What was the position?

How many applicants did you have?

What percent met your minimum qualifications?

Did you prefer a master's degree or certificate in museology or a specific discipline?

Would you have considered hiring someone w/o a master's but with significant experience?

Would you have considered hiring someone with a recent bachelor's but with a museology major or minor?

How many FTEs on your staff?

If you would like to remain anonymous please forward your replies to me and I will strip out the relevant information.

Dan

On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 5:24 PM, Robert Patrick Connolly (rcnnolly) <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I feel like I am missing something in this discussion. According to the AAM recent survey of over 4000 currently employed museum professionals, here is the education demographic breakdown:

7.7% High school

5.6 % 2 year degree

44.8% B.A. Or 4 year degree

35.3% Master’s degree

5.1% PhD

1.4% Other

The above suggests to me that having a BA or MA is where the action is at in terms of museum employment. I routinely advise students that unless they want to teach there is little reason for them to continue on for a PhD. I am often amazed at the false information students use to justify the need for getting a PhD (e.g., can't apply for a grant without a PhD, most people with good museum jobs have a PhD, more employable with a PhD, etc. etc.) In fact curators and directors of publication were the only job classes in the AAM survey where over 10% had PhDs.

I teach in a Graduate Certificate Program (M.A. plus certificate). Coincidentally we were going through our alums last week seeing who was employed. I don't have the figures in front of me, but we were all surprised that a very high number of our grads are employed today, including recent grads. A key seems to their employment is flexibility in building a career. In the past I used Elizabeth Schalatter's book on Museum Careers - it is very linear - here is what a curator does, exhibit designer, etc. etc. More recently Burdick's Creative Careers in Museums is much more about the entanglement and cross–over in museum positions today.

I will also note that I hired for two museum positions (administrative/interpretive) in the last three years and although we had over 70 applications each time, in neither case did more than four of the applicants have any museum experience or course work.

So yes, unemployment is high. By occupation, I suspect Museum folks are actually faring quite a bit better than most (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t13.htm).

My Egyptology colleagues are unanimous – there are very few jobs for Egyptologists. I had dinner last night with a board certified forensic anthropologist – a heavy hitter in the field. On her web page (http://inside.msj.edu/academics/faculty/murraye/Careers_in_Forensics.html) she announces that regardless of how much you want to emulate the CSI TV shows in your careers, there are few of those jobs. A student is well advised to review the career opportunities in museums through the AAM job board, Museum-L, AAMG-L. and others to see what jobs are actually open these days. I tend to have very fruitful advising sessions with students who couple their career interests with the current availability or trajectory of museum employment possibilities.

My .02

Robert

Robert P. Connolly, PhD
Director, C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa
1987 Indian Village Drive, Memphis, Tennessee 38109
901-785-3160, ext. 15

Associate Professor, Anthropology
The University of Memphis 38152
901-678-3331

http://www.memphis.edu/chucalissa/
http://rcnnolly.wordpress.com/

The mission of the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa, a division of the University of Memphis, is to protect and interpret the Chucalissa archaeological site’s cultural and natural environments, and to provide the University Community and the public with exceptional educational, participatory, and research opportunities on the landscape’s past and present Native American and traditional cultures.

On 12/17/12 10:41 AM, "Christopher Woodhouse" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I have to agree with Dan. There are too many programs and not enough jobs, yet our colleges and universities still offer these programs and spit out graduates every fall and spring. It is very deceiving, and prospective students should ask these institutions for hard data on what their placement percentages are before applying/considering a career in this sector.

We will not see any change until museums stop requiring higher degrees for certain positions.

Chris Woodhouse

Unemployed, yet still hopeful, emerging museum professional

Cranston, RI

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Dan Bartlett
Curator of Exhibits and Education
Instructor of Museum Studies
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Beloit College