Museum Ed vs Museum Studies

[museumstudent]

I have been accepted to my top two choices for graduate study in museums.  I originally mainly applied to programs with specific focus in museum education as that is the general direction I want to go in.  I got into my top choice for museum education at George Washington University.  I also ended up applying to a museum studies program that I came across later in the application season that is a newer program.  I ended up getting accepted to the program.  It is through Marist College but it takes place at their branch campus in Florence, Italy.  It provides a lot of opportunity to learn onsite at the museums in Florence and learn from professionals working in those museums.  Also it gives the experience of living abroad which I never got the opportunity to do in my undergraduate years.  It is a more general program showing all aspects of museum work with one elective class in museum education.  It also has a thesis component which I have already come up with topic for.  The topic I have chosen deals with those with dementia and there are some interesting things being done in Europe relating to my area of study and being in Florence would provide the chance to see some of those programs in person.  However I worry that long term, George Washington would provide me with better contacts and a clearer path to career in museum education.  The program through Marist was started in 2010, so there have only been five previous cohorts.  This is making it difficult to find opinions on the program.  Does anyone have any insight into either programs you can provide to help make my decision?

 

What is difficult is the pros for each program are very different from each other so it makes it difficult to make a direct comparison.

[johnnycomelately]

You didn't mention funding, but that is one aspect that would be very important to me personally. Are these programs MA programs? If so, what is your plan for after? Have you been in contact with any of the graduates of the Marist program? If not, perhaps you can reach out to the program coordinator to set up am introduction. 

[museumstudent]

Money is equal except likely more incidental expenses with living abroad.  Cost is not a deciding factor.  Yes these are both master's programs one a MAT the other an MA.  It will actually be a second graduate degree for me as I have an MA in Org Leadership.  I actually am considering an EDD after in informal education for which GWU would fit better with. Generally museum or other informal learning organizations are what I am looking to work for in an education director or community outreach type role.  I am a career changer as I started out working in a museum and then as an after school teacher.  However I have been working in social services for the past six years but want to get back to an education role that allows for creativity and flexibility.