Jane:
 
          Yes, I apologize for the flippancy of my remarks. Bad habit.
          But, in truth, I'm really not sure what sort of education
          program prepares one best for a career in museums. This is
          not only my uncertainty. As I survey my successful
          colleagues over the years, I genuinely can not find a common
          thread in terms of their academic preparation. Its all over
          the map, from doctorates in literature to music degrees to
          degrees in horticulture, well, you get the picture.
 
          So, when a student asks this question, I am somewhat
          non-plussed. My MBA degree in arts administration from
          SUNY-Binghamton taught all of the standard MBA stuff, with
          additional coursework specific to the administration of arts
          organizations (legal issues, funding issues, budgeting and
          government relations issues).
 
          I think that it behooves the requesting students to say what
          aspect of museum work they want to start in. Do they want to
          be curators? educators? administrators? fundraisers?
          finance people? The preparation for each of these may be
          dramatically different. Perhaps that's the problem I have
          with these questions when they come up. If the requester is
          generally interested in a career in museums, then a general
          degree (and a general response) seems best suited. The more
          specific their interests, the more targeted the educational
          goals would be.
 
          Eric Siegel
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