Greetings,

It depends completely on the position, museum size, and museum type.

At a small town municipal museum where a "registrar" is paid barely above
minimum wage?  It would be easier to train a recent college intern to be a
worker than it would be to teach a townie about artifact preservation.
Employee training is an aspect of a supervisor or director's job, but
compressing years of advanced education into a practical job training
session is ridiculous.  That is especially the case when I need to teach
them about bloodborne pathogens and other basic safety classes as well.  If
I am not allocated salaries that can attract a candidate with a MA and 5+
years experience, I would rather go with the inexperienced but educated, to
give them a stepping stone towards a better-paid museum job.

At a larger museum, with adequate staffing and budget?  I would rather hire
someone with actual, practical experience in registration and collections
management regardless of education over someone with an advanced degree but
no relevant experience.  I would want proven candidates.

Thank you,

Michael R. <[log in to unmask]>


On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 9:41 AM Danielle Bronson <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Jenna & all,
>
> Jenna — thank you for asking this question! I've been visited with similar
> fears; I'm also a recent graduate. This summer, I've been studying the GRE
> and trying to quell the anxiety of the end goals of my education.
>
> My questions for the email list are in a similar manner: is there a
> preference for degrees (MFA vs MA vs PhD) made in hiring decisions at art
> museums? Or is it as Michelle and others have echoed, moreso a competitive
> market for those with work experience? If so, what's the value in these
> degrees if they do not necessarily advance careers?
>
>

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