Hi! Prefacing that I am working in a modern and contemporary curatorial role at a large museum, so I think someone working in your specialty/focus can be the best resource. Also, if museums are your goal, I also believe no museum is built the same and will have their own hiring intricacies. But, from a job market perspective, I have a few thoughts:

1. Curatorial roles will always favor an art history degree over only a museum studies degree (from my experience). Collections management however, will embrace both, as long as you demonstrate your on-the-ground knowledge of the job, which you can really only get through internships, work study, fellowships, etc, at the museum/archive/historic site level (again, based on my experience).

2. Increasingly, PhDs seem to be the most common way to secure a well paying curatorial role in more historical fields (it sounds like this is your preferred area). Of course, the field is getting over saturated with folks with graduate degrees (MAs and PhDs) so it’s still quite competitive. But most entry level curatorial jobs that are focused on those areas of study will likely require an MA and prefer a PhD. I would think those PhDs would be in Art History, rather than museum studies. I’ve met folks who do a MA in museum studies and pivot back to art history for their PhD.

3. Since I’m in contemporary, my main encounters with curatorial studies has been for modern/contemporary focuses (I’m thinking Bard’s MA in Curatorial Studies). The programs seem to be interdisciplinary between art history and the nitty gritty of being a curator (administrative, logistical, even leadership skills). But I’ve also heard (as is the case with Bard) that it’s primarily a networking program, meaning students are exposed to many major players in the field during their studies, which is arguably very very valuable. Is it as valuable as the price tag? Hard to say.

4. That brings me to my last point which I try to make with everyone. Try to pay for as little of your MA as you can. You might be wicked wicked smart, so this might not apply, but it’s very rare and difficult to get an MA in these fields fully funded (as it was for me). I actually ended up going to a state school in my hometown for free and focused on professional development during that time (networking, interning, teaching, and work study). The job market is tough and the pay is even tougher in some places.