connections to Radford!

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@museum_geek Thanks for the suggestion! Tbh I don't think I would be a great fit for the program. It's pretty great hearing from other people who are studying similar things though.