Annual Conference of the German Museums Association

For the first time, the annual conference of the German Museums Association is being held at ZKM. Its theme, »The Next Generation of Museum Scholars - Training and Practice«, reflects the debate on the requirements the higher education of museum professionals must satisfy in the coming decades, a discussion that was prompted by the reform of higher education consequent upon the Bologna Declaration of 1999. From the museums' point of view, this raises the question of the criteria to be met by potential recruits.

The conference begins with a general introduction to the new courses of study and qualifications in German higher education, and an inventory of the museums' complex requirements of the next generation. Given that such requirements will differ considerably, depending on the type of museum, the discussion of museum practice will be divided into three sections. What should the aspiring museum scholar expect? What are museums' requirements in terms of academic training? Does one only need »all-rounders«, or must one still insist on the »traditional« subject specialisms and degrees?

These questions lead to the second part of the conference, which will consider among other things the much discussed new degrees: this should help clarify what effects the reform of higher education may have on the »museum suitability« of graduates, what it means for the traditional courses of study, and how these are changing. Speakers from the so-called »new« courses will explain what they offer and in what way they answer to the needs of the museums.