SOme places' certificate programs are targetted more toward technical
museum experience, ans provide a broad overview of the field of
museology, whereas a Masters degree may have a more academic research
specialty required as well (which as why they take longer).  From programs
I know of, you would want to go for Masters of higher is you were
interested in curatorial work, where a certificate in many cases is more
suitable for collections management or administration.  I suspect that is
changing as the field coninues to professionalize and organize itself.

I guess the definition is rather murky and you need to look at each
program individually to know just what their "angle" is.

Juliette Rogers
Stephen Phillips Trust House
Salem MA


On Wed, 11 Jul 2001, Julie Clark wrote:

> Good Morning-
>
> I've seen many posts to the list that mention a "certificate" in Museum Studies. I had never heard of this before. Can anyone please explain the difference between a certificate and a degree such as a MA? I'm guessing that the former takes less time to acquire. Do many universities offer a certificate now? Also, do the employers out there have an opinion on the issue when it comes to interviewing and hiring a potential new employee?
>
> Thank you-
>
> Julie Clark
> Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center
>

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