I see we're gonna have this conversation again so: No. No you do not. To advance in any career, you will need experience and knowledge, but you sure as HELL do not need a degree to be a successful curator, and it's insisting otherwise that keeps diversity out. Which is bad. https://twitter.com/NtlMuseumsScot/status/1262734900681007104

Every single time this comes up, I ask people what curatorial skills they think can only be found in an advanced degree. Every time, I find people who, for lack of a better word, are snobs. There is nothing we do that cannot be learned on other tracks.

I mean, disclaimer, yes, I have an MPhil in History from Oxford. How often do I use it for my job? Basically never. I use skills I learned in internships and apprenticeships. How did I get the interview for my current job? Well, I'll let you guess...

In fact- and I mean no disrespect to my faculty or college- my degree is useful for approximately one (1) thing in my job, and that is getting old white men to take me seriously. Which is not to be discounted- but it is, also, kind of part of the problem.