ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Julia,
This can be one of the more contentious discussions in the museum field that is NOT about deacessioning. Everyone has an opinion about how to train the next generation of museum professional. Typically, veteran professionals will suggest the route that they took themselves as the "right" route. I have lost count of how many people with Museum Education degrees I have heard tell potential museum educators that they MUST get a museum education degree. Not having one myself, I have always taken exception to that. As my high school geometry teacher used to say, "There are many roads to utopia."
Be sure to take into account your own experiences, needs, assets, limitations, ambitions (short and long term) before making a decision and don't let anyone tell you what you MUST do if they don't know these things about you.
All that having been said here are some thoughts:
When deciding on a type of graduate program take into account your experiences and prior education. Do you want to exand upon them or do you want to make up for deficiencies? A class room teacher might want to opt for museum studies program, but someone with some museum experience might want to take more classes on education theory and practice.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Your cognition program sounds interesting, but if you want to write, develop, and implement educational programs I would be wary. I don't know the program of which you speak, but it sounds like it would be more for someone who wanted to do visitor evaluations and other studies. My experience is with hands-on, interactive exhibitions and programs and I would always hire someone who knows how to design a program on the fly or organize 50 volunteers for a special event over someone with a lot of "book leanring." In short, how do you see yourself applying this degree once you get it? What do you want your day-in, day-out routine to be like and educate yourself accordingly.
What are your long term goals? If you want to move up to museum management some day, even mid-level, you will need management education or experience at some point. It may be part of a graduate program (some museum studies programs now have MBP or MPA options) or professional development down the line.
The down side of your goals of working in the informal science education field is that there is very little out there in terms of targeted grad programs. A couple of years ago I looked. Most museum studies programs are run out of either history, art history, or American Studies Departments, many are stand alone. Museum Education programs are either run out of the same department or are part of Education Programs. Few are run with a specific science bent (exceptions would be Boulder's Museum studies program which is affiliated with a Natural History museum and the Longwood Gardens program at Delaware, and their may be others. I don't claim to be an expert. While all of these are wonderful, few, if any, are designed to train someone in informal science education. There is, for example and as near as I can tell, no science equivalent to the growing field of Public History. Public Science?
Anyway, I have rambled on for a bit here. Ultimately, all of your choices are good ones, but they are not all good for you. In any event, don't look at the degree as an end, but a means to a happpy, successful career. Too many students think that they must have a certain degree to get a certain job and that getting said degree is assurance of the job they want at the place they want. It ain't like that. Always look for internships and part time jobs in museums or similar institutions (science centers, children's museums, aquaria, zoo, arboreta, etc etc.) even if that job or internship may prolong getting your degree. Ultimately, museum work is a skill that must be practiced not discussed in a classroom.
Finished with my 2 cents.
Matthew White
>>> [log in to unmask] 04/06/04 12:53PM >>>
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Hi Everyone,
I'm in the midst of making some decisions about furthering my formal
education, and this is the place to find out if what I'm pondering
fits reality.
I do love the informal science education industry, and I'd like to
gain a graduate degree that will be relevant to the field as well as
have applications in "the rest of the world." For this reason, I
have ruled out a degree in Museum Studies. I think its focus is too
narrow for my purposes.
I've been looking at degrees in Cognition, focusing on *how* and *why*
people learn. Please note this is *not* a "Cognitive Studies" degree
that you'd
find in a computer department, but rather a more interdisciplinary
subcategory within the Education department, and my final goal is
*not* be to a classroom teacher.
I guess I'm trying to find out if I'm shooting myself in the foot by
pursuing a more academic degree as opposed to a more applied degree.
For the time being, I'd like to work towards continuing along my path
in science education, creating effective learning tools. As for the
future....well, this is why
"Museum Studies" didn't make the cut for me.
If you have thoughts/experiences about graduate school in general, or
about how graduate school was the best thing (or the worst thing)
ever in terms of your career (or in terms of anything else), I
welcome all input.
Please feel free to email me directly at: [log in to unmask]
Thanks very much,
Julia Berger
PS: Here's the program that is at the top of my list:
http://depts.washington.edu/cogstudy/
***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
|
