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Career

Curators

Typical education: Master's degreeLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $63,420 Median per year · $30.49/hr Most earn $40,470–$107,140

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances.
  • Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
  • Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials.
  • Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
  • Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
  • Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 1,600 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions46.8%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools15.9%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals9.1%
  • Self-employed (their own business)8.8%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals6.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Master's degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Curator is not an entry-level job. Most people spend roughly 4 to 6 years in related museum or archive work, and usually a master's degree, before they take on curator duties. The path is long, but it's built step by step.

  1. Bachelor's degree in history, art history, anthropology, or a related field

    4 years

    You build a broad base in a subject with objects or collections, and you practice research and writing, which curators use every day.

  2. Master's degree in museum studies, art history, or a related subject

    2 years

    A graduate program teaches collections care, cataloging, and exhibit work, and it's the education level most curator jobs expect.

  3. Collections Assistant or Museum Technician

    2-4 years

    You handle, catalog, and care for objects while learning how a museum runs, and you build the hands-on experience that employers look for.

  4. Curator

    Ongoing

    You manage a collection, research its objects, plan exhibits, and may teach or do public programs for the institution.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Curator

    5-10 years as a curator of experience first

    You take on bigger projects, lead other staff, and often hold a major research or exhibit role, which usually comes with a strong publication or exhibit record.

  2. Chief Curator

    10 or more years in curatorial work of experience first

    You oversee all curatorial departments and shape the museum's collecting and exhibit plans, which requires leadership and fundraising skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take history, art, and writing classesStrong reading and writing skills prepare you for college majors that lead toward curatorial work.
  • Visit museums and historical sites oftenSeeing how exhibits are built helps you figure out whether you enjoy the behind-the-scenes side of the work.
  • Volunteer at a local museum, library, or historical societyHelping with events or cataloging gives you a real look at how collections are cared for.
  • Join a history, art, or science clubClub projects build research and presentation skills you'll use in college and later in the field.
  • Get a part-time job or summer job at a library or archiveWorking with organized materials teaches care, attention to detail, and reliability, which museums value.

In college

  • Major in history, art history, anthropology, or a related fieldThese majors cover the subject knowledge and research methods that graduate museum programs expect.
  • Take a course in museum studies or public history if your school offers oneIt introduces collections care, exhibit planning, and ethics, which helps you decide on a graduate program.
  • Intern at a museum, gallery, or historical societyInternships are often the most important step toward your first museum job, and they can lead to references and contacts.
  • Work a campus job in the library, archives, or a campus galleryHandling materials and helping visitors builds practical skills and shows employers you can be trusted with objects.
  • Learn collections software or digital archiving basicsMany museums track objects in databases, so this skill can set you apart when you apply for entry-level roles.

Tips for getting started

  • Volunteer or intern at a museum, historical society, or library early. Hands-on time with real collections is one of the most valued experiences in this field.
  • Get comfortable with research and writing now. Curators write exhibit text, grant proposals, and scholarly work, so strong writing counts as much as subject knowledge.
  • Learn the basics of collections software and digital record-keeping. Many museums use databases to track objects, and that skill helps you get your first job.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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