Yes, I agree with you. Get now a good academic background - first question: what type of museum would you like to work for? And if you are not interested in history, art history, cultural anthropology, biology, archaelogy, fine arts... - sociology, or psychology, would be a good option.

António Eduardo Mendonca

----------
From:   Hervé Gagnon[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   sexta-feira, 13 de março de 1998 14:48
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Undergraduate degree in Museum Studies

I agree with Claudia and, having given a few graduate seminars at University
of Montreal's graduate program in Museology, I would go even further: a
museum professional without some sort of solid academic background (at least
undergraduate) in another discipline (be it history, art history or biology

or cultural anthropology)

is rather useless in a museum on a day-to-day basis.  You've got to be
competent in a given field before you can work in an institution that is
interested in that field.

Hervé Gagnon
Director-Curator
Colby-Curtis Museum
Stanstead (Québec)
Canada

Nicholson, Claudia a écrit:

> To the person who was seeking information on an undergraduate degree in
> museum studies:  reconsider.  The value of an undergraduate degree in
> "something" is that you learn how to learn about a specific subject.
> You gain a background of knowledge that will serve you (most likely at
> surprising times) over and over again in your career.  Museum Studies is
> a broad area, and you learn about dozens of things.  But in such
> programs you rarely spend a lot of time learning just one thing.  The
> undergraduate degree in a subject area allows you to do that before you
> learn "museum stuff."
>
> The others who have advised you about internships and such are right.
> You can get museum experience without being in a structured program.
> And, most museum graduate programs won't look at you without some sort
> of museum experience.
>
> Great field to be in, but there are many ways to get there.
>
> Claudia
> Curator
> Museum Collections Department
> Minnesota Historical Society
> 345 Kellogg Blvd. W.
> St. Paul, MN  55102-1906
>   Tel.:  612/297-7442
>   FAX: 612/297-2967
>   E-mail:  [log in to unmask]