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[museumgirl85]

Hello All,

I am new to the forum, and after poking around a bit on the topic of a PhD in American Studies (oof!), I would be interested in any feedback you have.

A little bit of background - I have a BA from a top-25 college, and an MA in Museum Studies from a respected program. No debt/loans from either.

My questions:

- Is a Ph.D. in American Studies a good idea for someone who is not interested in an academic, TT position? I've read a bit now about the prejudices against hiring in Universities. I am interested in curatorial work at a museum, not teaching.

- Is it worth the degree if I go to a respected (but not Ivy) University? I am currently employed at a University that offers a (funded - good sign) PhD in American Studies, and I believe I could obtain the degree with tuition remission and funding, maybe continuing to work full-time. But, is it still worth it? Does anyone know where I can find reliable rankings for PhD American Studies programs?

Thanks for any and all feedback.

[untenured]

There have been threads dedicated to the topic of American Studies.  Use the unreliable search field and you might find some information.

I'm no expert on this program whatsoever.  Yet, from what I have heard from this forum and elsewhere, a Ph.D. in American Studies is not the optimal choice for a graduate program.  There are few departments that are explictly American Studies.  Furthermore, established disciplines (e.g. history) might not take your degree seriously and instead seek a 'true' historian for tenure-track lines.

No doubt there are better forumites than me to discuss this, but here's my advice.  I would try to channel your American Studies interest through one of the already well-established disciplines.  The job market is brutal as it is.  I wouldn't make your employability even more difficult by choosing a less-than-totally established field of study.

[museumgirl85]

Thanks for your reply. I was able to find some threads regarding academic teaching  and research prospects for PhDs in American Studies, but I am (really!) only interested in museum work... (I've heard people always say that and end up doing something else....)

[untenured]

Thanks for your reply. I was able to find some threads regarding academic teaching  and research prospects for PhDs in American Studies, but I am (really!) only interested in museum work... (I've heard people always say that and end up doing something else....)

Is there something about museum employment that demands an American Studies degree?  If this degree significantly enhances your employment there, then that makes the program more attractive.  If an American Studies program has a neutral effect, then I suggest pursuing your degree through an established discipline so that you may have greater flexibility in your career should your circumstances change.

[pink_]

If you really honestly have no interest in a tenure-track job, and you can do the Ph. D. at the university where you are working without incurring greater debt or expense, why not?  You might decide part-way through that it's not worth the trouble, or heaven help you, you may be seduced by The Dark Side and decide to pursue a career in academe. The latter would be a really bad idea (most seductions to The Dark Side are).

Is your current position one that has some stability?  By that, I mean can you work there for however many years it will take you to complete your degree?

[museumgirl85]

In response to untenured - no - American Studies would not be demanded. The other choices (for me) would be something in Art History or History - the areas of my BA. The appeal of American Studies was the focus on visual culture and museums...and availability where I am currently working. I'm sure that History and Art History (perhaps with good reason) would be more competitive and given the nature of the fields require a degree from a top-tier University. It is my understanding that a PhD is, increasingly, an unspoken requirement for curatorial jobs that in a previous generation did not have to be there.

And for Pink.... I do feel I have a great deal of stability. Enough to live on comfortably at my age but perhaps it will not feel like enough in a few years. Giving up the 5-6 years of doing something else gives me pause.

[erzuliefreda]

American Studies is actually a good Ph.D. if you are certain you want to stay in museum and public history work. It can be better than Art History if you do not wish to work with fine art. It can even be better than a History program, if it is open to public history and museum studies.

As someone with this degree, I would almost never suggest it to anyone--but in your situation--yes, it can be a fine idea. PM me if you have more questions.

[larryc]

American Studies is actually a good Ph.D. if you are certain you want to stay in museum and public history work.

I agree--and few can match my record of snarky comments about American Studies. But make sure that the program will support your interest in museum work and public history.

Also--make sure that you acquire some digital skills along the way and understand databases and blogs and maybe even GIS along the way. And take a grant writing class.

[bread_pirate_naan]

Don't expect to work your uni job during your program.  Look at all of the internships at the Smithsonian and develop your research agenda accordingly.  Know museum work pays less than academe and the employment prospects are more bleak.  If you like where you are, there's an excellent chance you can have a better salary and a retirement plan superior to most curators by the time your PhD would be done. 

[polly_mer]

One thing to check into is whether the museums that you would want to work at hire people with American Studies degrees in the positions you would want to work.  What is possibly reasonable and what happens on the ground are often two different things.

And reread what Naan wrote a couple of times because you will definitely want internships or other arrangements to make your CV be the shiniest one possible.

[erzuliefreda]

A program that is genuinely attuned to museum work and public history should have networks for internships. If it doesn't, that would worry me.

The hiring process for museum jobs is different from the TT market. You have to network your way into the field, and you have to be damn good at it. Rankings wouldn't really help you for museum jobs as much as working with the right people would. You will know them because they will have curated exhibitions that generated catalogs, etc.

LarryC is right about grants. Learn to fundraise and museums will like you.

[frankenstein]

Due to the ongoing budgetpocalypse, my school is "restructuring" (i.e. gradually eliminating while denying that they are eliminating) a number of graduate programs, including American Studies.  The American Studies program at my school is very highly regarded and was praised in the school's own marketing literature as an example of our wonderful graduate program offerings (as recently as, oh, 2 years ago).  Honestly, I'm not sure how widespread this kind of thing is; maybe it's just my school.  Still, I'd seriously investigate the long-term viability of any American Studies grad program you're considering.

[disambiguate]

A couple of thoughts...

Isn't there such thing as a museum studies grad program?  I had a friend in grad school who was a collections manager at a major U museum and her degree was (I believe) in museum studies or something similar.  It seems that if you want to work in a museum, you need training in preservation, public education, collections management, etc.  Most American Studies programs probably won't focus on those aspects.  In fact you may find resistance to museums as tools of colonialism depending on subfield.

Second, what exactly do you mean by "curator?"  Seems simple enough, but in some quarters a curator is an extremely high level researcher, effectively a professor with no or few teaching responsibilities.  I think the more popular use of the term is for someone who curates or takes care of museum collections.  Those require very different skills.

Following number two, do you really need a PhD?  Would a masters of some sort be sufficient if you are interested in the collections management side rather than the research side?

Anyway, good luck.  I think an AmStudies PhD would be a ton of fun if nothing else.

[museumgirl85]

I have an MA in Museum Studies already and have collections management and preservation training, etc. These are great skills for a museum position like a collections manager, but not enough to get you hired as a curator (research, publishing, and exhibition development) in a major museum.

A sincere thanks to all of you for your replies. Maybe the outlook is not quite as bleak as I had feared, but nevertheless some serious considerations - especially the last point about the viability of the program.

I've got a few Smithsonian internships under my belt (although I'm not sure how shiny they'll look if a few years go by....) and I think I have a pretty solid understanding of the number of curator jobs available (and what it actually pays to be a GS12/13 or similar - minimizing debt would be essential). But, I will definitely look in to some of these concerns before if/when I move forward. I may try out a class or two as a non-degree student first, anyway.

 

[bread_pirate_naan]

I think I have a pretty solid understanding of the number of curator jobs available (and what it actually pays to be a GS12/13 or similar - minimizing debt would be essential).

I think you sounded super on the ball until this part.  The pay scale you've mentioned is like saying, "I understand what Full Professors make."

I understand what assistant curators make (GS 8/9).  As I'm sure you know, all those curators have very narrow specializations,  some specializations are more competitive than others, positions stay filled for decades, and are not Fine Arts fields.  Other than that, you sound fully prepared academically, but for having a museum job in an admin position like disambiguate mentioned.  I wish you the best.  Very exciting to have a chance to do what you want.

PS Disambiguate, preservation and conservation are two different fields.  Conservation generally requires PhDs (or an MA/MS in one of )  Art History and Chemistry, and a fine arts degree in the appropriate medium.