Quick question... you state that 90% are "in employment." Are there jobs in actual museums or elsewhere? I'm in the US and graduated from the George Washington University museum studies program in 1996. I have been consistently employed since then, but my jobs have had little to do with my museum studies degree which focused on collections management. My first job was for the Smithsonian Institution as a grants/contract specialist. Although I worked for a museum, my job was similar to what a sponsored project/research office does at a university. It had little to do with traditional "museum work." I've been in the field of grants administration ever since. As an undergraduate, I did an internship at the Royal Armouries in London. I've keep in touch with a few of my former colleagues and hear that the job market in UK museums is no better than it is here in the US. So, it would help to clarify what types of jobs these graduates were able to find after graduation. Thanks! Laura -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim Roberts Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2004 11:28 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Museum studies degree We have recently had a discssuion on our alumni listserv ([log in to unmask]) about the difficulty of getting the first job after leaving the Masters Degree Museum Studies programs. Certainly, a number of UK ex-students have been unable to find employment in the first 12-18months after leaving the program, however, our students' overall success in gaining employment shows the real situation: The most recent employment survey (1997-2002) looking into the first destinations of recent graduates found the following: (Response rate for home students 84%, EU/International students 43%) Total number graduating = 325 Total number of respondents = 227 In employment = 205 (90%) Further training or study = 8 (4%) Not available for employment, training or study = 3 (1%) Seeking employment or training = 11 (5%) If those reading this listserv are concerned (rightly) that such programs should enhance their chances of getting a job, then I hope they are reassured by the actual results; 95% of graduates from the program seem to get what they want from the employment/training/study market. As I said at the beginning, all this applies to UK students. Plainly there are enhanced difficulties for those from outside the European Union, mainly the question of work permits. It is worthwhile following Trevor's advice and pointers on this matter. Finally, approximately 50% of our students this year are international (i.e. outside EU) so we believe we have a pretty universal acceptance in the profession. I hope this is still true. For more information on the various programs at University of Leicester, go to www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies. Sorry for the advert, but that's my job. Look out for coming announcement of The Leicester Study Series for Professional Development. Early next week! Jim Roberts Webmaster University Of Leicester Department of Museum Studies ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).