Julie,
When deciding on my
graduate course of study, I found a book called Museums: A Place to
Work, Planning Museum Careers. It is by Jane R. Glaser with Artemis A.
Zenetou. I got it from the AAM bookstore (online at the
website). Chapter 8 discusses "Training and preparation"
and states: "Many of the best programs offer master's degrees in a discipline
with a certificate in Museum Studies." Later in the chapter the author(s)
state that "Programs (Museum Studies) may be oriented toward history,
the sciences, anthropology or art, for example, or they may have
important strengths in such work areas as curatorship, museum education, or
management".
What I gathered from
my reading this and other sources is that an MA/MS in a discipline is still
preferred in most situations over a Masters in Museum Studies. Many people
who already have masters or PhD.'s are going back for the specialized training
in a Museum Studies Certificate Program. Lots of us are seeking the
certificate in conjunction with a MA in a discipline. My certificate
program is a joint offering by the departments of History, Art History and
Anthropology. It is geared towards the study of Museology with courses in
curatorship, principles and practices, visitor services, education, management,
etc. My MA will be in in History. It is a 2 year program (if
you go full time). Most people are working in my program and so it takes
about 3 years to complete.
According to the
above mentioned book, Museum Studies programs have been around since the 1920's,
but I had not heard of them either until I started my research (so don't
feel alone). Plus, I don't think they were generally accepted as valid
courses of study until just recently. Ironically, I used to work at a
non-profit gallery in which the director had a Masters in Museum Studies from
UC-Berkley and she was in her 40's or 50's then (10 years ago), but I didn't
even remember this until I was accepted.
By the way, my
program is at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (http://www.UMSL) Hope this info helps.
Best of
Luck,
Lori
Allen,
Graduate Student,
UMSL