Dozens of colleges and universities in both the United States and Canada have Museum Studies programs, but which one is right for you?
Dozens of colleges and universities in both the United States and Canada have Museum Studies programs that are intended to help students gain both the theoretical and practical knowledge that is helpful to gain employment in the museum world. A far greater number of museum studies programs exist in the United Kingdom. The Smithsonian's Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS) defines Museum Studies as, ". . .the field that encompasses the ideas and issues involved in the museum profession-from the practical, day-to-day skills needed to operate a museum to theories on the societal role of museums."
This article, which is the first of a series, is intended to give you some idea of whether or you should pursue graduate school in museum studies and how to decide on a specific program or school.
Applying to graduate school can at first appear to be a daunting and overwhelming process. Applicants are often asked to take long and grueling exams, fill out dozens of applicants, and explore dozens of potential programs before even finishing an application. By my own estimation, filling out seven or so graduate applications was similar to taking at least one college-level course (more details about the actual application process will be outlined in the next essay). The clichéd advice that most graduate school application guides give is that any potential applicant should really ponder why they want to go to graduate school in the first place. The cliché, however, is especially true in the museum world, where a master's degree can either get you ahead, or make little or no difference depending on what exactly you would like to do in the field. I arrived at my decision not to apply to museum studies programs after taking a personal inventory of where I wanted to go in life, and exploring how best to get there.
The best way to decide whether or not you want to pursue a graduate degree in Museums Studies or a related field is to first complete an internship in a museum. As an intern, you will be able to learn from within the museum about various types of work around the institution what exactly they entail on a day-to-day basis. A good internship will be one where you can explore several different aspects to museum work via work on a handful of projects. If your internship places you in an extremely isolated position, you might want to look elsewhere for more experience. Many museums will allow undergraduates to serve as interns and, depending on the museum and your undergraduate institution; it is often possible to arrange that academic credit be given for your work.
Once you start working as an intern, you will begin working with and getting to know individuals who could potentially offer you some insight into museum careers. When meeting individuals in the museum community, it is important to explain to them that you are an intern and that you are curious a potential career as a museum professional. Once you do so, you might be able to ask the people you meet a little bit about their background and how they arrived at their careers. What did they major in as an undergraduate? How did they know they wanted to work as a museum professional, and when did they decide on their specific career.
Competition museum jobs can be stiff, but it is not impossible to break into the museum world. An internship will allow you to start gaining real-world museum experience as well as offer you an opportunity to closely examine potential museum careers and the different path people took to get to where they are today. Perhaps you will meet a collections manager or conservator in the museum you intern at and decide that or a museum studies degree is the best route to take to your future career. It is equally possible that you will meet a museums counsel (or attorney) and decide that in order to achieve your goals it would be best to directly enroll in law school; the best way to learn the best path to your museum career is a direct experience with the museum world.
