Question:
I am about to complete my BA in a self-designed interdisciplinary major from Western Washington University. I designed it specifically with the goal of working in the museum field, and my courses have ranged from art history to anthropology to independent research. I'm primarily considering curating, but museum education has also peaked my interest, though not necessarily children's education - something more like adult education or a broader idea of museum education that encompasses more than just children.
I have a few post-graduation options in mind (namely traveling or interning abroad), but right now I'm trying to find a few museum studies/museology graduate programs to apply to. I've looked seriously into a few, but don't want to miss any. Do any of you know of a comprehensive list of museum studies grad programs that I could use as a guide for my search?
Also, any advice on interning abroad for a while after I graduate? I'm dying to experience life in another country and figured I could kill two birds with one stone by getting museum experience too. I'm just not sure how to go about doing this...
Answer:
I have a BA in American Studies and a minor in French. When I was applying to graduate programs, I started off with this list:
http://www.gradschools.com/programs/museum_studies.html
I applied to Cooperstown (http://www.oneonta.edu/academics/cgp/), South Carolina's public history program (http://www.cas.sc.edu/HIST/ pubhist/) and Winterthur (http://www.udel.edu/winterthurprogram/). I was offered admission from each program, but it came down to Cooperstown and W (as for SC, I'm not that crazy about the south [I hate hot weather, for one]). They CTown and W are both great programs. Ultimately, I chose W because it's a good place to go if you know you want to be a curator, and they also have more course offerings than other museum studies programs since they are affiliated with the University of Delaware (the UD graduate coursework will be especially helpful to me because I want to get a PhD before I become a curator).
I just finished my summer course, and I am certain that I have made the right choice. If you are considering Winterthur, note that a few (good) changes have been made to the program recently. Most important, it's now the W Program in American Material Culture (as opposed to "Early American Culture"; essentially, they officially recognize that material culture doesn't stop at 1860). Although W may be most geared toward curatorship, you can definitely get lots of experience with education if you are interested in that. While at W, you can earn a certificate in museum studies, and you can also take advantage of internship opportunities in education (W is a good place for "adult" education in particular because of the type of people it attracts, but they get kids as well). One of the other fun things about W is that you are required to give tours at least 12 days while you are a student. That's another great way to focus on good practices in "adult education" and interpretation.
