Quick question... you state that 90% are "in employment."  Are there
jobs in actual museums or elsewhere?

I'm in the US and graduated from the George Washington University museum
studies program in 1996.  I have been consistently employed since then,
but my jobs have had little to do with my museum studies degree which
focused on collections management.  My first job was for the Smithsonian
Institution as a grants/contract specialist.  Although I worked for a
museum, my job was similar to what a sponsored project/research office
does at a university.  It had little to do with traditional "museum
work."  I've been in the field of grants administration ever since.

As an undergraduate, I did an internship at the Royal Armouries in
London.  I've keep in touch with a few of my former colleagues and hear
that the job market in UK museums is no better than it is here in the
US. 

So, it would help to clarify what types of jobs these graduates were
able to find after graduation.

Thanks!
Laura


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Jim Roberts
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2004 11:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Museum studies degree

We have recently had a discssuion on our alumni listserv
([log in to unmask]) about the difficulty of getting the first
job
after leaving the Masters Degree Museum Studies programs. Certainly, a
number of UK ex-students have been unable to find employment in the
first
12-18months after leaving the program, however, our students' overall
success in gaining employment shows the real situation:

The most recent employment survey (1997-2002) looking into the first
destinations of recent graduates found the following: (Response rate for
home students 84%, EU/International students 43%)

Total number graduating = 325

Total number of respondents = 227
In employment = 205 (90%)
Further training or study = 8 (4%)
Not available for employment, training or study = 3 (1%)
Seeking employment or training = 11 (5%)

If those reading this listserv are concerned (rightly) that such
programs
should enhance their chances of getting a job, then I hope they are
reassured by the actual results; 95% of graduates from the program seem
to
get what they want from the employment/training/study market.

As I said at the beginning, all this applies to UK students. Plainly
there
are enhanced difficulties for those from outside the European Union,
mainly
the question of work permits. It is worthwhile following Trevor's advice
and pointers on this matter.

Finally, approximately 50% of our students this year are international
(i.e. outside EU) so we believe we have a pretty universal acceptance in
the profession. I hope this is still true.

For more information on the various programs at University of Leicester,
go
to www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies. Sorry for the advert, but that's my job.

Look out for coming announcement of The Leicester Study Series for
Professional Development. Early next week!

Jim Roberts
Webmaster
University Of Leicester
Department of Museum Studies

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