Brian, and everyone who's contributed to this thread, thanks so much for
your thoughtful and concrete insights, not just for Melanie but for all of
us, even if our museum job vs. masters/certificate decisions are not so
close at hand!

--Kathie


Kathie Gow

Oral History Producer
http://www.wordspicturesstories.com

Curator, Hatfield Historical Museum
http://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Brian Rayca
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2012 8:45 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Continue working in a museum vs. Museum studies
Master

Melanie,

Just to finalize my thought and re-reading your situation.  I'm a big
believer in practical learning.  I feel that the time I spent
volunteering and then working for museums informed my studies for my
MA as much as having the MA now informs my work.  since you are
already working, I think your question is will an MA help in your
work.  The short answer is yes.  Why should you get it?  Well it
shouldn't be because employers will hire you, although that is a
factor.  The answer should be because this is the career you want, and
an MA will make you a better professional.  That being said, ANY
museum studies program will help you do that.  However, as you said
you are in a bit of a situation stuck with the unenviable choice
between an in-person program and a job in the field.  It is my belief
that right now, in this economy, a job in the field is more valuable.
As we have mentioned there are other programs, online and distance
learning that would not require you to make this choice.  You can work
and go to school, with another program.

Your job right now is teaching you through experience.  It has value,
and is putting food on the table and a roof over your head.  If the
in-person program where closer then I'd say your situation was
different.  The registrar here at West Point Museum went the NYU while
I was at Hopkins.   Hers was in person, mine online.  We compared
notes and found them comparable, but I wasn't making a two hour
commute every day to Manhattan.  We both worked full time during our
studies and got excited when reading and projects and discussions
could be applied at work sometimes within hours of learning them in
the classroom.

For your situation Melanie, I would definitely hold on to the
invaluable experience of working in the field.  The MA will come when
you think you need it, and there are programs that don't require you
to leave your job to attend them.

Brian Rayca
Museum Technician
West Point Museum

On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 12:55 PM, Melanie C Deer
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm stuck in a sticky situation and I was hoping some of you had some
> advice. I volunteered/internship/did independent studies at the
> undergraduate level at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) in Tucson, AZ (as
> Southwest archaeological museum) for about two to three years and then
> managed to get a student position in the Repository and held that for a
> year, graduated with a BA in Anthropology and Creative Writing and I am
> currently employed full time at ASM working on a major repatriation
project
> as well as working on finishing an article on a research project I did
with
> Southwestern Prehistoric pottery that I hope to get published. Before I
got
> the full-time position I had applied to Arizona State University's Museum
> Studies Master program and was accepted. I am scheduled to start classes
> Fall 2013 (I've already postponed enrollment the max amount of time, due
to
> a different situation). My employers already knew about my plan to attend
> graduate school in a year before they hired me, so that is not a factor.
>
> I am wondering whether it would be better to stay at my full-time position
> and pursue a Masters later (in other words tell ASU I will not be
attending
> classes in Fall 2013, potentially closing that door permanently) or if I
> should leave my full-time position to attend classes as originally
intended
> risking not having a job when I graduate.
>
> An idea I had was to get an online Museum Studies Certificate while still
> working full-time at ASM and possibly do night classes to get an
> Anthropology MA. But I'm not sure how highly or lowly Museum Studies
> Certificates are viewed in the museum world.
>
> Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
> Melanie Deer
>
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