Do We Need Museum Studies Degrees?

I just pulled this latest blog post from an AAM facebook update (a quick and easy way to keep up with the organization, and to find "food for thought" articles on the museum field). The post itself poses some basic questions - and a few far out projections - about the system of public education in general. But the beginning and end question the necessity of formal programs in Museums Studies, the role of those programs in helping graduates secure jobs, and finally, questions whether or not AAM should work to raise salaries for these trained professionals (union??).

The post is short, and easy to digest. The highlights come in the form of other articles referenced. I enjoyed: "How Web-Savvy Edpunks Are Transforming American Higher Education"

I know the RC-listserv is always buzzing with questions about distance education programs in museums - as well as advertisements for webinars and online courses. So it does seem like this is the direction we're moving in, as a field. But is there ever a substitute for hands-on training? Do most folks feel that online opportunities give them the experience they will need to start a full-time job?

In times of economic strife, when cultural institutions are tightening belts and there is less money available to attend conferences and workshops, I would agree that online opportunities for continuing professional education are great. I'm a fan of webinars - cheap, easy, and often enlightening. But I can't imagine what my view of museums and my base of knowledge of best practices would have been without my training in public history and museums - in an on-site program.

A few questions for you grad students (and alumni of programs): How valuable is getting a graduate degree in museum studies? What about your program was valuable and only available in a real world, hands-on setting? Or, if you're in the process of getting a degree online -- what made you choose that path, and is it working for you?

Weigh in at will....