The best program depends on what it is you want to learn and what your career objectives are. Different programs have different strengths. Some very well-known programs might fail you completely if they don't teach what you need, some small programs might be perfect for you. I have never heard of anyone being hired based on where their museum studies degree was from. People should be hired based on what they know and what they can do. If a museum is going to hire you based on where you graduated from, then you probably don't want to work there anyway. --John John E. Simmons Collections Manager, Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center and Director, Museum Studies Program University of Kansas 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7561 Telephone 785-864-4508 FAX 785-864-5335 [log in to unmask] www.nhm.ku.edu/herpetology www.ku.edu/~museumst -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Keni Sturgeon Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 11:22 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: A question about US Museum Studies Programs Hello all, I have what may be an odd question (or two), but as I begin to prepare for the upcoming academic year and teaching my museum studies courses, it's something I've been wondering about. A few months ago (though it could be longer...time for me is flying) there was a query posted to the list about the value of getting a graduate degree from one of the top museum studies programs, verses the lesser known ones. I'm wondering in your professional opinion(s), which do you consider to be the "top" museums studies programs in the US and why (and I'm thinking of the more general museum studies programs as opposed to more specific ones focused solely on museum education or conservation or collections or exhibition)? Thanks for your input, Keni Keni Sturgeon Curator Mission Mill Museum 1313 Mill Avenue Salem, OR 97306 503-585-7012, ex. 232 [log in to unmask] _________________________________________________________________ http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=hmtextlinkjuly07 ========================================================= 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).