PLEASE HELP! MA. in Museum studies/Art business

[cxli94]

I've been accepted by both Christie's Education and Georgetown art and museum program. I'm debating which one to go. Anyone have any experience with the two schools? I read somewhere saying that both are not very "academic" which is exactly what I'm looking for (yes I need a job). I also see a huge overlap in the future career of the two. I would love to hear any kind of advice!! Thanks!

[ESSpressO]

What are you more interested in - art business or museum studies? I do not know too much about Christie's Edu, but I know a similar MA program from Sotheby's Institute, and it for sure had more strength in art business and Asian art market studies. They are "not very academic" partially because they are 12-month program

...is what I heard from someone else. I am also an applicant this year, so I cannot really give you anything else ;_; Good luck!

[NoirFemme]

On 3/1/2017 at 11:13 AM, cxli94 said:

I've been accepted by both Christie's Education and Georgetown art and museum program. I'm debating which one to go. Anyone have any experience with the two schools? I read somewhere saying that both are not very "academic" which is exactly what I'm looking for (yes I need a job). I also see a huge overlap in the future career of the two. I would love to hear any kind of advice!! Thanks!

What do you want to do? Do you already have museum and/or gallery experience?

The art and museum world is tough to get into and is often underpaid (or unpaid), and degree programs geared towards the field do not guarantee you will be flush with job opportunities.

Museum degrees are also expensive, and if you're going to be coming out of the program with substantial debt, you ought to be sure you've accumulated enough experience in exactly what you want to do before you finish the degree. Another thing is that they tend to be broad in scope rather than preparing students for one department (like registrar, curator, conservation, education, management, etc), so when you start applying for jobs, if you didn't only work with collections or only work with nonprofit development, your degree is somewhat meaningless if jobs are asking for specific experience. 

One last thing to think about: curators--especially in the art museum world--are expected to have specialized knowledge of a particular type of art. For example, a curator of Chinese art has both extensive experience and knowledge of Chinese history and culture + curation training. Museum educators are expected to be professionals with teaching experience and/or education degrees + museum studies degree. 

If these programs are general rather than specific, then that's probably what is meant when they're described as "not very academic." If your heart is set on entering the museum profession, I would recommend getting a job, internship, or volunteer position as you get your degree.

[Pictureit24]

I went through the Georgetown AMUS program and graduated in 2012. I still debate whether it was a good choice for me because at the end of the program I decided I wanted to pursue curatorial work in decorative arts and design (which I studied through the Georgetown/Sotheby's program). I ended up getting a second MA and now work as a curator in my field. True, it's not very academic but you do gain valuable work experience through internships and making connections with a wide group of museum professionals. Almost everyone in my class found a job in their desired field soon after we graduated, which I think speaks to both the reputation of the program and the experience you can gain. You really have the opportunity to craft the program in the way that best suits you and you can do it in only 12 months. Hope that helps. 

[cxli94]

13 hours ago, Pictureit24 said:

I went through the Georgetown AMUS program and graduated in 2012. I still debate whether it was a good choice for me because at the end of the program I decided I wanted to pursue curatorial work in decorative arts and design (which I studied through the Georgetown/Sotheby's program). I ended up getting a second MA and now work as a curator in my field. True, it's not very academic but you do gain valuable work experience through internships and making connections with a wide group of museum professionals. Almost everyone in my class found a job in their desired field soon after we graduated, which I think speaks to both the reputation of the program and the experience you can gain. You really have the opportunity to craft the program in the way that best suits you and you can do it in only 12 months. Hope that helps. 

 

Omg, thank you Pictureit24 for your advice! I just had a conversation with my parents and decided that I'd like to go to GU for that program. I really like how it combines practice and theory and think the experience at Sotheby's is very special. I do have the concern that 12 months can be very short for a museum studies program, but what you have said has really encouraged me to think it in a more positive way.  At the same time, I'm assuming that the program itself wouldn't be academic enough for a career in curatorial work. But from your experience, what types of job did students find after the program (would you say there's a wide range of jobs?)? Thank you again for your kind advice!