ABSTRACT
Back-door entries still may happen, but today's job-seekers are, for the most part, a sophisticated and realistic lot, planning and preparing for careers in a very competitive job market. Unlike many other professional fields of endeavor, there is no one training route into the museum field. Depending upon the discipline, the type of position, the specialization, and sometimes the size of the museum, training and education requirements may vary from a high-school diploma, a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, to a PhD or a LLD (or JD) (see Chapter 6). One reason there is no one training route into the museum field is that there are great numbers and varieties of disciplines within the "discipline" of museology. Incidentally, there are many in the field in the United States who do not accept "museology" - the theory, history, and role of museums - as a separate discipline. Nor do they accept the term "museography", which includes documentation of collections, preventive conservation, and exhibition techniques. These terms and philosophy are much more widely accepted in other parts of the world. But there is a body of museological and museographical knowledge and literature that defines and illustrates the types of professional theories and practices unique to museums. Flora Kaplan has observed: "Common ideas and values connecting those who work in museums form a social science."1 Whether it is called museology or museography, the body of information is there for your elucidation! Depending upon to whom you talk, the answers to your questions about training will run the gamut from a strict disciplinary approach, to museum studies programs, to internships, to "learning by doing" on the job, or a combination of different methods. To clarify the issues for your decision-making, this chapter presents training options for you to consider in preparing for a museum career. Museum studies programs are emphasized, but internships, graduate, and undergraduate degrees
Training and preparation
in disciplines, and professional development after being on staff are also discussed. You should consider all the possibilities.
