Dear Colleagues,
I have followed some of the discussion on the Masters/PhD issue and
would like to add my own experience and insights to the discussion.
In a career (museums and related areas) that has now spanned some twenty
five years - I may be giving my age away here -  academic endeavors  in
museum science, museology and museum studies have always been the
foundation for my work. I may have deviated occasionally from the path
due to personal circumstances (motherhood, family relocation etc.) but
the academic foundation has always stood me in good stead and is still
the key to unfolding opportunities.
Beginning with a BA in Sociology and an interest in museum studies I
took a museum science course in Florence Italy. This introduced me to
the field and helped to formulate my decision to pursue a Masters in
Museology (University of Toronto). The Masters led directly to contract
work with Parks Canada, a position directing a small museum and one
coordinating a provincial museum association training program. The next
step was to complete a PhD in Museum Studies at the University of
Leicester in England - a task that took 9 years altogether but diring
this period led directly to a number and variety of consulting
assignments, as curatorial advisor to a historic house museum, as the
coordinator of a major museum feasibility project, as a consultant to
groups preparing for feasibility studies, etc. In recent years I have
used the PhD to launch an academic career in cultural tourism
(researching, writing, publishing, consulting, teaching) and besides
working from home in Prince Edward Island have had the opportunity to
teach in Scotland and Newfoundland, to do field work in the Western
Isles, the Isle of Skye and Newfoundland, to work as a team member on an
international study of visitor attractions with field work in the
Netherlands, etc.
The foundation of all of this work has always been the museum studies
disiplinary area. This has provided and continues to provide a framework
for many endeavors.
Anyone who has a wholistic interest in museums should definately
consider a Masters and or PhD in Museum Studies.
I would be pleased to hear from students with individual questions.
Lee Jolliffe
Victoria-by-the-Sea, Prince Edward Island

=========================================================
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).