Curators

Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 25-4012.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $62,197
Projected change: +11.2%
Typical education: Master's or Professional degree
Employment: 14.66K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What curators do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
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.
Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns.
Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances.
Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $37,783
25th percentile: $46,671
50th percentile: $62,197
75th percentile: $86,226
90th percentile: $120,482

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $62,197 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+11.2%faster than average

202514,659 jobs

2035 projected16,295 jobs

1,636 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Master's or Professional degree: 44%
Doctoral degree or more: 36.9%
Bachelor's degree: 14.2%
Some college: 3.4%
Associate degree: 1.5%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Collections
Exhibitions
Art History
Museum Studies
Curation
Lifting Ability
Loans
Museum Collections Management
Marketing
Project Management
Photography
Cataloguing
Anthropology
Painting
Archives
Fundraising
Museum Education
Data Entry
Archaeology
Library

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Museum Curators101 postings
02Archaeological Technicians94 postings
03Museum Educators90 postings
04Museum Assistants79 postings
05Preparators72 postings
06Museum Specialists50 postings
07Museum Registrars46 postings
08Conservation Technicians44 postings
09Gallery Assistants44 postings
10Museum Coordinators40 postings
11Curators39 postings
12Curatorial Assistants38 postings
13Art Handlers37 postings
14Conservators32 postings
15Museum Interns31 postings
16Curatorial Fellows30 postings
17Gallery Managers30 postings
18Archivists29 postings
19Collections Managers26 postings
20Museum Associates25 postings

Top employers

01Herc53 postings
02Terracon Consultants31 postings
03Keloland Television27 postings
04Smithsonian Institution25 postings
05The Museum Of Modern Art25 postings
06Harvard University22 postings
07Indiana University-Bloomington18 postings
08Cleveland Museum Of Art16 postings
09Philadelphia Museum Of Art16 postings
10University of New Mexico16 postings
11Carnegie Museums Of Pittsburgh15 postings
12Galería Azur15 postings
13Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston15 postings
14Bowling Green State University14 postings
15Cincinnati Art Museum14 postings
16Los Angeles County Museum Of Art (Lacma)14 postings
17Princeton University14 postings
18Camp Sfmoma13 postings
19Ohio State University13 postings
20Chapman University11 postings

Keep looking

Archivists

Median pay: $63,136
Employment outlook: +7.1%

Interpreters and Translators

Median pay: $60,118
Employment outlook: +5.1%

Museum Technicians and Conservators

Median pay: $50,311
Employment outlook: +9.2%

Set and Exhibit Designers

Median pay: $63,168
Employment outlook: +5.3%