I opted for the thesis option. I felt a thesis would leave more doors
open for me. I had two degrees in studio art, an internship with a
photograph collection (which involved a report), an internship drafting
policy, experience with cataloging library material, a past job that led
me into the field. With my background in art, I had very strong ideas
about design and didn't want to be constrained by someone else in a
project. I loved research. That was a part of it too.
Completing a thesis taught me a good deal about editing and writing.
While some people thought that I was a good writer before hand, the
thesis really taught me how to write. It taught me how to research more
effectively. It also taught me when to call it good, stop and move on.
Each of these has been important to me. I would have loved to work in a
museum related to my research but that hasn't happened. A thesis is
more than the subject matter of your research.
Not everyone learns to write, edit and organize well while completing
their thesis. Your best choice depends on your program and your
background and interests. What do you need out of your degree
experience? What are the strengths of your program?
Good luck
>>> [log in to unmask] 9/9/2009 3:28 PM >>>
I will tell you that I also took the project (with report) options
rather than a thesis in my Public History MA program. Since I did not
need my PhD and did not really want to pursue it at the time, I wanted
the experience to put on my resume. I did notice that jobs wanted real
experience not just degrees, which a project gave me.
Since that time, I have worked with lots of graduate students who wrote
a master's thesis and then struggled to be hired because they lacked
real experience. A thesis is great if you are going into a specialized
area, if it closely related to the job you want or are applying for or
if you want to pursue your PhD., but I have not seen them have a lot of
worth if you want to go directly into the field. As an employer, I may
be interested in the topic of someone's thesis, but it does not tell me
if they really can apply what they have learned in college. Also, I
want to know if you can work in the real world rather than the ideal one
associated with classroom work.
So the answer is...what do you want to do long-term? Look at position
requirements on jobs posted in the type of field you want to work in.
If you are pursuing a position in a science or art museum or a research
position, a thesis may be the right choice. If you want to work in most
small to medium history museum, an education position, or exhibit than
perhaps experience in the form of a project may be your best bet.
What ever you do, make sure the project or thesis adds to your overall
knowledge and/or experience and does not just fulfill a requirement.
Good Luck,
Tracie Evans
Curator of Collections
Sauder Village
22611 St. Rt. 2
Archbold OH 43502
Phone: 419/446-2541
FAX: 419/445-5251
________________________________
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of natalya hopper
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 10:55 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Question for the Professionals
I would also be interested in the responses to this question. I have
just begun my second year as a Public History MA student and although a
thesis is optional I am pursuing this route. Despite the extra work I
feel it will be worth it because I am extremely interested in my
research topic. Thanks for bringing up such a relevant subject!
~natalya
> Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:35:09 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Question for
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