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November 2008
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Where can I work? - Volunteering - Qualifications A good museum-studies masters qualification may give you the edge when it comes to getting a first museum job - but it's no guarantee of a job. Research suggests that about 20% of museum-studies graduates never get a job in the sector (museums, visual arts, built heritage and archives).
Many (but by no means all) museums like to recruit staff with postgraduate museum-studies qualifications. Probably somewhere around half the people entering professional and management jobs in museums have one. Depending on the job, the other half may have no postgraduate qualifications at all (but relevant experience or skills), or may have a masters or PhD (for curators), a PGCE (for education and learning staff) or a marketing qualification (for marketing staff). Some people take a museum-studies masters part-time, while working in a museum. Many courses are available part-time to people who want to continue working while they study. Leicester University museum studies department has pioneered a distance-learning programme which has replaced its campus-based part-time courses. The Museums and Galleries Yearbook produced by the MA lists all postgraduate courses related to the sector. There is a growing number of courses and it's important to make the right decision about whether you should take a course and if so, which one. Basic things to think about include: · Don't assume that the courses are all the same. For example, Manchester University's MA in museums and galleries studies is good for anyone interested in fine and contemporary arts, but if your interest is social history, then Leicester University might be a better choice for you. · Check out the course leaders and lecturers. Find out what they have published, where they have worked and what their views are on the role of museums and galleries. Is theirs an approach you will be happy with? · Think about the kinds of jobs you are interested in and the kinds of museums you want to work in. Find out whether the course will help you get the job you want. Ask the course whether previous students have in fact been successful in getting these sorts of jobs. · Consider whether or not you want to study full- or part-time. · Some courses have a lot of students (up to 100) others limit numbers, in some cases to les than 10. Think about whether you'd learn best as part of a large or small group. · Talk to current or recent students - they will know whether it worked for them. Colleges should be happy to put you in touch with some.
The Museums Association recognises some postgraduate courses as a fast-track qualifying route for the AMA, Associate Membership of the MA. Click here for details of courses recognised by the MA Click here to see research on entry to the museum workforce ^ TOP
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