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Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

  • 1.  Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-26-2022 01:18 PM
    I am recently enrolled in the graduate program at the University of Oklahoma for a Mast of Arts in Museum Studies. It's a two-year remote learning program. I am curious as to the number of folks working in the museum field who have degrees, and if the degree has been useful for you.  I am also wondering what schools offer Ph.Ds, if I am able to graduate?  Thanks you

    --
    Michael Konshak, curator
    International Slide Rule Museum
    1944 Quail Circle
    Louisville, CO 80027
    +01 303-921-8709
    http://www.sliderulemuseum.com

    Member:
    American Association of Museums
    Association of Northern Front Range Museums
    Oughtred Society
    United Kingdom Slide Rule Circle


  • 2.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-27-2022 08:26 AM
    Michael,

    I attended Georgetown University's Art & Museum Studies program, which is a one-year program. The degree has been helpful and creating a foundation for my skills and knowledge. The theory and understanding of practices I learned  I wouldn't have learned on the job, in my opinion. However, each position has its own unique environment, needs, duties, and challenges that a degree can prepare you for but you still have to do a great deal of learning on the job. I absolutely credit my program with giving me the skills to adapt and grow into each role. There is no one shape fits all for position roles from institution to institution. 

    I am not aware of any museum studies PhDs. At that point I think folks focus on a relevant field, such as History, American Studies, Public History. But others will be better suited to answer that.
    Best,
    Luke

    ------------------------------
    Luke Perez
    Curator of Collections
    College Park Aviation Museum
    College Park MD
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-27-2022 09:20 AM
    Three people in my curatorial department of seven-- our registrar, our curatorial assistant, and me-- have Museum Studies master's degrees, one of them the remote program like yours. I found the experience more helpful than the classwork, frankly-- in my program we did installations, cataloguing, exhibition design and lighting, etc., and we all had internships or assistantships that provided useful experience we couldn't have gotten otherwise and gave us contacts in the museum world that were helpful once we were out of school.

    ------------------------------
    Kerry Schauber
    Research Assistant
    Memorial Art Gallery
    Rochester NY
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-27-2022 09:31 AM
    Kerry,

    Can I ask where you received your degree from?

    ------------------------------
    Hunter Klingensmith
    Visitor Experience coordinator
    Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
    Park City UT
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-27-2022 09:36 AM
    One colleague and I went to Syracuse University-- the other colleague went through the remote program at Johns Hopkins.

    ------------------------------
    Kerry Schauber
    Research Assistant
    Memorial Art Gallery
    Rochester NY
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-28-2022 10:15 AM
    I also received my masters in Museum Studies from Syracuse and agree that the hands-on experiences that Kerry described were the most beneficial for preparing me for a career in registration, though I have also used plenty of  what I learned in the other coursework. 




    Katie Womack
    Collections Manager


    Reynolda House Museum of American Art

    2250 Reynolda Road

    Winston-Salem, NC 27106


    OFFICE: 336.758.5114


    SEE THE ALL-NEW REYNOLDA.ORG





    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-27-2022 03:55 PM
    Hi Michael,

    Count me as one. I did my PhD in the History of Technology with a Museum Studies certificate at the University of Delaware. I've found both to be foundational in my work. I work as a curator at the US Air Force's national museum, where I deal with history and material culture in a subject oriented toward (to borrow a title), technology and culture. I knew early on that I wanted to work with things and words together, and my experience seeking a history doctorate with museum studies certificate has shown that the combination can work. I've found that joining the two has given me a very useful grounding in what museums do -- collect, preserve, interpret, display, study -- and how historians work. I did my MA in Public History, by the way, to prepare the ground. That's one way to approach your learning choices. 20+ years in, it's worked for me!

    Best regards,
    Doug Lantry

    ------------------------------
    Doug Lantry
    Curator & Historian, Research Division
    National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
    Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
    douglas.lantry.1@us.af.mil
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-28-2022 09:43 PM
    I went to the no-longer-in-existance Museum Studies program at the no-longer-in-existance John F. Kennedy University in the Bay Area and graduated with a MA in Museum Studies, emphasis in Collections Management. It was a number of years ago (ahem!) and was conducted entirely in-person. I've observed a big difference between people with a museum studies education and those without. In grad school I learned to think like a museum professional- I understood why we did the things we did, and later in my museum positions, I had the framework to solve problems that my colleagues who'd had degrees in history or education or whatever, lacked. That perspective that I learned as a museum studies student gave me a huge advantage because I walked into my first museum jobs understanding the vantage point of my supervisors. The other advantage of an in-person graduate program is that our professors were Bay Area museum professionals themselves, so when I graduated and it was time to look for a job, I walked away with the beginnings of a professional network as well as a diploma. You could probably do the same thing in an online program but I think it would be easier in person. Because of the number of people with Museum Studies degrees and a limited number of jobs, it would probably be hard to advance very far in a museum without a graduate degree, and many advertised positions specifically require a degree in Museum Studies or a subject related to the museum's discipline. I'm no longer working in a museum but I have no regrets about the education I received. I use things I learned in school in my present position almost daily, so I've found it to be useful is a myriad of ways.

    ------------------------------
    Andrea Mugnier
    Nevada Discovery Museum
    Reno NV
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-29-2022 10:31 AM
    I received my Masters in Museum Studies a few years ago from Harvard with a combination of online and in-person classes. While I was there, I was often one of just a couple of students in each of my classes that was actively employed in a museum at the time. This was really helpful for my classes because I was working in guest services at an art museum and had experience in admissions, event programming, gallery attendant, and in a reading library. After I graduated I was in the same position for a while which felt like I wasted money getting the masters degree, most of my direct colleagues didn't have one at that time and I didn't see a pay raise or responsibility change with my degree. I did eventually move into development and marketing at a museum but again, my degree didn't really mean much there and didn't corollate to pay or responsibility. Just about a month ago I got a new job as an ED at a children's museum and I am every single day seeing how useful my masters degree was. It did help with my salary and I'm realizing that because my coursework covered so many areas it's made me great at being an ED. I don't personally know of any PhD programs in Museum Studies but I doubt it would make much of a difference on a resume compared to a masters. If you were going to go into curation or finance or administration a PhD in one of those areas could be helpful but from what I've seen it isn't a huge difference.

    ------------------------------
    Abigail Scanlon
    Executive Director
    Children's Museum at Holyoke
    Holyoke MA
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-29-2022 11:55 AM
    Hello - I am just completing my Museum Studies certificate program at the University of New Mexico Museum - they do have a graduate degree as well. 
    https://museum.unm.edu/

    Gurufateh Kaur
    Espanola, NM

    ------------------------------
    Gurufateh Khalsa
    Director
    The Sikh Dharma Museum Collection
    Santa Cruz NM
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-29-2022 12:03 PM
    Edited by Seth Alt 04-29-2022 12:07 PM
    Claremont Graduate University offers the PhD in museum studies as a part of their cultural studies program. If you are unfamiliar, CGU is part of the Claremont Colleges in Los Angeles. Just finished my PhD there this year. The program is one of a kind as far as I know. They have practitioners come in and co-teach courses alongside academics. They have a international course in the summer where you kick around Europe with students from a sister university (Bath Spa) as a part of the GALA program (Global Association of Liberal Arts?). You get a solid foundation in the history and theory of museums and you get as many opportunities for hands on experience as you want to take on alongside your research and coursework. Since it's housed inside a cultural studies program at the doctoral level too, you will get an extremely diverse and interdisciplinary experience and training. LA is also chock a block with museums. The big downside is it's a hyper expensive private SLAC in a place that also has a very high cost of living.

    ------------------------------
    Seth Alt PhD
    Dr. Alt
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-29-2022 01:13 PM
    Hi Michael,
    Congrats on the start of your degree. Having prior experience (as you do) is VERY beneficial. The things you learn will have a place to go in your mind. I received my MA in Museum Studies from JFKU back in 2009. It opened doors and gave me the language to talk with my colleagues about the issues we perpetually face. I think it's a solid choice.
    BONUS: if you work for a 501C3 for 10 years you get the rest of your loan forgiven. Mine was, it's amazing!
    Good Luck, feel free to reach out to me directly any time...
    Cheers,
    Matt

    ------------------------------
    Matthew Isble
    Exhibit Designer & Founder of MuseumTrade.org
    misble@crockerartmuseum.org
    Crocker Art Museum
    Sacramento CA
    misble@crockerartmuseum.org
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 04-29-2022 01:56 PM
    Edited by Emily Conner 04-29-2022 01:57 PM
    Hi Michael, I have an MA in Museum Studies from a small, unique hands-on program called The Cooperstown Graduate Program which is located in central New York state. I made incredible connections there, got a lot of field experience, but I would say the most helpful part of my degree was that it was generalist - we all took courses in every aspect of museum work (curatorial, exhibitions, collections, education, admin, etc). 

    While I have always specialized in education (BA in K-12 Art Ed) the MA helped me contextualize what I do within the greater scope of museum work, and helps me collaborate and communicate better with my colleagues because I have a general understanding of their role in the museum. It also helps me teach kids about museums and museum careers. 

    I don't know that PhDs in Museum Studies are offered, but as others have mentioned, it would definitely advance your career to gain a PhD in your specific content area - for example, if you continue on the curatorial path, specializing in a specific area of history/culture for your PhD.

    Best of luck in your studies!

    ------------------------------
    Emily Conner
    Master Teacher
    University of Wyoming Art Museum
    Laramie WY
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 05-02-2022 01:17 PM
    Hi Michael,

    In the US, the terminal degree for Museum Studies is a Master's. If you go abroad (normally to the UK) there are Ph.D. programs in Museum Studies, but I'm not sure how many have remote learning options. Usually, people with a Ph.D. who do museum work have it in a related field, such as History or Art History. 

    Good luck with your program!

    ------------------------------
    Elizabeth Carr
    Rochester Institute of Technology, Museum Studies & Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
    Rochester NY
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 05-03-2022 08:36 AM
    Dear Michael, 

    I am a researcher and teacher at Newcastle University in the UK. We have been running MA programs in Museum, Heritage and Art Museum and Gallery Studies for more than 25 years and they combine both theoretical and practical skills. We offer a PhD program in those three areas and have a thriving PhD community with students from all parts of the world studying a wide range of research topics. Yes, lots of our former students (MA and PhD) tell us how the programs helped them get into their chosen careers in the museum and heritage field, as well as in academia and other fields too. There are many researchers at our university with interests in heritage across different academic disciplines. About 150 of us belong to a Centre for Heritage Research Group and you can find out more here: Centre for Heritage - Centre for Heritage - Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk)

    If you would like more information about any of this, email me: rhiannon.mason@ncl.ac.uk and I would be happy to put you in touch with the relevant people. I hope this is helpful to you. Good luck with your studies!

    Professor Rhiannon Mason FHEA
    Head of the School of Arts and Cultures
    Professor of Heritage and Cultural Studies
    School of Arts and Cultures (SACS)
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    NE1 7RU

    Tel: +44 (0)191 208 5579/0191-208-88136

    Latest books:
    Mason R, ed. (2020) Museum Studies: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. Vols 1-5. London, UK: Routledge.
    Mason, R. Robinson, A. and E. Coffield. (2018) Museum and Gallery Studies: the Basics. London: Routledge.



    ------------------------------
    Rhiannon Mason PhD
    Professor of Heritage and Cultural Studies
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 05-17-2022 12:19 PM
    Hi Michael, 

    I do not have a Master's in Museum Studies, but perhaps I can offer a varying perspective. 

    I've been actively working in the library/museum field for four years now, and I worked my way into my current position as the registrar of a small museum through experience and networking. During my undergraduate studies (which also had little to do with museums or history), I was elected to serve as the student chair of my school's library search committee. Through this experience, I was offered a position as a reference assistant at the county library upon graduation. While at the library, I spent most of my time working in their South Carolina history room, assisting patrons with historical and genealogical research. About five months into my time at the library, I was introduced to the curator of the local museum and began a year-long (unpaid) internship with him. I now work full-time as the (paid) registrar of this same museum. Ironically, I believe the registrar here before me graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master's in Museums Studies and, to my knowledge, she is no longer working in the museum field. 

    All this is to say that, although helpful, degrees are not always necessary in obtaining gainful museum employment. Since the museum world is so very small, I would almost say that networking and experience outweigh degrees - especially in rural states and small communities like mine. Nevertheless, if you (or I) were to apply to museums in bigger cities with greater prestige, I would say an advanced degree is imperative in order to be a competitive applicant. 

    I hope my experience puts matters into perspective for you! Best of luck with your studies. Feel free to reach out anytime.

    ------------------------------
    Cherish Thomas
    Florence County Museum
    Florence, South Carolina
    All views and opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 05-17-2022 02:01 PM
    Hi, Cherish. Thank you for offering your perspective.. I dropped out of the OU graduate program as I felt I had at best, only 20% of my life (I'm 75 in a week) left and 5% of that life would be working on a degree. Can you tell I am an engineer? I do not see me working outside of my personal one-man-show slide rule museum, but I would love to network to maybe get some intern help and find a place to accept the collect in the future.

    My wife and I would love to spend a month or so in the winter in South Carolina. The last four years we escaped the snow by going to Mexico. The USA has much to offer. Where would you suggest to hangout and soak in the culture of the southern east coast?

    Thank you for your time and consideration.

    Michael Konshak, Curator
    International Slide Rule Museum
    1944 Quail Circle
    Louisville, CO 80027
    +01 303-921-8709
    https://www.sliderulemuseum.com
    ISRM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

    Member:
    American Association of Museums
    Association of Northern Front Range Museums
    Oughtred Society
    United Kingdom Slide Rule Circle

    Cherish Thomas via American Alliance of Museums wrote:


    01000180d2d2ba95-060658bd-a688-4dfe-b91e-f1fad5e197ff-000000@email.amazonses.com" type="cite" style="margin: 0 0 0 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid #CCCCCC; padding-left: 1ex">
    Hi Michael,  I do not have a Master's in Museum Studies, but perhaps I can offer a varying perspective.  I've been actively working in the...

    Museum Junction Open Forum

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    Re: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies
    Reply to Group Reply to Sender
    May 17, 2022 12:19 PM
    Cherish Thomas
    Hi Michael, 

    I do not have a Master's in Museum Studies, but perhaps I can offer a varying perspective. 

    I've been actively working in the library/museum field for four years now, and I worked my way into my current position as the registrar of a small museum through experience and networking. During my undergraduate studies (which also had little to do with museums or history), I was elected to serve as the student chair of my school's library search committee. Through this experience, I was offered a position as a reference assistant at the county library upon graduation. While at the library, I spent most of my time working in their South Carolina history room, assisting patrons with historical and genealogical research. About five months into my time at the library, I was introduced to the curator of the local museum and began a year-long (unpaid) internship with him. I now work full-time as the (paid) registrar of this same museum. Ironically, I believe the registrar here before me graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master's in Museums Studies and, to my knowledge, she is no longer working in the museum field. 

    All this is to say that, although helpful, degrees are not always necessary in obtaining gainful museum employment. Since the museum world is so very small, I would almost say that networking and experience outweigh degrees - especially in rural states and small communities like mine. Nevertheless, if you (or I) were to apply to museums in bigger cities with greater prestige, I would say an advanced degree is imperative in order to be a competitive applicant. 

    I hope my experience puts matters into perspective for you! Best of luck with your studies. Feel free to reach out anytime.

    ------------------------------
    Cherish Thomas
    Florence County Museum
    Florence, South Carolina
    All views and opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer
    ------------------------------
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  • 18.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 05-18-2022 10:12 AM
    Michael, 

    If you want the full, Southern hospitality experience with both history and culture, I would recommend Charleston. It's a gorgeous city with great food and much to see and do.

    ------------------------------
    Cherish Thomas
    Florence County Museum
    Florence, South Carolina
    All views and opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 19.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 12-29-2022 04:42 PM
    Edited by JM Huck 12-29-2022 04:43 PM
    Branching-off topic - are there any good books/textbooks you can recommend from your Museum Studies experiences?
    Or if not a book, could you recommend a website/online resource for the discipline? Aside from AAM, naturally! I am not sure if this avenue is for me and I wanted to dive into books and resources before (financially) pursuing it, thanks!

    JM Huck
    development coordinator
    The Neon Museum
    Las Vegas NV
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 12-29-2022 06:57 PM
    Hi JM, A quick inquiry back, what path within museum studies are you looking to take (education, registration, development, administration, exhibitions, etc)? That will guide my suggestions.
    Cheers,
    Matt

    ------------------------------
    Matthew Isble
    Exhibit Designer & Founder of MuseumTrade.org
    misble@crockerartmuseum.org
    Crocker Art Museum
    Sacramento CA
    misble@crockerartmuseum.org
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 21.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 12-29-2022 07:05 PM
    Matt, great question!
    Before joining TNM's development division this year (where I mainly manage the database), I was an educator for 3 years and marketer for 7! What recommendations can you throw my way--from a learning and/or communications standpoint?

    Thanks in advance and happy holidays.
    Database holiday greeting


    ------------------------------
    JM Huck
    The Neon Museum
    Las Vegas NV
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 22.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 12-30-2022 10:05 AM
    JM,

    Two books I recommend about museum careers are:

    Greg Stevens and Wendy Luke, editors. A Life in Museums: Managing Your Museum Career. AAM Press, 2012.

    Tara Young. So You Want to Work in a Museum? Rowman + Littlefield, 2019.

    Anne

    --
    Anne W. Ackerson
    Creative Leadership & Management Solutions
    1914 Burdett Avenue
    Troy, New York  12180
    T:  518-271-2455
    E:  anne@awackerson.com

    Pronouns: She/Her/Hers


        


    My Blog: Leading by Design
    Follow me on Twitter and on LinkedIn

    I recognize that I am a guest in the original homeland of the living Haudenosaunee Confederacy. I extend my respect and gratitude to the many Indigenous people who call this land home.



    Original Message


  • 23.  RE: Graduate Degrees in Museum Studies

    Posted 12-30-2022 01:33 PM
    Dear JM & colleagues:

    My 'go to' books for critical analysis of museum studies are:

    Janes, Robert R. 2009. Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance, or Collapse? New York: Routledge.

    Janes, Robert R. & Sandell, Richard eds. 2019. Museum Activism. London & New York: Routledge.


    Regarding museum pay, see:

    Salerno, Dawn E., Gold, Mark S., & Durocher. 2019. For Love or Money: Confronting the State of Museum Salaries web page  at https://museumsetc.com/products/for-love-of-money-confronting-the-state-of-museum-salaries [note: All authors have the right to provide their chapters to any interested party.  My chapter in this book is "Decent Working Conditions are Essential for Decent Compensation" pp. 222-244 at https://solvetasksaturation.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/thistle_decentworkingconditions.pdf ].


    Web sites I follow:

    Leadership Matters at Leadership Matters

    Museum Human at Museum Human

    Blogs I write:

    Critical Museology Miscellanea | blog for critical, self-reflexive, & radical re-examination of museum practice.  Start with About Critical Museology Miscellanea


    Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers | Help for fully loaded camels working in a rain of straws at Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers


    Best of luck in finding the resources you need.

    Respectfully yours

    ------------------------------
    Paul C.Thistle
    Director/Curator (retired)
    Stratford, Ontario
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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