Consider earning an on campus or online degree in history or library science if you are interested in becoming a museum curator. In fact, you can also enter the career path that would lead to a museum curator position by obtaining a master’s degree in the museum’s specialty.
For example, if you wanted to be a curator at the Art Institute in downtown Chicago, you might want to study for a degree in art history.
There is also a degree in museum studies called museology. This degree is at the master’s level
For example, if you wanted to be a curator at the Art Institute in downtown Chicago, you might want to study for a degree in art history.
There is also a degree in museum studies called museology. This degree is at the master’s level
Related Museum Curator Programs
What does a museum curator do?
A museum curator administers and manages the activities of museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, nature centers and historic sites. The duties of a curator are to guide the acquisition, storage and display of museum collection exhibitions. This includes negotiating the purchase of museum pieces and the loan or sale of said pieces.
Other responsibilities of museum curators are to authenticate, evaluate and categorize the items in a collection or display.
Many of the museum curator’s tasks now include fundraising and promotion. This means reviewing grant proposals, publicity materials and promoting the museum at civic events.
At a large institution, the work of the curators could be specialized. For example, separate curators could be employed for collections of birds, mammals or fossils.
What kind of education does a museum curator need?
Coursework in the subjects the museum represents will help you as well as a bachelor degree related to archival studies and library science.
In smaller museum,s a curator might have administrative and managerial responsibilities. If so, you might want to take classes in business administration, non-profit management, public relations, marketing and fundraising.
Two degrees—one in a specialized subject and one in museolgy may provide you with a decided advantage over competitors.
How much does a museum curator earn?
Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that median annual salaries for museum curators are at around $47,220. In the federal government, it’s $90,205.
Where can a museum curator work?
Limited opportunities may exist at some archival institutions because they are small and have limited promotional opportunities.
Curators at smaller museums can advance to positions in large institutions and curators at large museums can be promoted into positions of higher responsibility within the museum.