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Conceivably the most fundamental transformation in museums over the last century is their shift from private pleasure to public service. This paradigmatic reorientation, however, did not involve concurrent evolution in how museum professionals are educated and recruited. Museum professionals, who educate the public, should have a standardized means of training, performance evaluation, and continued education. This research examines museum studies curriculum and surveys current museum professionals, about the potential of museum studies curriculum to serve as the academic discipline from which to construct standard training for the museum profession.

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Redell R. Hearn, Ph.D., is founding director of a graduate program in museums studies and currently teaches in the M.A., Museum Studies Program for Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and on the Board of Directors for the Association of African American Museums. Photo by Christopher Deone Williams.

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