Specializations
Adam MacPharlain
Deb Fuller
<adam_mac...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Based on the current economic situation and its effect on museums, what is
> your opinion on obtaining degrees in highly specialized fields? For example,
> I am a fashion historian with interests in pursuing a Ph.D. in Design
> History specializing in French Rococo court costume; is this too
> specialized, making me unmarketable in today's arena? Or is academic
> specialization something that makes me unique and, therefore, stand-out
> among the crowd?
Yes and no. All Ph.Ds are specialized so in order to get the degree,
you have to specialize.
On the other hand, do you need a Ph.D. to work in the museum field.
That will depend on what you want to do. If you want to be a curator
or a university professor, you will ulitmately need a Ph.D. Will you
find a job with a specialization in French court costume? It will
probably be very hard, especially here in the US. You probably can
find a job in a similar area as I know plenty of PhDs, especially at
smaller museums, that work tangentially in their field. For example, a
curator/historian at a local historic house near me did her PhD
disseration on analine dyes in the 1860s but now mainly concentrates
on Regency costume as that's the era of the house.
If you ultimately want to be an educator, museum director, or exhibit
designer, then having that specialization isn't that much of a
hinderance but you'll want to get education/experience in the field in
which you want to work.
And then you have to weigh the cost of student loans against the
salaries you'll be making in the museum world. I know someone who went
back to law school after getting her PhD in history because there were
only like 2 posts in the entire US in her field.
Lots of things to think about!!
Deb Fuller