Thanks for posting that blog link Adrienne. I had not seen that before and she does bring up some really good points in it. I agree with what has been said so far; since Melanie eventually hopes to earn a PhD, she's going to have to go for the Masters first. No *reputable* PhD program would take someone with just a bachelors and a certificate (assuming you could find a program which would allow you to enroll in a certificate program without having a masters). The best bet would be a combined MA/PhD program to shorten the time and focus the work more on what you would like to do.
As an aside inspired by the blog post, I've found myself wondering a lot of times whether going back and getting an additional masters in museum studies would be a worthwhile investment. I know some great Masters grads who really know their stuff and I love working with them. But three things have always personally held me back:1) Student loans already owed for my BA and MA with grad certification. Let's face reality folks, the museum field is not the place you go to make money, and with the costs of graduate education going up at the same speed as a bottle rocket it's unlikely you'll ever be able to pay off the loans if you work your entire life in the field. I'd never change the decision that I made because I love what I do and everyone in the museum field I've ever met is just as passionate about it, but you have to remember you can't plunge yourself into financial Armageddon and expect to be truly happy.2) Uncertain economy and its effect on the employment market. Since museums are mostly running on bare bones staff as it is, the financial downturn has not helped any of us who rely on things like governmental funding, grants or interest earned on endowments. Even the big places are hurting.
3) Overall value of the degree vs. actual experience. I've come away from many conference presentations by newly minted or about-to-be-minted MA students feeling some pity for them. They are always presenting on the "latest and the greatest" of the museum world, from technology to conservation and everything in between. But how prepared are they really? Most of them won't get jobs with the big places who have that kind of capability for things like digitization and barcoding and environmental controls in HVAC systems and everything else. Many of them will work in the small places, cutting out the construction paper, cleaning the bathrooms, inventorying collections which have spotty records at best, old buildings with major climate issues, etc. etc. I always wonder whether these graduates are prepared for that reality. Plus, as several commentators on the blog mentioned and several contacts I have with the big places confirmed, it's more desirable and more important to have the real world experience rather than just the letters. In the future I'm sure that will change, but as the Masters programs are all relatively young yet and many of the professionals in the field are without MA's, it seems like a hard gamble to make.
Maggie CarlsonMuseum Director/Curator of CollectionsCoronado Quivira MuseumNorthwest Representative, Kansas Museum AssociationHistory is philosophy teaching by examples- Thucydides
From: "Berney, Adrienne W" <[log in to unmask]>Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Graduate Certificate accepted as a sustitute for Masters Degree?Melanie,I recommend you read through a fascinating discussion Nina Simon initiated several years ago on her blog about the value of Museum Studies graduate degrees.In my experience there are very few research-focused jobs in cultural heritage museums. I think your best bet is to start getting as much diverse experience working in a museum setting as possible, and set your research/ grad school agenda independently. I agree with one of the comments on Simon’s blog that a Ph.D. can be a liability in getting a museum job, especially without years of relevant work experience to complement it.Best wishes in your pursuit.Adrienne Berney, Ph.D.
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Melanie C King
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 1:47 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Graduate Certificate accepted as a sustitute for Masters Degree?Hey everyone,I am about to graduate with a B.A. in Anthropology and I'm looking towards what I'm wanting to do in terms of grad school and such and after talking with someone I decided I'm probably gonna get either a Masters or Grad. Certificate in Museum Studies then go onto a Ph.D. in Anthropology. I'm wanting to do curatorial work in a research museum.I was wondering if any of you knew if getting the certificate is a valid substitue for the Masters or if it would be best to get a Masters since I'm planning on going onto a Ph.D.Hopefully that wasn't too confusing.-Melanie King
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