
{"id":897,"date":"2026-09-01T20:09:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/?p=897---9ef2513f-47c0-470e-a714-dd91b06a7868"},"modified":"2026-09-30T04:27:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T04:27:55","slug":"degree-need-become-museum-curator","status":"publish","type":"query","link":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/queries\/degree-need-become-museum-curator\/","title":{"rendered":"What degree do I need to become a Museum Curator?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re searching for information on Museum Curator, I\u2019m willing to bet you had an extensive collection of something as a kid &#8211; rocks, arrowheads, coins, stamps &#8211; maybe even just weird junk you thought was interesting. You arranged it, catalogued it, cleaned it, learned everything you could about it, and defended it whenever your mom told you it was taking up too much space.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, you\u2019ve already been a museum curator &#8211; just for your own museum. Because those are exactly the things a museum curator does. As a curator, you keep museum\u2019s collections in order, study extensively, and rehearse a perfect sound bite for whenever a government official or board member asks, \u201cWhy do you need more money for X?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So how do you get to be someone who gets paid for doing all that? It\u2019s a pretty long educational road, but since it\u2019s heading for something you love, it will all seem like fun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Education<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A museum curator wears a lot of hats, so the educational program can be pretty varied. Most curators start out majoring in history (or art history, if you want to work in an art museum) and getting a bachelor\u2019s degree. But you won\u2019t just study history. As a curator, you\u2019ll be responsible for preserving, restoring, and protecting precious, sometimes priceless artifacts &#8211; you\u2019ll need to know a good deal of science, such as<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>chemistry<\/li>\n<li>geology<\/li>\n<li>archeology<\/li>\n<li>physics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You\u2019re also going to do a lot of public relations, fundraising, and politics (because many museums are public), so business, marketing, and political science will be helpful. You\u2019ll have to have excellent writing skills and interpersonal skills &#8211; take writing and speech-making or debate.<\/p>\n<p>A solid undergraduate program will prepare you for the Master\u2019s degree. You didn\u2019t think you were done, did you? You\u2019re going to be responsible for part of human history; you don\u2019t get there with just a bachelor\u2019s! There are actually master\u2019s programs for curating and restoration. A Ph.D. can\u2019t hurt, but it\u2019s not essential &#8211; yet.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, get to know the museum world by volunteering in college, and seeking internships. You\u2019ll get paid little or nothing as an intern, but you\u2019ll learn the ropes firsthand and make contacts for when you go seeking a job.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Job Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a curator, you will mostly be an administrator, but that doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t get your hands dirty. First of all, you\u2019re going to have to work your way up. That means you\u2019ll start out literally getting your hands dirty, cleaning and restoring pieces of the collection, moving things, setting up displays, and all of the nitty-gritty that goes on behind the scenes to make a beautiful, pristine museum possible. You may write up catalogues or dig through a basement full of forgotten acquisitions. But that\u2019s exactly what you got into museums for &#8211; to be the person who discovers a lost masterpiece boxed up in a dusty corner of the museum!<\/p>\n<p>When you finally get to be the curator, expect to spend a lot of time asking wealthy people for money. Also expect to be in a lot of meetings with government officials, if you curate a public museum, arguing for the greatness of the work you do. (Did we mention taking some classes in rhetoric and persuasion?) You\u2019ll manage the museum, making sure everyone is doing their job, and making major decisions about what the museum buys, sells, and displays.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Outlook<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/education-training-and-library\/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>, jobs in archiving and museum curating are expected to grow 11% in the next ten years. The median income is around $44,000 a year, but that\u2019s averaging all museum professionals &#8211; curators will likely make more, much more in a large, well-funded museum.<\/p>\n<p>So go take a walk around your favorite museum. Imagine yourself behind the glass, setting those Grecian urns just right, walking the halls like you own the place. You won\u2019t own it, but it could be yours to shape into the perfect museum.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Related Resources:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/what-degree-do-i-need-to-be-a-curator\/\">What Degree Do I Need to Be a Curator?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re searching for information on Museum Curator, I\u2019m willing to bet you had an extensive collection of something as a kid &#8211; rocks, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"mobius_hide_qdf":false,"mobius_hide_el":false,"mobius_limit":"","mobius_degree":"","mobius_category":"","mobius_subject":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,82,56,80],"tags":[311,67],"class_list":["post-897","query","type-query","status-publish","hentry","category-art","category-grad-school","category-nonprofit","category-science","tag-art","tag-masters-degree"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What degree do I need to become a Museum Curator? 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