>> I don't know what Ross Weeks does, but I teach five courses per >> year and that is a lot indeed. "Two or three" courses on the semester >> system would be about equivalent, but most people I know on the ss at most >> (but not all) state universities teach five courses per semester to be >> full-time. I couldn't resist adding my two cents on this subject. I am currently trying to make the transition from academia to museums, probably museum education (although I haven't figured out what formal training to pursue yet), but I, too, must respond to the assumption that professors don't do anything. I have many friends still in academia who have no time for anything outside of course preparation, keeping up with their fields (a vain hope), and conducting the research demanded by tenure committees, not to mention all the advising and administrative work they are asked to do. And unlike many of the faculty I had in my graduate programs, they are actually interested in proper advising. That said, I think the majority of professors in PhD programs are woefully out of touch with the current job market. If you are interested in getting a job in academia, you are better off talking to current grad students in a program to find out whether such and such big name professor actually does anything to help his or her students (getting funding, networking, advising) and whether that person has actually places anybody in an academic job than you are relying on the recruiting material departments and universities produce. An advisor prominent in the field is of no use if he refuses to do anything for you and considers networking for students on the job market to be a conflict of interest. I don't know about academic snobbery toward museums, but there is certainly snobbery about research vs. teaching, not to mention teaching at major universities vs. small liberal arts colleges. Since I was always more interested in teaching than in large scale research, I am hoping museum education will be a better fit. On the question of MAs vs. PhD, I can't speak to the relative merits if one is just starting out and thinking about a career in museums. However, ANYONE considering a PhD in the social sciences or humanities these days should think very carefully about investing all the time and energy in a degree that may turn out to be a hindrance to employment (You have a PhD? Oh, you'll be bored here.). The academic job market is deplorable, with more and more colleges and universities going the adjunct faculty route so they don't have to pay decent salaries or benefits. And if you choose to get a PhD in something that is off the beaten path, but your big interest (in my case, Viking archaeology), be prepared for people to be fascinated by how interesting your subject is, but unwilling to hire someone who does that. I don't think I'm sorry I did it, but some better advice at the start would have been useful! On another thread, if anyone has got this far, one of the most memorable museums I have visited is the Ringve music museum in Trondheim, Norway, where there is a large collection of musical instruments and where the guides actually play some of them for you (or did when I last visited). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).