Should someone complete a program in museum studies? "Yes" and "no."
   It worked for me.  I had been working on my Ph.D. full time (Colonial
Studies/Public History at The Union Institute), and was laboring away as the
Asst. Director of The Skyscraper Museum (NYC).   The Museum is an
architectural history museum connected to the  architectural historian  
community.   The doctoral program (as many are) has been terrific, and has
given me lots of connections of sorts, but it is fairly theoretical; it didn't
connect me with the local museum community in a way that I wanted. The 
convergence of these circumstances made it such that I didn't have the
knowledge or connections I needed to get into museum education/program
development, which is where I wanted to go.  
    Fortunately for me, NYU had a "tack on" museum studies program for
doctoral students (and others), and so I added that to my mix.  After doing
that, the sky opened.  In the midst of working on my dissertation and taking
museum studies courses, I got a consulting gig with the Theater Museum (my
background is in theater), and left The Skyscraper Museum.  After that, I got
a short-term project with the Museum of the City of New York (where I am now)
researching and creating a blueprint for a living history program.  Starting
September 1, I'll be the Program Development Director of the Lower East Side
Tenement Museum, which is a full-time job (note:  the first rough draft of my
dissertation is finished).
   So, is it worth it?  For me it was.  The additional knowledge, connections,
and opportunities that emerged (they came through the museum studies program)
put me into a position that I really wanted.
   Museum studies programs aren't necessary for everyone.  The Museum of the
City of New York recently hired a terrific person for a position in the
education department with a background as a college professor of comparative
literature.  The guy is amazingly bright, creative, focused, enthusiastic, and
his knowledge of New York City history is astounding.  I love working with
him, and I can see why they hired him.  Stories like this dot the museum
landscape.
     
Good luck,
Mike Radice


 
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