I think there was another John Hopkins grad on here who can correct me if
I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, the Johns Hopkins Museum Studies
program is primarily online, with the exception of an on-campus intensive
seminar in the summer. Not sure how long the on-campus part is, but perhaps
it's something you could get time off for, in the name of professional
development!

-Samantha

On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 3:27 PM, Matthew White <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> On the other hand, there are a hundred variables you should be
> considering, and there is no one road to get there from here
>
> One of the biggest, of course, is money. Certificate programs tend to take
> less time and money than full fledged MA programs. If either money or time
> is tight for you than maybe a certificate now and a content area MA down
> the road is right for you. Be sure to consult someone in the museum field
> in your content area, which I assume is anthropology, to get good advice on
> this. What might work in history museums or art museums might not be
> appropriate to your field.
>
> Just as an aside, yes MA's are important at some point and many places
> look for them and even require them (I don't think it is as cut and dry as
> some people here represent), but that doesn't mean you need one in Museum
> Studies and it doesn't mean you need one RIGHT NOW. (those saying you need
> one to be considered for a job should bear in mind that you already have a
> job, as did Bryan below which should at least show evidence of some nuance
> in that claim.) I have two MA's neither in a museum specific field and they
> serve me well and I got a job first. I got them years apart and 15 years
> later I am now working on a PhD. Lifelong learning isn't just a slogan for
> Museum Educators it is also a way for your to plan your career.
>
> Another variable is jobs. They are tight. You already have one. Bird in
> the hand, etc etc,  I would advise you to stick with it. As Brian points
> out there are quality online programs, Hopkins is one, Oklahoma is another.
> (Look at lists of current students in both programs. Loads of people with
> museum jobs and no MA, yet. Just sayin'.) You don't have to leave your job
> to get credentialed. Hopefully your employers will see what they gain by
> your education and cooperate.
>
> This of course relates to money. I am shocked by how much debt students in
> Museum Studies put themselves in when the entry level positions pay so
> little. If you stay at your job and do distance learning or a part time
> program you can earn a salary (with benefits, hopefully) while in school
> you will borrow less and might even be able to pay as you go. Someone else
> on this thread mentioned the Museum Education program at GW. It's an
> excellent program and as a museum educator in the Baltimore/DC area I
> worked with a lot of graduates of their 14 month program, (and even hired a
> couple) but a lot of them had huge debts since the accelerated 14 month
> program allowed for little outside employment of any kind. (I will admit
> that it has been some years since I worked with GW grads. Maybe they have
> assistantships and fellowships I am not aware of now, but back when I
> worked in the area most graduates didn't and either needed to
> be independently wealthy or went into debt. If the situation at GW has
> improved I apologize to that fine institution, but my larger point about
> considering your possible debt load still stands) and  I don't know what
> the financial assistance is like at the school you are considering, but
> think about your long-term finances and how much debt you can support with
> a museum salary.
>
>
> Quite frankly, you have a job and if you think it is secure I say keep it
> and pursue whatever professional development you decide on through a
> distance or part time program. Jobs are more scarce right now than degree
> programs in the museum field. Cherish what you have and good luck.
>
> Matthew White
> PhD Candidate, History of Science
> University of Florida
> &
> Research Associate
> American Philosophical Society Museum
>
> On Sep 06, 2012, at 12:38 PM, Brian Rayca <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Melanie,
>
> Why go for a certificate? Why not look into a full fledged MA in
> Museum Studies? i just graduated this May from the Johns Hopkins
> Museum Studies Program. I was working fulltime at the West Point
> Museum while I did my studies. The program is designed to so that a
> working museum professional can continue to work and earn thier
> degree.
>
> Brian
>
> 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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